Coach Bruce Pearl and Auburn lost two stars to the NBA from what he considered college basketball's best frontcourt.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn freshman Jabari Smith, who led the Tigers to their first No. 1 ranking, is entering the NBA draft.
Smith, who is projected as a potential No. 1 overall pick, lived up to his billing as the highest-rated recruit in program history.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn center Walker Kessler, who was chosen the nation's top defensive player, plans to enter the NBA draft.
The 7-foot-1 North Carolina transfer announced his decision Sunday on social media.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Miami showed there's still a place for old-school basketball played by experienced players — and for the Hurricanes, that's in the Sweet 16.
The 10th-seeded Hurricanes (25-10) used a second-half surge and neutralized No.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said he fully supports Stanford women's coach Tara VanDerveer's initiative to help those in need in Ukraine.
VanDerveer had pledged $10 for every 3-pointer made in the women's NCAA Tournament toward humanitarian efforts for those affected by Russia's invasion.
Mike Krzyzewski won his first NCAA Tournament game as Duke's coach in 1985 and his 98th on Friday night.
He was an up-and-comer with a hard-to-spell last name back then, and a contender for the title of college basketball G.O.A.T.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Duke began retiring Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski’s final NCAA Tournament with minimal stress, beating Cal State Fullerton 78-61 on Friday night.
Freshman Paolo Banchero scored 17 points to lead the Blue Devils (29-6), who jumped to a double-digit lead in the first 4 1/2 minutes and remained in control throughout.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Jabari Smith couldn't wait for his first NCAA Tournament game so he could get back to having fun and helping second-seeded Auburn to its latest first-round victory.
Oh, and putting up a highlight-reel jam wasn't bad, either.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl is grateful he can joke about his last NCAA Tournament game three years ago in the Final Four, no matter how gut-wrenching the outcome.
“It doesn't flash in my mind very often,” Pearl said Thursday about Virginia's 63-62, drama-filled victory in the 2019 national semifinals.
The latest on the NCAA Tournament bracket announcement:
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North Carolina turned to Hubert Davis to replace retired Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams. Now Davis has the the Tar Heels exactly where they ended Williams’ final season.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas fought its way through arguably the toughest league in college basketball this season, ultimately sharing the Big 12 regular-season title with Baylor before romping past Texas Tech to win the conference tournament.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tyrece Radford scored 19 points and Quenton Jackson made five throws in the final minute Friday as Texas A&M beat fourth-ranked Auburn 67-62 in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, a loss that could wind up costing the Tigers a No.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Texas A&M isn't done reviving its season after an arduous, month-long tailspin threatened its chances of earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The Aggies improved to 7-1 since an eight-game skid, bolstering their case to get at least an at-large berth with a 67-62 victory over fourth-ranked Auburn in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Friday.
Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe is a unanimous pick as The Associated Press player of the year in the Southeastern Conference.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — The Auburn Tigers got to celebrate a solo Southeastern Conference title with a flood of orange and blue confetti and no thoughts of tiebreakers.
A team led by newcomers is hoping for more March celebrations.
A look at action around the Southeastern Conference on the final weekend of the regular season:
Auburn (26-4, 14-3 SEC) can clinch the regular season title outright with a win over South Carolina (18-11, 9-8) at Auburn Arena.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — K.D. Johnson scored 12 of his 14 points in overtime, Jabari Smith had 27 points overall and No. 5 Auburn held off Mississippi State 81-68 in overtime Wednesday night.
With the win, the Tigers (26-4, 14-3 Southeastern Conference) clinched at least a share of the SEC regular-season championship.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — K.D. Johnson scored 12 of his 14 points in overtime, Jabari Smith had 27 points overall and No. 5 Auburn held off Mississippi State 81-68 in overtime Wednesday night.
With the win, the Tigers (26-4, 14-3 Southeastern Conference) clinched at least a share of the SEC regular-season championship.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — It had been 27 games since Brandon Huntley-Hatfield made a 3-pointer. Since then, he had missed eight attempts.
The 6-foot-10 freshman for No. 17 Tennessee was an unlikely hero Saturday when he connected early in the second half as the Volunteers trailed by 11 points.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Walker Kessler didn't quite get another triple-double, but Auburn's Wendell Green Jr. and Zep Jasper finally started hitting their own triples.
Kessler had 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots while the point guard duo broke out of offensive slumps to lead the third-ranked Tigers to a 77-64 victory Wednesday night over Mississippi.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tyree Appleby scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half, Colin Castleton added 19 and Florida rallied to beat No. 2 Auburn 63-62 on Saturday to extend its home dominance in the series.
The committee that will select the NCAA Tournament sees little gap between Gonzaga and Auburn as the top team.
For now, the Zags are the pick.
Gonzaga was the top overall seed in initial rankings released Saturday by the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, sitting ahead of Auburn, Arizona and Kansas as the other teams holding No.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tyree Appleby found himself swarmed by students, fans and teammates at midcourt. It was the first time a scene like that unfolded at the O'Connell Center in more than 30 years.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Bruce Pearl and Auburn have an embarrassment of front-court riches.
The second-ranked Tigers have the nation's top shot blocker in 7-foot-1 Walker Kessler along with 6-10 freshman Jabari Smith, who also happens to be Auburn's top 3-point shooter.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn freshman Jabari Smith left a strong impression on Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse, even if the young forward wasn't all that dazzled by his own hot shooting.
Smith scored a season-high 31 points and made seven 3-pointers to lead No.
Gonzaga keeps finding its way back to the top of the The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Walker Kessler did it again for No. 1 Auburn.
Kessler recorded his second triple-double in six weeks, and just the third in program history, as the Tigers bounced back from a loss with a 75-58 victory over Texas A&M.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — JD Notae scored 28 points and Arkansas used clutch foul shooting in overtime to knock off No. 1 Auburn 80-76 on Tuesday night.
The Razorbacks (19-5, 8-3 Southeastern Conference) hit 11 of 14 free throws in the final 1:52 of overtime in front of a raucous crowd at Bud Walton Arena.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Auburn came onto the Bud Walton Arena court acting like a No. 1 team, dancing on the Arkansas logo before the game.
When it was over, the Razorbacks and all their fans were the ones doing a victory stomp — led by a shirtless coach going hog wild.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn will rename its basketball arena in honor of a couple who made the largest single gift to the athletics program.
Auburn Arena will become Neville Arena at the end of the regular season for the top-ranked Tigers during a dedication ceremony on March 4.
Auburn keeps finding ways to win — even sometimes in tougher-than-expected games — to maintain its hold on No. 1 in the The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Wendell Green Jr. made a tie-breaking layup with four seconds remaining and No. 1 Auburn got past Georgia 74-72 Saturday, extending the nation’s longest winning streak to 19 games.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Wendell Green Jr. says a last-second win over the last-place team in the Southeastern Conference just shows the strength of No. 1 Auburn.
Green made a tiebreaking layup with four seconds remaining and the Tigers got past Georgia 74-72 Saturday, extending the nation's longest winning streak to 19 games.
A look at the weekend action around the Southeastern Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEKEND
No. 1 Auburn (21-1, 9-0 Southeastern Conference) visits struggling Georgia (6-15, 1-7) on Saturday in an SEC schedule with the league's four ranked teams facing unranked opponents on the road.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Wendell Green Jr. scored a season-high 23 points off the bench as No. 1 Auburn cruised past rival Alabama with a 100-81 home win Tuesday night.
Green led the Tigers in scoring while also recording eight rebounds and six assists with only one turnover.
Auburn keeps winning, Kentucky is rising and that has the Southeastern Conference putting its imprint atop this week's The Associated Press men's college basketball poll.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Jabari Smith bounced back from a rough shooting night with 23 points and 12 rebounds and Walker Kessler scored 21 to lead No. 1 Auburn to an 86-68 victory over Oklahoma on Saturday.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Jabari Smith and Auburn made much easier work of their second game as the nation's top-ranked team.
Smith bounced back from a rough shooting night with 23 points and 12 rebounds and Walker Kessler scored 21 to lead No.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl stands to make more than $50 million under a new eight-year contract.
Athletic director Allen Greene announced terms of the deal Saturday, hours before the top-ranked Tigers faced Oklahoma at Auburn Arena.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl has agreed to a contract extension to remain on the Plains.
Athletic director Allen Greene announced in a video on social media along with Pearl on Friday night that “we locked him up," beneath the words “for life.” The 61-year-old Pearl led the top-ranked Tigers to their first Final Four in 2019.
Don’t judge Jabari Smith by his most recent game.
The 6-foot-10 freshman missed 13 of 15 shots in No. 1 Auburn’s one-point victory at Missouri on Tuesday night, but it was clearly just an off night for one of college basketball’s top newcomers.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — K.D. Johnson scored 17 points, including five straight within the final 90 seconds, and No. 1 Auburn survived a scare from Missouri, winning 55-54 on Tuesday night in the program’s first-ever game as the nation’s top-ranked team.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — K.D. Johnson scored 17 points, including five straight within the final 90 seconds, and No. 1 Auburn survived a scare from Missouri, winning 55-54 on Tuesday night in the program's first-ever game as the nation's top-ranked team.
War Eagle is flying high over men's college basketball for the first time in history.
A barely ranked afterthought to begin the season, Auburn climbed past Gonzaga to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll released Monday.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Walker Kessler scored 19 points and K.D. Johnson added 17, helping No. 2 Auburn keep its hot streak alive with an 80-71 victory over No. 12 Kentucky on Saturday.
The Tigers (18-1, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) rallied from a 10-point deficit to win their 15th straight in likely the biggest home game since Auburn Arena opened in 2010.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Students set up camp outside Auburn Arena for at least 24 hours, waiting to get into the biggest home game in years.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Walker Kessler had 15 points and six blocked shots to lead a half-dozen scorers in double figures for No. 2 Auburn in an 83-60 rout of Georgia on Wednesday night.
The Tigers (17-1, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) built a 25-point lead by halftime and coasted to their 14th consecutive win, tied with Davidson for the nation’s longest current streak.