Minnesota upsets Auburn in Round of 64

Unless you have been living in a cave you know this is obviously not a serious post....but just roll with it K?

Daniel Oturu scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to record his fifth straight double-double and was joined by three teammates in double figures as the Gophers rode a roller coaster of an offensive performance to a 73-66 victory of the 5th-seeded Auburn Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, recording the upset and moving on the round of 32 for the second year in a row.

Oturu was joined by familiar faces Marcus Carr (16) and Gabe Kalscheur (12), but it was Isaiah Ihnen for the second game in a row who was feeling good and letting loose from deep. Fresh off a career high two nights ago against Texas, Ihnen hit three three-pointers and dropped in six free throws to record 15 points and continue a two-game streak of excellence and in what has now become something of a breakout for the freshman.

The Gophers fell behind early 12-2 but had closed the gap to one by halftime. A yo-yo of a second half saw each team go up by 8 points before relinquishing the lead, with Minnesota taking its last and final lead at 2:45 behind a Carr three-pointer.

Auburn’s All-SEC guard Samir Doughty threatened to take over the game completely, scoring the first 8 points of the contest and ending up with a career-high 34 points, at times looking like he couldn’t be stopped. But it was the lack of support down low that ultimately doomed the Tigers. Freshman phenom Isaac Okoro was held in check by Oturu and Austin Wiley was subdued by a combination of Ihnen and Jarvis Omersa.

For Richard Pitino, it was his second straight year reaching the second round of the tournament and now faces the prospect of squaring off against Louisville again, who was locked in battle with 13th-seeded Liberty in their first round matchup.

Maybe even sweeter, the University of Minnesota asserted dominance for the second time in three months over Auburn, albeit on a different playing surface.