SportsLine.com Report
March 18, 2000

Round 2: Second-half swoon leads to demise

Missing Chris Porter and a heavy underdog entering the game, No. 7 seed Auburn doggedly held a three-point lead over second-seeded Iowa State five minutes into the second half.

But then the dream of a Sweet 16 came crashing down with a 19-4 Cyclones run and Iowa State raced to a 79-60 victory.

With the score tied at 43, Iowa State's Jamaal Tinsley drained back-to-back 3-pointers and Auburn never led again.

"I thought defensively we had kept the game at a tempo we wanted to play at," Auburn coach Cliff Ellis said. "Then, a guy who's an 18-percent 3-point shooter steps up and hits two. The momentum changed right there."

Tigers guard Daymeon Fishback called Tinsley's 3s "tremendous back-breakers for us."

The surprise 3-pointers were especially hard to overcome after the Tigers had fought so hard using a zone defense to stifle Iowa State star Marcus Fizer. Fizer had just one basket in the first half, but finished with 22 points, half over which came after Tinsley's 3-pointers.

Ellis said the reason for the zone defense losing its effectiveness was rather simple.

"If you're not making shots, you can't zone," he said. "In the first half, when we were making shots, the game plan was perfect."

The Tigers were outscored 47-27 in the second half, and Doc Robinson and Marquis Daniels led Auburn with 12 points apiece.

How They Got There

Auburn limped into the postseason losing four straight games, the last three without the services of All-American forward Chris Porter, who was suspended by the school after it was learned he had accepted $2,500 from the representative of a sports agent.

Before Porter's departure, the Tigers had secured their NCAA bid by winning nine Southeastern Conference games and going 12-1 in non-conference action.

Starting Lineup

• PG Doc Robinson (6-2, 185, Sr.): Robinson is a four-year veteran who makes the Tigers go. He runs the offense, defends and has shown a knack for making clutch baskets.
• SG Scott Pohlman (6-2, 170, Jr.): Pohlman might look like he's in eighth grade, but he's a canny veteran who knows how to use screens to get his shot. He has struggled with his stroke at times this season, but he's capable of breaking games open from 3-point range.
• C Mamadou N'diaye (7-0, 245, Sr.): He has come a long way since turning up at Auburn four years ago as a skinny youngster with only a couple of years of organized basketball behind him. A certain NBA draft pick, N'diaye is an intimidating defensive presence and has improved his offensive game.
• SF Daymeon Fishback (6-5, 218 Sr.): Fishback is another veteran who has been around long enough to be part of the resurgence of Auburn basketball. He's a good 3-point shooter who helps out defensively on the glass.
• PF Mack McGadney (6-7, 220, So.): McGadney has experience filling in for Chris Porter. He did so last year when the latter was suspended for three games. McGadney is a solid scorer and rebounder.

Keys to Success

Auburn's key to success has been energy, much of it expended on the defensive end and rebounding. This is a blue-collar team whose work ethic was epitomized by the hard-working Porter. Without Porter, the Tigers will obviously suffer -- they lost three straight games to end the regular season.

Auburn has begun the adjustment process without Porter, and has retooled slightly, focusing even more on defense and keeping games close. That's where the Tigers' capable backcourt comes in -- senior point guard Doc Robinson and junior shooter Scott Pohlman.

The Coach

Cliff Ellis has experienced the highs and lows of coaching in the past year, guiding the Tigers to a 29-4 record and a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament appearance while cleaning up on national coach of the year awards ... and then watching the program struggle through a difficult season.

If it wasn't bad enough that Auburn wasn't nearly as dominant as the year before, it got worse when Porter was suspended. But Ellis is a veteran who will somehow get his team to regroup.

The Bench

Auburn doesn't have much size coming off the bench after the departure in February of 6-9 sophomore David Hamilton. Ellis can call on an army of quick guards, including junior Reggie Sharp, sophomore Jay Heard and freshman Jamison Brewer. Freshman forward Marquis Daniels has worked his way into the regular rotation.

Offense

The Tigers run when they can and generally run plays to get their guards free on the perimeter. But they struggled all season with their shooting touch, hitting just 41 percent of their shots and shooting 32 percent from 3-point range.

Defense

Auburn expends a lot of energy on the defensive end, mixing full-court pressure with an aggressive halfcourt man-to-man. The Tigers limited their opponents to 40-percent shooting and also outrebounded teams by an average of four per game.