Yale men's basketball needed a buzzer-beater to beat 13-17 Brown in the Ivy League championship game. Less than a week later, the Bulldogs took down 27-8 Auburn with another down-to-the-wire win.
No. 13 seed Yale stunned No. 4 seed Auburn, a popular national champion pick, in a 78-76 victory Friday night. The win came one day after another No. 14 seed in Oakland managed an upset win against No. 3 Kentucky.
The Tigers missed several key late free throws and two chances at either tying the game or taking the lead with seconds left on the clock. They played an uncharacteristically sloppy game throughout, committing 14 turnovers, 25 fouls and making only 68.2% of their free-throw attempts.
Still, Auburn had its chances late. K.D. Johnson made a layup with nine seconds left and was fouled on the play, which gave a chance to make it a one-point game — but he missed the free throw.
Auburn's Johni Broome grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled immediately, but he missed both of his free throws.
The Tigers received yet another chance when Broome claimed another rebound, but Jaylin Williams' layup attempt was blocked. Johnson had enough time for a Hail Mary 3-pointer, but it came up empty as Yale survived for the win.
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This year marks the second straight in which the Ivy League tournament champion made some early noise in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Princeton entered as a No. 15 seed and stunned No. 2 seed Arizona in the first round. The Tigers then went on to beat No. 7 Missouri in the second round before falling to No. 6 Creighton in the Sweet Sixteen.
Auburn has been a reliable SEC team in the postseason in recent years. The 2024 loss marked the first time in Bruce Pearl's 10-year Auburn career — which includes five tournament appearances — that the Tigers were eliminated in the first round.
Here's a look at where Yale's win stands in history among No. 13 seeds.
History of 13 over 4 upsets in March Madness
| Year | Result | Score |
| 1985 | Navy def. LSU | 78-55 |
| 1987 | Missouri State def. Clemson | 65-60 |
| 1987 | Xavier def. Missouri | 70-69 |
| 1988 | Richmond def. Indiana | 72-69 |
| 1989 | Middle Tennessee def. Florida State | 97-83 |
| 1991 | Penn State def. UCLA | 74-69 |
| 1992 | Southwestern Louisiana def. Oklahoma | 87-83 |
| 1993 | Southern def. Georgia Tech | 93-78 |
| 1995 | Manhattan def. Oklahoma | 77-67 |
| 1996 | Princeton def. UCLA | 43-41 |
| 1998 | Valparaiso def. Ole Miss | 70-69 |
| 1999 | Oklahoma def. Arizona | 61-60 |
| 2001 | Indiana State def. Oklahoma | 70-68 |
| 2001 | Kent State def. Indiana | 77-73 |
| 2002 | UNC Wilmington def. USC | 93-89 |
| 2003 | Tulsa def. Dayton | 84-71 |
| 2005 | Vermont def. Syracuse | 60-57 |
| 2006 | Bradley def. Kansas | 77-73 |
| 2008 | Siena def. Vanderbilt | 83-62 |
| 2008 | San Diego def. UConn | 70-69 |
| 2009 | Cleveland State def. Wake Forest | 84-69 |
| 2010 | Murray State def. Vanderbilt | 66-65 |
| 2011 | Morehead State def. Louisville | 62-61 |
| 2012 | Ohio def. Michigan | 65-60 |
| 2013 | La Salle def. Kansas State | 63-61 |
| 2016 | Hawaii def. California | 77-66 |
| 2018 | Buffalo def. Arizona | 89-69 |
| 2018 | Marshall def. Wichita State | 81-75 |
| 2019 | UC Irvine def. Kansas State | 70-64 |
| 2021 | North Texas def. Purdue | 78-69 (OT) |
| 2021 | Ohio def. Virginia | 62-58 |
| 2023 | Furman def. Virginia | 68-67 |
| 2024 | Yale def. Auburn | 78-76 |
No. 13 seeds don't have an extensive track record of success against No. 4 seeds. Those seeds have gone only 33-121 in NCAA Tournament history against their top-five seeded counterparts.
The 2024 tournament does mark the second straight year in which a No. 4 seed has fallen to a No. 13 seed. It's also the fourth time in the past three tournaments.
In 2023, No. 13 Furman topped No. 4 Virginia. Two years earlier, Ohio beat Virginia and North Texas took down Purdue.
HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5
SEC record in March Madness
The defeat for the Tigers adds to what has been a brutal stretch for the SEC. On Thursday, No. 2 Tennessee stomped No. 15 Saint Peter's. Beyond that, it has been all losses for the conference, leading to a 1-5 record in March Madness so far.
No. 6 South Carolina was blown out by No. 11 Oregon 87-73; No. 8 Mississippi State was beat up by No. 9 Michigan State 69-51; No. 14 Oakland stunned No. 3 Kentucky 80-76; and No. 10 Colorado topped No. 7 Florida on a last-second basket 102-100.
Two SEC teams still have games to be played in the first round: No. 9 Texas A&M will face No. 8 Nebraska, while No. 4 Alabama will play No. 13 Charleston.