Is Auburn out of March Madness? Looking at the Tigers' NCAA Tournament outing against Yale

Auburn entered the NCAA Tournament as a No.4 seed after claiming the SEC Tournament title and was pitched to play against Yale.

Following its impressive season, the Tigers were considered the heavy favorites for the matchup. We take a look at what unfolded in the March Madness first-round encounter.

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Is Auburn out of March Madness?

Auburn suffered an upset in its 2024 NCAA Tournament first-round game against Yale on Friday. The Bulldogs beat the Tigers 78-76 in the keenly contested March Madness game as the age-long tradition of upsets continued in the college basketball postseason.

While it didn't end as many would have expected, the game was quite exciting. Auburn looked to be in charge in the first half, leading 41-34. Nonetheless, it looked like the Tigers needed some adjustments in the second half to keep the game going smoothly.

Yale started the second half with more determination, quickly erasing Auburn's halftime lead with a strong 10-2 run inside the opening five minutes. However, the Tigers responded by stringing together a 9-0 run of their own, surging ahead 57-48 as the second half progressed

Auburn extended its lead to as many as 10 points in the second half, but the Bulldogs fought back and seized the lead in the final two minutes. The strength exhibited by the Yales team in the second eventually half paid off in staging the upset.

The Bulldogs advance to face No. 5 seed San Diego State on Sunday in the round of 32 after their victory. Meanwhile, the Aztecs narrowly avoided an upset themselves, beating No. 12 seed UAB 69-65. Yale will hope to build on the momentum to stage another upset.

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The SEC struggle continues in March Madness

Following Auburn's shock loss, the SEC continued to struggle to find its feet in the NCAA Tournament. The conference had a 3-5 record in the first round, and the confidence in the league is not growing after its champion crashed out on Friday.

Apart from Auburn, No. 3 seed Kentucky earlier suffered an upset against No. 14 Oakland. Florida also recorded a loss in a high-scoring game against Colorado. Mississippi State was outclassed by Michigan State, while South Carolina fell to Oregon.

Tennessee, Texas A&M and Alabama are the only SEC teams with a first-round win in the ongoing March Madness. It remains to be seen how far the three go following the struggles of their conference rival.