Takeaways: No. 4 seed Auburn’s 78-76 loss No. 13 seed Yale

Auburn basketball's season cam to an end on Friday.

The No. 4 seed Auburn Tigers took on the No. 13 seed Yale Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Wash. Auburn took a 78-76 loss and saw its season come to an end.

It was a close game for the whole way, but Auburn was not able to get the job done when it mattered.

What are the biggest takeaways from the game?

Auburn was unable to get it done without Chad Baker-Mazara 

Auburn lost one of its star forwards and SEC All-Tournament team members after only a few minutes of play due to a flagrant two foul being called on him for elbowing a Yale player.

Depth has been Auburn's biggest strength all season long, but that did not make a difference in this game.

Denver Jones stepped up 

When Auburn needed someone to step up in Baker-Mazara's absence, Jones answered the call.

Jones was Auburn's second-highest scorer with 17 points, following Johni Broome who had 22. Jones shot 5-7 from the field, 3-5 from 3-point range and 4-5 from the free-throw line.

Auburn fouled too much

Auburn was called for 22 fouls while Yale was called for only 15.

Auburn did take advantage of its opportunities at the line, shooting 81.3% at the line while Yale only shot 64%, but the Bulldogs did make three more foul shots than the Tigers.

Foul trouble got Auburn in trouble and it saw its season come to an end as a result.

With this loss, Auburn’s season has come to an end. The Tigers' final record in 2023-24 was 27-8 overall and 13-5 in SEC play.