Yale’s ‘guts’ dominate in ‘terrific victory’ over Auburn

• Kyle Bonagura, ESPN

  • Personnel WriterMar 22, 2024, 07:37 PM ET Close Covers the Pac-12.
  • Joined ESPN in 2014.
  • Participated In Washington State University.SPOKANE, Wash.– The

more Yale coach James Jones studied Auburn this week, the more convinced he was that the Tigers– the No. 7-ranked team in the AP poll– were under-seeded as a No. 4.

That’s why in the minutes after Yale protected its second-ever guys’s NCAA tournament win, distressing Auburn 78-76 at Spokane Arena, he was quick to make a bold pronouncement about its historic significance.

“I do not know if that’s the very best win in Yale basketball history,” Jones said, “however I will inform you that’s the very best basketball group that we’ve beaten in Yale basketball history.

“As far as I’m worried, Auburn is one of the much better groups in the nation. I could not think that they were a 4-seed in regards to what they have actually been able to finish with their metrics.”

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1 Associated Most notably, Auburn was the No. 4-ranked group nationally in the well-respected KenPom.com rankings, which rely heavily on advanced statistics. The Tigers entered the game having just won the SEC tournament and having actually lost to only one team all season that wasn’t eventually amongst the field of 64.

Regardless of all that, Yale revealed no indications it was frightened, even after routing by 7 points at halftime and falling back by 10 with 7 minutes, 35 seconds left in the game. Each time the Tigers looked like they might pull away, the Bulldogs reacted, often with a difficult shot from John Poulakidas, who finished with a career-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting.

“I was looking for out a way and an avenue for us to be effective and I do not understand that we went down the opportunity I was thinking of,” Jones said. “We didn’t make complimentary throws [21 of 31] and we turned the ball over [11 times], but the guys had enough guts and adequate sticking together and staying together to give us a great triumph.”

August Mahoney on the upstart Bulldogs’ first-round stunner over Auburn: “It is a dream become a reality when you concern a school like Yale to not only make it, however to win that game.” Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It doubles as a historical loss for Auburn. The Tigers entered into the game 11-0 perpetuity in the round of 64, which stood as the most wins without a loss of any team considering that the field expanded in 1985, according to ESPN Stats & Details. It was the third-longest winning streak, behind Kansas’ 16 straight and Gonzaga’s 14.

“It’s tough to reflect on the season when you simply go through among the most frustrating losses in your career,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “I have actually been in the 12 spot. We’ve had these great wins. This is the most significant upset in the NCAA competition that I believe I have actually experienced.”

Yale’s win marks the 2nd straight year that an Ivy League team has beat a Power 5 conference champ in the preliminary of the competition, following Princeton’s success as a No. 15 seed over Arizona in 2015. The Tigers went on to beat Missouri to advance to the Sugary food 16– a run the rest of the Ivy League took pride in while seeing from home.

“We have actually a very undervalued league,” Poulakidas stated. “I understand everyone saw what Princeton did in 2015, undoubtedly, and even this year they had a significant season. Cornell almost went up to Ohio State and beat them. So, we have a really undervalued league and for us to come into this building today against a top-10 team in the country and perform how we did, I’m really pleased with everybody in our locker space.”

Yale and the other Ivy League groups do not get numerous chances to play Quad 1 competitors in nonconference action, and when they do it’s normally on the roadway. That dynamic, Jones competes, alters the perception of the league’s quality.

“I have actually stated this in the past, that two years ago we won the Ivy League champion and we played Purdue in the preliminary, but I believe that Princeton was the best group in our conference and we were fortunate enough to win that championship,” Jones said. “Last year, I think we were the very best team in the conference and Princeton beat us in the national championship and they went to the Sweet 16.

“So in my mind, we could have had 2 teams in the tournament good enough to win games. So very happy with our league and what we’ve done and hopefully it continues to relocate the right instructions.”

Yale finished in a second-place tie with Cornell in the regular season this year behind Princeton, which lost just three regular-season games and was a No. 2 seed in the National Invitational Tournament.

“Every basketball player matures seeing March Insanity the day they’re old enough to understand what it is,” guard August Mahoney said. “And you see Cinderella stories all throughout every year and you see the underdog win some huge games. And it is a dream come true when you come to a school like Yale to not just make it, but to win that game.”