No. 9 Texas A&M Beats No. 1 Auburn in SEC Tournament Stunner

The Aggies led by as much as 20 points, the largest deficit Auburn has faced this season.

Another No. 1 seed has fallen on the road to March Madness. 

No. 8 Texas A&M pulled off a stunner Friday afternoon in a 67–62 victory over Auburn, the No. 4 team in the nation, to advance to the semifinals of the SEC tournament.

The Buzz Williams–led Aggies’ shocking upset marked the program’s first win against an AP Top 5 team since 1982.

Despite the close margin of victory, Texas A&M outplayed Auburn for much of the contest, eventually jumping out to a 53–33 lead with 11:16 remaining in the game. The 20-point deficit was the largest the Tigers have faced this season.

Thanks in part to a trio of triples from sophomore Wendell Green Jr., the Tigers clawed their way back and cut the deficit to 60–55 with 2:17 to go. But, just as Auburn appeared poised to complete its unlikely comeback, Aggies guard Quenton Jackson made the play of the game after scoring two possessions earlier.

Quenton Jackson's block helped seal the deal in Texas A&M's upset of top-seeded Auburn 🚫

(via @espn) pic.twitter.com/27IlUhQGHm

— SI College Hoops (@si_ncaabb) March 11, 2022

Jackson’s big block all but erased any hopes of a Tigers’ comeback as the Aggies hung on and sealed the win. Jackson (17 points) and fellow guard Tyrece Radford (19 points) paced the Aggies’ attack alongside forward Henry Coleman III (16 points, 10 rebounds). 

A combination of stout defense and up-tempo play helped A&M jump out to a 37–21 lead at the half. Texas A&M continued to apply pressure after the break, outscoring the SEC regular-season champs 16–12 to take a 20-point lead before Auburn fought back.

The bounce-back effort proved too late for Bruce Pearl’s squad as the Tigers fell for only the fifth time this season. Forward Jabari Smith, a Naismith Trophy finalist, again led his team in scoring (17 points) but shot an abysmal 5-of-16 from the field. 

Texas A&M will next face the winner of No. 4 Arkansas and No. 5 LSU on Saturday as the program looks to make its first NCAA tournament since 2018. 

• All Aggies: How Will Aggies Fare in SEC Tournament? SI Predictions

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