TAMPA, Fla. — If Texas A&M’s 67-62 upset of top-seeded Auburn at Amalie Arena sends the Aggies into the NCAA Tournament, they can point to a season-saving sequence by Quenton Jackson in Friday’s SEC tournament quarterfinal.
A dunk. A block. Five free throws. And, perhaps, the statement victory that sent eighth-seeded Texas A&M (22-11) to its first Big Dance under coach Buzz Williams.
“I never go out there thinking I need to be a hero,” Jackson said.
It didn’t look like the Aggies would need a hero at all through 35 dominant minutes. They spent most of the second half leading by double digits, much like they did in Thursday’s second-round win over Florida.
Like the Gators, Auburn (27-5) shot dreadfully. The Tigers missed 31 of its 37 field-goal attempts, including 17 of their 20 3-pointers, and were 6-of-11 from the free-throw line at halftime.
Auburn had a chance to trim its 37-21 deficit just before halftime when Dylan Cardwell caught a lob at the basket in the closing seconds. He, fittingly, missed.
Auburn guard Wendell Green said the Tigers simply missed their shots. But after watching Florida similarly struggle 24 hours earlier, maybe the credit should go to Texas A&M’s defense.
But that also means the Aggies deserve criticism for fading, again, allowing Auburn to chip away a 20-point lead, a day after squandering a 12-point lead in the final three minutes against the Gators.
Green was the main reason things changed Friday; he hit four 3s in the final seven minutes. The last one came after Auburn star Jabari Smith knocked a ball loose and fed it to Green, who cut the deficit to 60-55 with two minutes left. Smith, the potential No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals.
That’s when Jackson began to respond. First, he delivered a powerful, one-handed dunk that quieted an Auburn-heavy crowd that Williams said felt like a road environment.
Then he nearly gave it away, allowing Auburn guard Zep Jasper to poke the ball out and start a breakaway. “I knew at that point in the game with the time, score, and momentum that I had to make up for it,” Jackson said.
Jackson did, sprinting after him to swat Jasper’s layup attempt off the backboard in a highlight-reel play.
The senior guard calmly hit five free throws in the final 36 seconds to seal the win and, maybe, a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
The Aggies have a confounding resume for the selection committee to consider. They started 15-2, then dropped eight games in a row (including a 17-point loss at Auburn last month) before winning four of their last five regular-season games.
Texas A&M came to town in the next-four-out category in ESPN’s bracketology. They remained there after their 83-80 overtime victory over Florida on Thursday.
Which means the Aggies likely needed an impressive win in the quarterfinal. They got one. It’s still unclear whether Texas A&M needs to do more — like win Saturday’s semifinal — to head to the Big Dance for the first time since 2017-18.
“Is that enough?” Williams said. “I don’t know.”
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl does.
“They just beat one of the best teams in the country and beat us from start to finish …” Pearl said. “I’ve just been doing this for 40 years, and I know what teams look like who deserve to be in, and that team does.”
The Tigers, obviously, belong, too, but Friday’s defeat damaged, if not doomed, their hopes of earning a No. 1 seed.
