Tag Archives: Auburn

Issue # 3.1.2 “The Taming of the Tiger” (3/22)

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K-drama "Pyramid Game" hopefully streaming in USA soon

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Friday, March 22, 2024 
HIGH SCORING AND FREE THROWS DEFINE DAY 2
A 3-way tie for first plus Alfred Moniaga jumps 126 places to 23rd

HOME, CA (smt) – You gotta hit your free throws.  Last year semifinalist #8E-FAU rallied from 9 points down late to lead by 2 and a chance to add to it but missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and #9-Northwestern tied it at 58 to send it to overtime (2nd OT game including First Four).  Northwestern then dominated the OT period 19-7 to advance.  Last year semifinalist #5E-San Diego St did not make a FG in the last 4:11 but hit 8/10 free throws to hold off #12E-UAB by three.  #4E-Auburn missed their last 3 free throws in the final 10 seconds in a 2-point loss to #13E-Yale, who hit 5/6 in the last 45 seconds.  The Tigers lost a starter to an ejection just 3:01 into the game, lost a player to injury in the final scramble, and blew a 10-point lead with 7:27 left.

Last year semifinalist #1E-UConn jumped to a 42-10 lead (eventually built to 55-19) in routing first-timer #16E-Stetson, 91-52.  #4W-Alabama (109 with loser #13W-College of Charleston scoring 96), #3W-Baylor (92), #9E-Texas A&M (98) each scored more than 90 with #10S-Colorado and #7S-Florida each reaching 100 points in the Buffaloes prevailing 102-100 on a side jumper that bounced a few times on the rim before falling in with 1.7 seconds left.

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Issue # 12.5.1 “Streaky Endings”

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Disneyland's Star Wars Galaxy Edge opens May 31

Saturday, April 6, 2019 

TIGERS SHOCKED BY VIRIGNIA, TEXAS TECH CLOSES STRONG
ChuckPersonCellBlock leads by one but The Gambler 2 or Kds911 can still win the pool

Auburn foul on Virginia's Guy

HOME/GARDENA, CA (smt)- Wow.  #1S-Virginia led 57-47 with 5:24 to go before #5MW-Auburn went on a 14-0 run to lead 61-57 with 17 seconds left.  Then the Cavaliers ended the game on a 6-1 run to win 63-62 to advance to their 1st Finals.  But how we got there was crazy.  During the 14-0 run Auburn hit 3 threes and Virginia was 0-for-2 on free throws and took an awfully long time to get a shot off when they were down by 2 taking more than 25 off the shot clock on two consecutive possessions when time isn’t on your side.  Like Duke in the last round, Virginia then needed to foul 3 times to get Auburn to shoot free throws but was able to do it in 3.3 seconds after figuring it out with 20.9 seconds left (Auburn initially rebounded with 30.1 seconds left).  Auburn has been horrible at the free throw line but made both to up by 4 before Kyle Guy hit a 3 to pull Virginia within one with 6.5 seconds left (again taking an awfully long 13 seconds to get the shot off).  A foul before the inbounds not only took no time off the clock, the refs put back 0.9 seconds (so, why doesn’t every team foul before the inbounds?).  The Tigers’ Jared Harper, who hit all 11 free throws against Kentucky, hit the key front end of the one-and-one but missed the second.  Auburn with two fouls to give, fouled with 5.4 seconds left. 

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Issue # 10.4.2 “Duke and Kentucky KO’d”

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Sunday, March 31, 2019 

TIGERS WIN IN OT; DUKE AND ZION FALL SHORT
Carseroni 1st but stuck at 131; Just 5 can win pool and 2 guaranteed money

MSU runs away

HOME/DIGNITY HEALTH SPORTS PARK, CARSON, CA (smt)- #5MW-Auburn proved it could win without launching lots of threes (just 7 of 23) and knocked off their 3rd straight Blue Blood, #2MW-Kentucky, in overtime 77-71.  Although the rest of the team hit just 7 of 13 free throws, Jared Harper was 11-for-11 and hit all six in overtime and had 12 of the Tigers’ 17 OT points.  Auburn made its first Final Four and knocked off legendary programs Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky in consecutive games.   Each team had a chance in the final seconds as regulation ended at 60-60. 

#2E-Michigan St complained that they shouldn’t have been in the same region as #1E-Duke despite one of the higher 2 seeds.  But they faced each other and produced a great game, with no team taking more than a 4-point lead in the final 17 minutes.  In the end, Duke’s RJ Barrett tried to take control from Zion Williamson and got the foul but missed the first of 2 free throws down 68-66 with 5.2 seconds left.  He tried to miss the second but actually made it meaning Duke now needed to foul four times (not being in the penalty yet).  After the first foul, with 4.7 seconds left, Duke misplayed the situation and Michigan St. ran away from the defenders and ran out the clock to reach their 10th Final Four, winning 68-67.

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Issue # 8.3.2 “Tigers Shoot the Threes”

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Friday, March 29, 2019 

UNC FIRST #1 TO GO DOWN, DUKE SURVIVES AGAIN
ChuckPersonCellBlock holds on to lead while just 18 can win the pool

VT Ahmed Hill just misses

HOME/CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER, CA (smt)- After #3E-LSU went on a 13-0 run to cut #2E-Michigan St.’s lead to four, MSU went on a 16-5 run to break the game back open for a 80-63 victory.  MSU hit 13 of 32 three-pointers while LSU will now try to find another coach with Will Wade still suspended.  After #1MW-UNC got within six, #5MW-Auburn hit five straight three pointers as part of a 16-3 run to break the game open in their 97-80 rout of the Tar Heels.  With the Tigers hitting threes and at one point were just 2 of 10 from the free throw land, it’s a wonder why UNC did not try to foul instead of letting the Tigers launch three after three (17 of 37 overall).  One thing about teams who win often such as UNC is that they don’t know how to play from behind.  Down by 10 with 7 minutes left and the ball, UNC took 10-20 seconds each possession and made poor shot choices (including a very long 3).  UNC didn’t start fouling until it was under 3:30 and down by 11 and to Auburn’s credit, they did hit six in a row but still finished under 50% (8 of 17).

#1E-Duke survived another nail-biter, 75-73, with #4E-Virginia Tech as the Hokies missed two threes and then an easy layup for the tie as the buzzer sounded.  It seemed like no one told VT’s Ahmed Hill that the refs put 0.5 seconds back on the clock (so 1.1 left) as he seemed to jump and just tip it with two hands near the basket instead of grabbing it for a more controlled put back.  It was a great play and also good to see VT didn’t try for the game-winning three as most teams would do and tried to get the easy game-tying bucket.  Duke shot well, hitting 55.4% from the field.  #2MW-Kentucky also barely survived #3MW-Houston took a 58-55 lead after being down by 13 early but the Wildcats scored the last 7 points in winning 62-58.  Just six of 56 games have been one possession games (8 if you just include regulation) and 37 of 56 have been double-digit blowouts.  

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Issue # 4.2.1 “Chalk + Auburn”

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Saturday, March 23, 2019 

FAVORITES ADVANCE ALONG WITH RED HOT AUBURN
Slamjam51 3 takes over 1st place as 8 are perfect today

LSU's Waters for the win

CYRPESS COSTCO/CERRITOS, CA (smt)- Surprising SEC tournament champion #5MW-Auburn continued its hot run in routing #4MW-Kansas to advance to the Sweet 16 with 7 favorites.  #3E-LSU blew a 15-point second half lead and trailed by 3 before Tremont Waters drove for a layup with 1.6 seconds left to break a 67-67 tie.  #2MW-Kentucky struggled against #7MW-Wofford in winning by six but the other six (#2W-Michigan, #4W-Florida St, #1W-Gonzaga, #2E-Michigan St, and #3S-Purdue) all won by at least 12 points.  That means 26 of 40 games were blowouts and just 4 of 40 were one possession games.  Yawn. 

There were great performances, more than I remember from another tournament with #12W-Murray St’s Ja Morant excelling with 28 points in the loss, Purdue’s Carsen Edwards scoring an absurd 42 points, and the Zags’ Brandon Clarke scoring 36 points and blocking 5 shots.  One star who failed to produce was Wofford’s Fletcher Magee who after setting the career record for 3s with 509 in the last game, just needed four to tie Steph Curry’s single-season record of 162.  But he instead set the record for most missed threes without a make, going 0-for-12.  And his demeanor is the same as Curry’s, arrogant and just putting up 3s late despite teammate Nathan Hoover hitting 4-of-5 threes (Curry’s selfish and dumb threes (which of course he missed) late against Cleveland is the only reason Lebron has a ring in Cleveland)).

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