- John Poulakidas scores 28 points in upset win
- Colorado hits wild game-winner to eliminate Florida
- Angel Reese, LSU overcome sloppy start to advance
John Poulakidas scored 28 points, Samson Aletan made a key block during a wild scramble in the final seconds, and 13th-seeded Yale rallied in the final five minutes to take down No 4 seed Auburn 78-76 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
For the second straight year, the Ivy League Tournament champion took down one of the pre-tournament favorites – busting plenty of March Madness brackets in the process.
Last year it was Princeton toppling Arizona. This time, it was Yale’s turn.
The Bulldogs (23-9) won an NCAA Tournament game for just the second time in school history, rallying from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half. After the final seconds ticked off, the players celebrated on the scorer’s table in front of their fans.
Poulakidas hit big shot after big shot. His step-back 3-pointer with 2:10 left gave the Bulldogs a 73-72 lead. Yale never trailed again, despite a chaotic final stretch that included Auburn getting off two shots in the closing seconds after a missed free throw, one of which was rejected by Aletan.
Auburn rolled through the SEC Tournament last week and became a favored pick as a team that could take down No 1 overall seed UConn should the pair end up clashing in the Sweet 16.
But the Tigers failed to get out the first round and joined fellow SEC schools South Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi State amid the early departures from the tournament.
