March 18, 2018
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
SAN DIEGO -- It wasn't the way it was supposed to end -- losing, 84-53, to Clemson in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday -- but one loss won't define this Auburn team.
It won't take away from winning 26 games. It won't take away from winning the SEC regular-season championship. And it won't take away from the fact that the Tigers reached the Big Dance for the first time in 15 years. This was a special season for Auburn that will be remembered for all that was accomplished, not the outcome of the final game.
"These kids have been amazing for us all season long with their toughness, their resiliency, the way they have played together," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "Tonight was a night like maybe we had in the SEC Tournament against Alabama, especially the second half against Alabama where we just got overwhelmed. Size was a factor and we made mistakes that certainly contributed to Clemson's success and that's on us.
"But it doesn't take away from the championship season."
The Tigers were led Sunday by Bryce Brown and Mustapha Heron, who each finished with 12 points. Brown knocked down three 3-points and passed Lance Weems for second on Auburn's all-time list (241). He finished with 107 3s on the season, one shy of Weems' single-season record.
Junior Horace Spencer finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 point and nine rebounds. He also had two assists, a blocked shot and a steal.
"I want people to remember us as a hard-fighting team that never really gave up," Spencer said. "Even though we did get beat by 30-plus points, we didn't give up. Everybody doubted us, and we still never gave up. We still fought to the very end no matter what."
We haven't seen the last of this group either. The lone senior on the team is former walk-on Patrick Keim, which means that Spencer, Brown, Heron and the other six scholarship players who played this season could all be back next season.
"As of Sunday afternoon there were 20-something teams still playing in the NCAA Tournament and Auburn was one of them," Pearl said. "This is where we want our basketball program. We're the second youngest team in the SEC behind Kentucky. I feel good about the foundation of our program."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf