Clemson rout nets team rare Sweet 16

SAN DIEGO — Clemson isn’t all about football.

The Tigers are pretty good at basketball, too, and are going to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 21 years.

Gabe DeVoe scored 22 points and Elijah Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Clemson, which closed the first half with a 25-4 run that helped it beat cold-shooting Auburn 84-53 on Sunday and advance to the Midwest Region semifinal.

“I think it’s a statement game,” Clemson guard Marcquise Reed said. “I think we showed how hard we can compete defensively. I think it’s a real good game for us moving forward.”

In a matchup between Southern schools better known for football — Clemson won the national championship two seasons ago — No. 5 seed Clemson proved far more adept on the hardwood than No. 4 seed Auburn.

The blowout win put Clemson (25-9) into the Sweet 16 for the fourth time overall and the first since 1997, earning it a spot against Kansas in the regional semifinal.

It was a humbling end for Auburn (26-8). The final 10½ minutes of the first half were a nightmare for Auburn, which made only 6-of-33 shots (18.2 percent) in the first half and 17-of-66 overall (25.8 percent).

“I really don’t know where we lost our focus,” Auburn guard Bryce Brown said. “All I can really honestly remember is they had a few stretches where they came down and knocked down shots and we had a few stretches where we came down and took kind of bad shots.” —