End of the Road: Auburn's Historic Season Falls Apart in San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO —
The most disrespected team in the history of NCAA Basketball has finished their season. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. The rest of the world can cheer now.
Auburn, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and a team that spent all season steamrolling opponents with its depth, defense, and toughness, saw it all come undone in 20 painful minutes on Saturday night. Holding an eight-point halftime lead over Florida, the Tigers unraveled in a brutal second half, falling 79–73 in the Final Four at the Alamodome.
It marked a heartbreaking finish to what had been the greatest season in program history.
"Second half, Florida’s effort and energy, the fact that we're not as deep as we normally are, was a factor," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said afterward. "I thought fatigue was a factor. As a result, we weren’t able to maintain control of the game."
The Tigers turned the ball over 12 times after halftime. Their guards, so reliable all season, completely lost their rhythm. Tahaad Pettiford and Miles Kelly couldn’t buy a bucket, and Auburn’s offense sputtered at the worst possible time. Meanwhile, Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. carved Auburn up, scoring 34 points — the most by any player in a Final Four since 1989.
"Clayton was the difference," Pearl said. "Flat out. We couldn’t contain him."
A Game Lost in the Details
For a while, Auburn looked every bit the part of a champion.
Johni Broome, battling through a painful elbow injury, pounded Florida’s front line early. Chad Baker-Mazara caught fire from deep. Auburn built a 46–38 halftime advantage, controlling the glass and dictating the pace.
But once the second half started, it all flipped. Florida opened on an 11–0 run, fueled by steals, fast-break dunks from Alijah Martin, and big shots from Clayton. Auburn’s bench, normally a weapon, looked spent. Mistakes snowballed.
"We probably just felt fatigue a little bit," guard Denver Jones admitted. "Turned the ball over. Had a lot of careless turnovers that in the first half we didn’t really have."
Even when Auburn fought back — briefly retaking the lead on a Dylan Cardwell dunk — they had no answer for Florida’s relentless guard play. Clayton buried dagger after dagger, and the Tigers, who prided themselves all year on toughness, looked stuck in quicksand.
Johni Broome finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds, but scored just three points in the second half. Baker-Mazara led Auburn with 18 points, but the Tigers shot only 39% from the field after halftime.
The final minutes were brutal. Auburn cut Florida’s lead to three on a Baker-Mazara three, but Clayton and the Gators closed the door at the free-throw line.
"Keep Your Head High"
As the final horn sounded, Johni Broome slumped over at midcourt. Cameras swarmed, capturing the heartbreak of a star who had given Auburn everything.
Before he could make it to the locker room, Broome was stopped by Auburn legend Charles Barkley, who offered a few quiet words.
"He just thanked me for what I've done for Auburn, told me to keep my head high," Broome said. "Coming from a guy who cemented himself in Auburn history, that means a lot."
Earlier in the season, Barkley said Broome could go down as "the greatest player in Auburn basketball history" if he led the Tigers to a national title. Broome didn’t get that final crowning moment — but he leaves Auburn as the heart and soul of the winningest team the school has ever had.
32 wins. Two SEC titles. A Final Four appearance.
And the respect of a program legend.
Looking Back at the Journey
This wasn’t just a good Auburn team. It was a team that captured something rare, the combination of talent, toughness, and chemistry that every coach dreams about.
Auburn entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, blitzed through the early rounds, and made it look easy at times. They took down Michigan State in the Elite Eight with Broome battling through injury, Baker-Mazara playing through a thumb issue, and others stepping up nightly.
But the margin for error in April is razor-thin. Auburn learned that the hard way.
"It hurts because we knew what we had," Jones said quietly after the game. "We had everything we needed. It just slipped away."
Pearl, emotional in his postgame press conference, reflected on a group that had given him everything.
"I'm just so proud of them," he said. "These guys have fought for each other all year. They gave Auburn fans memories they'll never forget."
Meanwhile...
Florida went on to win the national championship Monday night, edging Houston 65–63 in another what could only be called another ref show.
For Auburn players and fans, it was a cruel reminder. They weren’t just close to a Final Four win — they were close to a national title.
A few made shots. A few less turnovers. A few fresher legs. That's all it might have taken.
Instead, the Tigers watched from afar as a season of promise came up just a few plays short.
A Legacy That Won't Fade
Even in the sting of defeat, Auburn’s 2024-25 season will stand as a turning point for the program.
It was the year Auburn didn’t just crash the Final Four — they arrived expecting to win. It was the year Broome cemented his legacy, Baker-Mazara gutted out the postseason on one good hand, and Pearl’s program showed it belongs on college basketball’s biggest stage.
And when the banners are raised and the memories settle, it’ll be remembered for what it was — one hell of a ride.