Auburn Roars Past South Carolina in March Madness Clash

In a battle of SEC foes, the Auburn Tigers showed their claws by dismantling the South Carolina Gamecocks 76-46 in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Auburn’s balanced attack and stifling defense overwhelmed South Carolina from the opening tip.

Leading the charge for the Tigers was sophomore forward Johni Broome, who turned in a monster performance with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Broome set the tone early, knocking down a trio of three-pointers and powering his way to the basket against the overmatched Gamecocks frontcourt.

“Johni was absolutely unstoppable today,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “When he’s playing with that type of force and aggression, he’s one of the best players in the country. We rode his coattails for large stretches.”

While Broome provided the individual brilliance, the balanced scoring attack made Auburn’s offense truly formidable. Five Tigers scored in double figures, led by Broome and sophomore guard Aden Holloway’s 17 points. K.D. Johnson and Dylan Cardwell chipped in 11 points apiece.

“That’s the beauty of this team - we have so many weapons,” said Holloway. “If you try to shut down one or two guys, there are three or four more ready to knock down shots. The offense was really clicking tonight.”

Click kept the Tigers’ offense churning at a high level, dishing out 8 assists to go along with 7 points and 4 rebounds. His floor generalship helped Auburn overcome some early offensive stagnation.

“Give their defense credit, they mucked up the game and made it ugly for a while,” said Click. “But we stuck with it, kept moving the ball, and eventually the open looks started falling.”

Defensively, Auburn’s swarming ball pressure and physicality stymied the Gamecocks. South Carolina shot just 33% from the field and 22% from three-point range against the Tigers’ athletic, in-your-jersey defense.

“That’s an elite defensive team,” said South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris. “They really make you earn every basket. We never could get into an offensive rhythm.”

With the convincing win, Auburn advances to the Sweet Sixteen for the second consecutive year. They’ll face either Kansas or Kent State next week with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.

As for South Carolina, an impressive season ends earlier than hoped. But the future remains bright thanks to the emergence of freshman scoring guard Zachary Davis, who led the Gamecocks with 12 points.

“This loss stings, but it’s a great learning experience for our young guys,” said Paris. “Zachary got a taste of the big stage and I think he’ll be motivated to take the next step.”

But on this night, the spotlight belonged to Auburn, who announced their arrival as a legitimate national title contender with a complete dismantling of their SEC rival. With Broome leading the charge, the Tigers look primed for an extended March Madness run.