BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –Curiosity about whether Iowa’s NCAA Tournament opener would be played in front of a significantly pro-Auburn crowd at Legacy Arena was answered ahead of the opening denunciation.
A thunderous ovation greeted the Tigers as they took the floor, and patrons clad in orange and blue ensured that the Hawkeyes’ first-round challenge would be all the more difficult.
As Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde tweeted early in the game, Auburn “had the biggest home-court advantage in the history of the No. 9 seed.”
And with every second-half 3-pointer the suddenly hot Tigers canned, it proved true. The momentum gave a 17-point advantage in the second half, and Auburn held on to oust the eighth-seeded Hawkeyes, 83-75, in a Midwest Region opener.
Iowa finished its season with three straight losses and a 19-14 record. His last victory of the season dates back to February 28 in Bloomington, Indiana. In other words, the Hawkeyes went 0 for March.
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And with that, Iowa’s Sweet 16 drought is extended to 24 seasons, 13 of those under Fran McCaffery. Ninety-five programs have reached the regional finals since the Hawkeyes last appeared in 1999, and that number could increase by this weekend.
Auburn (21-12) moved closer to their own Sweet 16 offer under former Hawkeye assistant Bruce Pearl. The Tigers’ blistering start was replaced by a scorching second half in which they scored 16 points in under 2½ minutes to create a 58-41 advantage with 10:50 to go.
As is well known, Iowa got away in a hurry, however, and Kris Murray’s dunk with 4:56 remaining cut a 17-point lead to four, at 60-56. As Iowa fought back, the Auburn crowd grew increasingly nervous. After all, the Tigers blew a 17-point lead in the final 11 minutes at Alabama on March 1 and lost in overtime.
But Auburn settled in and made their free throws while Iowa went cold with six straight 3-point misses with a chance to get even closer to the game.
Auburn’s poor 3-point shooting and excellent 3-point defense both showed up in the first half. The Tigers connected on just 1 of 9 from long range, but this one — a left wing 3 from Wendell Green Jr. — knocked the house down and gave Auburn a 21-12 lead.
Meanwhile, Iowa’s 3-point struggles away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena continued in a way that’s hard to believe. The Hawkeyes went 0-9-3 in the first half, and most of them weren’t close. Murray had a 3 rebound around the rim and out, epitomizing his first half. The junior scored four points in the opening 2:17 of the game, but was scoreless the rest of the half.
Coach Fran McCaffery searched for all the answers, even inserting real freshman Dasonte Bowen for his first March action.
Still, despite Iowa’s Wilson-ball woes and a streak in which he missed 11 straight field goal attempts, the Hawkeyes’ halftime deficit was manageable at 31-26.
Sophomore Payton Sandfort gave Iowa a lift in the second half. He scored 17 of his team’s best 21 points after halftime. Murray, the third-team AP All-American, threw for 15 points, but they shot 5 of 18.
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow covered the sport for 28 years with The Des Moines Register, USA TODAY and Iowa City Press-Citizen. Follow @ChadLeistikow on Twitter.