“The University of Idaho student band, a tribe from the North, brave and bold, bearing banners of Silver and Gold, donned blue and white, tried and true, to subdue all Yale’s foes,” the official statement from the governor said.

With Yale’s marching band unable to make the trip over spring break, Yale Athletics reached out to Idaho’s Vandal Marching Band on Sunday, March 17 — the day Yale defeated Brown to earn a spot in March Madness — asking if it could sub in.

The musicians, wearing Yale T-shirts and calling themselves the “Van-Dogs,” gained national media attention after performing during Yale’s first-round win over Auburn and also earned praise from the team’s players and coaches.

“It’s outstanding that the government did that to recognize the band,” head coach James Jones told the News after Lamont’s proclamation. “It was such a selfless act and I’m humbled that they were able to come out and support us and be recognized in this way.”

Lamont’s statement commends the band’s effort to learn “Bulldog,” the Yale fight song, and its commitment to “understanding Yale traditions.” It also credits the band as a contributor to the Bulldogs’ upset victory over Auburn.

After that game, the band briefly returned to the University of Idaho for a campus recruiting event before making another 90-minute trip to Spokane on Sunday to perform during Yale’s second-round matchup against San Diego State.

“Our entire goal was to do the best we could to represent Yale University and the State of Connecticut as well as the University of Idaho and the Gem State,” Spencer Martin, Idaho’s director of athletic bands, wrote to the News. “We are so humbled to be honored by Governor Lamont and the State of Connecticut.”

By all indications, Lamont is a big fan of college basketball.

The University of Connecticut men’s team won last year’s national championship, and the UConn women boast a record 11 national championships. Lamont has taken to calling the state “the basketball capital of the world.”

On March 21 this year, Lamont released his March Madness brackets, accompanied by a nearly two-minute video discussing the prospects of each of the five Connecticut teams that had qualified for either the men’s or women’s tournaments. No fewer than ten of the governor’s 26 posts on X in the past two weeks have concerned college basketball.

David Bednarz, a spokesperson for Lamont, wrote in a statement to the News on Thursday that the governor decided to declare “University of Idaho Day” after seeing news coverage about the Idaho band’s service to the Bulldogs.

“Proclaiming a day in the university’s honor is a fun way to show that while our two states may be on opposite sides of the country, acts of good sportsmanship like this can bring us together,” Bednarz wrote.

Thursday’s announcement was not Lamont’s first time focusing the ceremonial power of the governorship on March Madness.

Last spring, after the UConn men’s team qualified for the Final Four, Lamont proclaimed a “Husky Weekend” before traveling to Houston to watch the games. But Lamont ruffled feathers by saying on a radio show that Houston was “butt ugly” during his visit. He later apologized to the city’s mayor.

For the University of Idaho, there is no apology — only thanks.

Yale and the University of Idaho are 2,193 miles apart.

The post Lamont honors Idaho band for cheering on Bulldogs appeared first on Yale Daily News.

In their game against fourth-seeded Auburn, the 13th-seeded Bulldogs put together a nail-biting upset with a final score of 78-76. 

“A lot of the world was surprised,” Ben Kirsch ’27 told the News. “But many of us at Yale knew what this team was capable of.”

Kirsch, who attended every home game this semester, noted that the team has had an unprecedented season, and that many of the Bulldogs’ strengths on the court were highlighted in their first tournament match-up against Auburn.

The win, several students told the News, also shows that Ivy League basketball teams can compete on a national level. 

“The fact that we were able to knock off Auburn, who won the SEC, shows the depth and strength of the [Ivy] League.” Tyler McLemore ’26 told the News. “Hopefully in future years multiple Ivy League teams can secure a spot in the tournament, not just the conference champion.”

The winner of the Ivy League tournament is granted an automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament — as are winners of other Division I conferences. In addition, 36 teams are given at-large bids at the discretion of an NCAA selection committee. No Ivy League teams received at-large bids to the men’s tournament this year.

Princeton, last season’s Ivy League men’s basketball champs, made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen.

Like McLemore, Kirsch also expressed his hope that the national attention Yale received following the upset could help secure more tournament spots for Ivy League teams in the future. 

Yale’s win over Auburn sparked many strong reactions on social media. An Instagram post on the official March Madness account highlighted an X post where online users confused the handles of the Yale Men’s Basketball Twitter account, @YaleMBasketball, with the Yale Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry department’s account, @YaleMBB. The post garnered 68,000 likes as of Monday night. 

Students who were at the March Madness games also touched on the atmosphere, namely how it felt very different than typical games at Yale.

“The stakes just feel a lot higher,” said Conrad Lee ’25, who attended the Auburn game. “Nevertheless, the amount of Yale support there was pretty significant”

Yale cheerleader Gaby Lord ’27 noted how large Spokane Arena was and how many people showed out to support the team. 

“I was super surprised by how much support Yale got from other big schools such as Gonzaga and Alabama,” Lord wrote to the News. “When the crowd was cheering for us, and it wasn’t only coming from the Yale section, it felt really nice to know so many people had faith in us!” 

While the basketball team itself received a significant amount of attention for its success, Lord noted that the cheer team, too, received increased recognition.

Despite Yale’s second-round loss against San Diego State University on Sunday night, students still remarked on the team’s historically successful season.

“Despite the loss, we had a great season,” Micah Warschawski ’27 told the News. “It was super fun watching them succeed.”  

This year marked just the second time that Yale’s men’s basketball team has made it to the tournament’s round of 32.

The post Students reflect on historic March Madness run for Yale Men’s Basketball appeared first on Yale Daily News.

No. 13 Yale couldn’t pull off a second upset against No. 5 San Diego State Sunday night, falling 85–57 after the Aztecs got out to a hot first half start and made 13-27 threes throughout the game. The loss comes on the heels of a thrilling 78–76 victory over No. 4 Auburn on Friday night.

“San Diego State played a tremendous game,” head coach James Jones said following the loss. “They usually don’t make too many threes but saw me coming and figured they’d make them all today.”

Point guard Bez Mbeng ’25 led the Bulldogs in scoring with 12 points, while the Aztecs Jaedon LeDee finished with 26 points on 9–12 from the field. 

San Diego State will go on to play No. 1 UConn in Boston next week.

The defeat marks the end of the road for seniors August Mahoney ’24, Matt Knowling ’24 and Yussif Basa-Ama ’24. The three players played through one of the greatest four year stretches in Yale basketball history, which included two NCAA Tournament appearances. With 86 career wins, Mahoney is the program’s all time winningest player. 

“Knowing how much work I’ve put in throughout my life and how much we’ve accomplished as a program, it stings knowing I’m never going to wear this jersey again,” Mahoney said. “But this has been the best few weeks of my life. As much as it hurts now I know I’m gonna look back in a week, a month, a year and have this journey for the rest of my life. I’m forever indebted to coach Jones and know this program is in great hands.”

This season was the second time ever that Yale made it to the NCAA tournament’s round of 32, the first being in 2016 when the No. 12 Bulldogs upset No. 5 Baylor in round one before falling to No. 4 Duke. 

The Bulldogs have a lot to look forward to next season. Three of their five starters will be returning, and young players such as Danny Wolf ’26, Nick Townsend ’26 and Samson Aletan ’27 are poised for bright futures.

The post No. 13 Yale falls to No. 5 San Diego State in March Madness, ending historically strong season appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Second half, 0:00 remaining | Yale 57, SDSU 85

San Diego State wins and will advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Yale is out.

– Evan Gorelick ’25, Print Managing Editor

Second half, 3:31 remaining | Yale 52, SDSU 79

SDSU’s LeDee is now on the bench as the match-up comes to a close. Yale’s Mahoney — a senior and the team captain — has been subbed out of the game, marking the end of his playing career as a Bulldog.

– Evan Gorelick ’25, Print Managing Editor

Second half, 5:14 remaining | Yale 48, SDSU 79

Fans are beginning to leave Spokane Arena as time left for Yale to turn the tide runs low.

– Evan Gorelick ’25, Print Managing Editor

Second half, 15:58 remaining, | Yale 32, SDSU 55

Bulldogs continue to have no answer for SDSU’s LeDee, who now has 26 points and nine rebounds.

Jones has turned to swing-forward Casey Simmon ’25 to try to help the Elis on the boards, as they are currently getting out-rebounded 29–18.

Yale has not thrown the towel in yet, though, with assistant coach Matt Elkin trying to hype the crowd up from the team bench.

– Ben Raab ’26, Staff Reporter

Second half, 15:58 remaining | Yale 32, SDSU 55

Yale’s fan section is trying to pick the Bulldogs up, chanting “D-fence” on every possession. But the Aztecs continue to sink shots on offense, most recently an and-one from San Diego State’s Micah Parrish. 

John Poulakidas knocked down his first three of the game with a tough stepback. The Elis need him to get going.

– Ben Raab ’26, Staff Reporter

HALFTIME | Yale 21, SDSU 45

Friday night’s March Madness showdown between the Bulldogs and Aztecs has not started the way Yale — or any of the fans in Spokane Arena — anticipated.

The No. 13 Elis have looked like a shell of the team that went toe-to-toe against No. 4 Auburn on Friday, shooting 32 percent from the field and being outrebounded 23–12.

Poulakidas is 0-5 with 0 points after scoring 28 in Friday’s game. Defensively, none of the Yale starting five has won their matchup, as the Aztecs shot 52 percent from the field and 47 percent from three.

Yale has been in this position before. In 2016 — their only other round of 32 appearance — No. 12 Yale trailed 48–25 at halftime to No. 4 Duke before mounting a 39–23 second-half comeback attempt that came within three points of the Blue Devils lead at one point before falling 71–64. 

Yesterday, Jones reflected on that loss, saying he thought his team got “too high” after their first-round upset against Baylor.

“If we had a better understanding of what we needed to do and were calmer, we would’ve had a better chance at winning that game,” he said.

The Bulldogs have 20 minutes to keep their season alive — but will have a big, 24-point hole from which to escape first.

– Ben Raab ’26, Staff Reporter

First half, 2:39 remaining | Yale 19, SDSU 39

The Aztecs’ offense slows down momentarily, but Yale can’t speed up on offense as shots continue to clank off the rim.

Mbeng knocked down a corner three just before the timeout, so perhaps that will get the Bulldogs going.

– Ben Raab ’26, Staff Reporter

First half, 6:44 remaining | Yale 16, SDSU 34

The Aztec lead continues to grow as the Elis get back-to-back buckets, but SDSU answers both times with a three. 

San Diego State is shooting 18-30 from the field, while Yale is 9-28.

– Ben Raab ’26, Staff Reporter

First half, 8:13 remaining | Yale 12, SDSU 28

The shots still aren’t falling for Yale as Jones calls timeout and the SDSU fan section grows more lively.

The Elis have had no answer defensively for LeDee, who now has 15 points and 6 rebounds.

– Ben Raab ’26, Staff Reporter

First half, 11:26 remaining | Yale 12, SDSU 19

Wolf gets on the board with a big three to make it 17–12 Aztecs, but SDSU’s Elijah Saunders gets an easy putback dunk on a later possession. 

Wolf – who scored just two points on 1-2 shooting on Friday – will be key for the Bulldogs success if the Aztecs continue to deny Mahoney and Poulakidas the ball on the perimeter. 

– Ben Raab ’26, Staff Reporter

First half, 14:48 remaining | Yale 3, SDSU 13

Bulldogs get out to a cold 1-7 shooting start, and 1-5 combined from beyond the arc for Poulakidas and Mahoney.

The Aztecs are switching defenders every time Yale sets a screen for Poulakidas, who shot 6-9 from deep in Friday’s win over Auburn.

San Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee is off to a hot start early, with 8 points on 3-3 from the field. Coach Jones called timeout.

– Ben Raab ’26, Staff Reporter

First half, 20:00 remaining | Yale 0, SDSU 0

Bez Mbeng ’25, August Mahoney ’24, John Poulakidas ’25, Matt Knowling ’24 and Danny Wolf ’26 are Yale’s starting five. 

Head Coach James Jones is going with the same starting lineup as usual.

– Ben Raab ’26, Staff Reporter

SPOKANE — No. 13 Yale has a chance to make history tonight against No. 5 San Diego State tonight.

The Bulldogs (23–9, 13–3 Ivy) are playing in March Madness’s round of 32 for only the second time in school history after taking down Auburn as 13-point underdogs. If they can get past the Aztecs (25–10, 13–8 MWC), who are coming off a 69–65 first-round victory over No. 12 University of Alabama at Birmingham, they’ll earn a spot in the tournament’s “sweet sixteen” for the first time in school history.

In 2016, No. 12 Yale took down No. 5 Baylor in the tournament’s opening round before falling to No. 4 Duke. 

“I thought we got a little too high after the first win,” Yale head coach James Jones said Saturday, reflecting on 2016. “If we had a better understanding of what we needed to do and were calmer, we would’ve had a better chance at winning that game.”

The game is set to tip-off from Spokane Arena at 9:40 p.m. EDT and will be televised nationally on TBS. Follow this live blog for in-game updates and analysis.

– Ben Raab ’26, Staff Reporter

The post Yale falls to San Diego State, ends March Madness run appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The Bulldogs (23–9, 13–3 Ivy) are playing with more confidence than ever before after beating the Tigers as 13-point underdogs. Yet the Aztecs (25–10, 13–8 MWC), coming off a 69–65 first-round victory over No. 12 University of Alabama at Birmingham, are likely to be a similarly difficult matchup. 

“They’re very similar to Auburn in terms of what they do defensively,” head coach James Jones told the News on Saturday. “Similar type players and we’ll have our hands full again, but we’re looking forward to the opportunity to prove ourselves. 

The Aztec player to watch will be senior forward Jaedon LeDee, who leads the team with 21.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The 6’9” big man scored 32 points on 10-17 shooting from the field in SDSU’s first round matchup. All of San Diego’s offense will run through LeDee.

Similar to Auburn, the Aztecs play stingy defense and put constant pressure on the ball. San Diego holds teams to 30.6 percent shooting from behind the arc.

Come Sunday night, however, they’ll have to contend with Yale’s John Poulakidas ’25, shooting 10-18 from three in his last two games, including a 6-9, 28-point effort to lead the way against the Tigers. Poulakidas, alongside guard August Mahoney ’24, are shooting a combined 41 percent from deep this season. 

All-Ivy selection Danny Wolf ’26, who leads the team with 14.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, scored 11 points in the second half on Friday and adds both perimeter shooting and interior presence to Yale’s starting five. Forward Matt Knowling ’24 — a reliable volume scorer — and two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Bez Mbeng ’25 round out the Bulldogs starters. All of Yale’s starters average double-digit scoring figures.

“Yale’s extremely hard to guard,” San Diego head coach Brian Dutcher said on Saturday. “They’ve got five guys that can all score.”

Sunday’s game is the Elis second-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament’s round of 32. In 2016, the Bulldogs upset Baylor in the first round and fell short against Duke 71–64 in the following round. 

Among a mostly local Spokane crowd, the Aztecs had an entire section of fans cheering them on Friday afternoon. As a six point underdog, though, Yale could get the crowd on their side by keeping the game close. 

“We played Gonzaga earlier this year, and I think we put forward a pretty good effort against them,” Mahoney said. “So I think the Spokane community kind of has rallied behind us a little bit, and hopefully they’re just as loud against San Diego State.”

Tonight’s game will tip off at 9:40 p.m. Eastern Time in Spokane Arena. 

The post MEN’S BASKETBALL: No. 13 Yale still an underdog ahead of matchup against No. 5 San Diego State appeared first on Yale Daily News.

But with starting big man Danny Wolf ’26 fouled out in the game’s final minute, Aletan’s name was called off the bench to protect Yale’s lead. With the Bulldogs up 78–76 with six seconds remaining, Auburn star Johni Broome caught an offensive rebound in front of the rim and seemed positioned to send the game to overtime. But his shot attempt caught Aletan’s arm on its way up and fell into the hands of Auburn’s Jaylin Williams three feet from the basket. As Williams attempted a floater, Aletan rose up and met him in the air to swat the shot back.

YALE MEN'S BASKETBALL WINS ITS SECOND NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME IN SCHOOL HISTORY pic.twitter.com/iqFjZVsTL5

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 22, 2024

“At that moment I knew that the main reason why they got me here is to shot block and rebound,” Aletan told the News. “Saw the guy grab the ball and try to immediately go up with it so I said I’m gonna just go for it, jumped up and got it.”

Aletan had entered the game earlier as Yale head coach James Jones looked to contend with the Tigers rapid pace of play and deep bench. Early in the second half, Aletan found himself in space for what seemed like a wide open dunk before being blocked from behind by Broome. 

Playing for a Yale team where minutes for first-years are hard to come by, the 6’10” Dallas native played sparsely throughout the Ivy League season, appearing in eight conference matchups and averaged 1.6 points and 0.4 rebounds per game. 

“The coaches always tell me to be ready, I know that in certain matchups certain games they’re gonna unleash me. So when the time came I knew I was ready for the big moment ”

Last year, Aletan helped lead Lake Highlands High School to the Texas 6A State Championship game, where his seven blocks set the record for most blocks in a state tournament championship game. He was later named the district 7-6A Defensive Player of the Year. 

Upon committing to play for the Bulldogs in September 2022, Aletan became the highest-rated recruit in Yale basketball history. Ranked as one of the top big men in Texas, he received offers to play at high-major programs such as Texas, Houston, Nevada and Kansas State, among others.

“Samson comes and brings it in practice every day, he gets extra practice in, and he’s going to be ready for us down the road,” Jones said. “I look forward to him being a bright and big part of our future.”

Jones also said that most players as good as Aletan would find it “difficult to swallow” not having an opportunity to play due to the depth in front of him. 

The No. 13 Bulldogs are currently preparing for Sunday’s matchup against No. 5 San Diego State in March Madness’s round of 32. 

Ahead of that matchup, Aletan’s mentality will be exactly the same. 

“Gonna try to get every block, every rebound, finish inside and hopefully come away with the big win,” he said.

Sunday’s game against San Diego State is set to tipoff at 9:40 p.m. EST from Spokane Arena.

The post First-year center Samson Aletan an unlikely hero in shock upset over No. 13 Auburn appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Yale’s marching band was not able to secure enough members to travel to Friday’s matchup against Auburn over the University’s spring break, so Idaho’s Vandal Marching Band put on Yale T-shirts and made the 90-minute drive to Spokane to sub in. 

“Everyone was really enthusiastic about covering for the Yale students who couldn’t make it,” Spencer Martin, the University of Idaho’s director of athletic bands told the News. “Universities help universities, and bands help bands.”

Yale Athletics emailed Martin last Sunday afternoon asking if the Idaho band could make it to perform on Friday. Idaho’s band had just finished performing for their own basketball team at the Big Sky conference tournament, so all their equipment was still packed. They were also in the process of preparing for a performance at UIdaho Bound — an admitted students event similar to Yale’s Bulldog Days — for which they had to return to campus the morning following the Yale-Auburn match-up. 

To prepare his band, Martin reached out to members of the Yale Precision Marching Band and looked through old YouTube videos that included clips of their performances, such as a local news segment and a 2013 Yale hockey game.

The band began rehearsing for the game on Friday at 9 a.m., thirty minutes before boarding the bus to Spokane. Due to the time constraint, Martin made the decision to perform just the song “Bulldog,” which he said is simpler to perform than other songs such as “Down The Field.”

“We put all our marbles into ‘Bulldogs,’” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff we didn’t know so we were just trying to have fun with it. We took a lot of our standard U of Idaho chants and just Bulldog’d them up a bit.”

Martin called the band’s performance “pretty bad at first” but noted that it improved over the course of the game. The students got “really into” the different Yale chants, such as “Bulldogs, Bulldogs, bow wow wow,” Martin said. 

After the game, Yale head coach James Jones said the band’s performance “was great.”

“I saw them out there and they had their sheets, so they knew the music in terms of what to play,” Jones said. “Having that atmosphere and them coming out and supporting us, there’s nothing better than that, and we can’t appreciate them more”

Yale forward Danny Wolf noticed it as well, calling it “an incredibly gracious act.”

Neither the band members nor the University of Idaho received any compensation for the performance, but Yale Athletics covered the costs of transportation, Yale T-shirts and pizza. 

“Band kids would do a lot for a t-shirt and pizza,” Martin joked. “We were never gonna charge anyone.”

He said that working with Yale Athletics and the Yale Cheer Squad was a “very pleasant experience.”

Sierra Schultz, a sophomore student in the band, said that March Madness is the highest-profile venue they’ve ever played. 

“We were all really excited and doing research about Yale on the bus to get some background on the school and also their band,” Schultz, who plays the trumpet, said. “All of us were die-hard Yale fans. I wanted Auburn to lose.”

She added that the band members, currently back in Idaho for the UIdaho Bound event, are brainstorming new chant ideas to distract the San Diego State players as they attempt free throws.

The Bulldogs — and the University of Idaho band — will take the court once again Sunday at 9:40 p.m. Eastern at Spokane Arena.

The post MARCH MADNESS: Idaho student band covers for the Bulldogs, wears Yale merch appeared first on Yale Daily News.

In a stunning victory, the Bulldogs took down the Tigers in the first round of March Madness. No. 13 Yale — the 13.5-point underdogs in the matchup — defeated No. 4 Auburn 78–76. 

Forward John Poulakidas ’25 had a stellar performance, racking up a season-high 28 points on 10-15 shooting from the field.

Fouls were flying in Spokane Arena. Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara was ejected from the game on a Flagrant 2 foul less than four minutes into the game, and Yale’s Danny Wolf ’26 fouled out in the second half.

On Sunday, the No. 13 Bulldogs will face No. 5 San Diego State in Spokane for a spot in the Sweet 16. 

– Evan Gorelick ’25 and Sophie Sonnenfeld ’25, Print Managing Editors; Spencer King ’25, Sports Editor; and Anika Arora Seth ’25, Editor-in-Chief & President

Second Half, 0:33.6 Yale 78, Auburn 76

YALE WINS

Second Half, 0:33.6 Yale 75, Auburn 72

Wolf fouled out of the game. The crowd is all Yale.

Second Half, 1:07 Yale 73, Auburn 72

Poulakidas makes another three as the game sees another great rebound by Mbeng. 

Yale ball.

Second Half, 2:32 Yale 70, Auburn 70

Wolf ties the game from the free-throw line.

– Sophie Sonnenfeld, Managing Editor

Second Half, 3:29 Yale 66, Auburn 70

Poulakidas continues to make tough shots for Yale, hitting a high-arcing fadeaway jumper to bring the Bulldogs back within four.

Mbeng has been all over the defensive side of the ball, grabbing his fourth steal of the game a moment ago.

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

Second Half, 6:32 Yale 61, Auburn 68

Danny Wolf is starting to come alive with a driving layup and his first three pointer of the game.

Mbeng, the two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, knocked down a three as well in addition to forcing two steals.

Yale has been unable to slow down the Tigers on the other end, as Auburn’s Broome now has 20 points.

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

Second Half, 11:16 Yale 48, Auburn 55

Yale’s poor free throw shooting is hurting them as Wolf misses the front end of a one-and-one.

Tigers shooting 12-13 from the line, while the Bulldogs are at 10-17.

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

Second Half, 15:39 Yale 46, Auburn 53

A 10-2 Tigers run puts the Bulldogs back where they started the second half.

Yale is still struggling with turnovers and has struggled to inbound the ball on multiple occasions this half.

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

Second Half, 15:39 Yale 44, Auburn 43

Crowd is getting loud in the Spokane arena as the Bulldogs take their first lead of the game.

Samson Aletan looked to be in space for a wide open dunk, but a spectacular block from Auburn’s Broome takes two points off the board.

Tigers shooting two free throws on the other end. 

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

Second Half, 17:18 Yale 43, Auburn 43

Knowling ties the game with a free throw.

Poulakidas opened the half with back-to-back threes. He’s got 18 points and 5-6 from behind the arc.

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

HALFTIME  Yale 34, Auburn 41

At the half, No. 13 Bulldogs trail the No. 4 Tigers 41–34.

It was a mixed first half for Yale, who turned the ball over nine times and surrendered several easy buckets but stayed within single digits thanks to stellar shooting from Poulakidas and Mahoney. The two have combined for 22 of Yale’s 31 points, on 6-10 shooting.

Danny Wolf has struggled against Auburn’s Johni Broome, who has 13 points and nine rebounds while Wolf is 1-8 with two points on the day.

Bez Mbeng has been terrific defensively for the Elis, but has struggled against the Tiger press with four turnovers.

There is a large Auburn contingent in the crowd, but many of the local fans in Spokane arena have been cheering for Yale.

In the locker room, Jones will likely be telling his team to pressure the ball more defensively and take care of the ball on offense.

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

First half, 2:46 remaining | Yale 32, Auburn 36

Poulakidas buries his third three of the half to keep Auburn from pulling away. 

Wolf, Yale’s leading scorer, has just two points on 1-3 from the field.

Tigers coach Bruce Pearl was yelling at his players in the huddle, telling them to do a better job closing out on Mahoney and Poulakidas.

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

First half, 6:15 remaining | Yale 25, Auburn 31

Coach James Jones is not happy as Auburn’s Broome steals the ball from Wolf and gets an easy fastbreak dunk.

The Bulldogs have already turned the ball over seven times.

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

First half, 7:12 remaining | Yale 25, Auburn 28

The Bulldogs – who play at one of the slowest paces in the nation – are doing a good job of controlling the tempo on offense. 

Yale has found Matt Knowling around the rim twice for shot-clock beating floaters.

The Elis are also out-rebounding the Tigers 10–9, limiting second chance points.

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

First half, 8:53 remaining | Yale 21, Auburn 24

Head coach James Jones is turning to his bench to keep up with the Tigers’ fast-paced style of play. 

Nine Bulldogs have registered minutes so far, including first-year center Samson Aletan ’27, who has played sparse minutes this season.

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

First half, 11:16 remaining | Yale 21, Auburn 24

Bulldogs are in the game, but struggling to respond to the Tigers’ full-court pressure. 

Yale already has five turnovers. 

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

First half, 11:49 remaining | Yale 19, Auburn 20

Yale’s two sharpshooters, Mahoney and Poulakidas, have combined for 3-3 from behind the arc early on, including an and-one four point play from Poulakidas.

Poulakidas leads the Bulldogs with nine points.

Auburn has already picked up eight fouls, putting them in the bonus. Yale will shoot free throws after every Tiger foul for the rest of the half.

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

First half, 15:24 remaining | Yale 12, Auburn 10

A three from John Poulakidas ‘25 has the Bulldogs back in it after a slow start.

Tigers star Johni Broome leads Auburn with nine points and three rebounds.

In a wild early sequence of events, Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara has been ejected from the game for an elbow that was ruled a flagrant two by the referees. 

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

First half, 20:00 remaining | Yale 0, Auburn 0

Bez Mbeng ’25, August Mahoney ’24, John Poulakidas ’25, Matt Knowling ’24 and Danny Wolf ’26 are Yale’s starting five. 

Head Coach James Jones is going with the same starting lineup as usual as Yale looks to pull off a March Madness upset. 

– Ben Raab, Staff Reporter

SPOKANE — No. 13 seeded Yale is set to face off against No. 4 Auburn today in the March Madness round of 64.

The Bulldogs punched their ticket last Sunday after a buzzer-beating layup narrowly lifted them over Brown in the Ivy League tournament finals. Meanwhile, the Tigers are coming off of a dominant three-game run in the SEC tournament capped by an 86–67 win over Florida in the championship game. 

Led by head coach James Jones, Yale is seeking its second-ever NCAA tournament win. In 2016, Yale made history by knocking off Baylor 79–75 before losing to Duke in the following round. 

March Madness is a tournament known for its upsets. No. 13 seeds have an all-time record of 32-120 against No. 4 seeds — a 21.05 winning percentage. 

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No. 13 seeded Yale (22–9, 13–3 Ivy) is set to face No. 4 Auburn (27–7, 16–5 SEC) in March Madness’s round of 64 this Friday. The Bulldogs punched their ticket last Sunday after a buzzer-beating layup narrowly lifted them over Brown in the Ivy League tournament finals. Meanwhile, the Tigers are coming off of a dominant three-game run in the SEC tournament capped by an 86–67 win over Florida in the championship game. 

“Auburn wants to punch you in the face when the game starts, they wanna come after you,” Yale head coach James Jones said Thursday afternoon. “But our guys have been battle-tested and they’ll be ready.” 

 A fast, athletic team, the Tigers thrive off constant ball pressure and movement on defense – a unit that ranks fourth in the nation according to kenpom.com. As a team, they hold opposing offenses to a nation-leading 42.8 percent shooting on 2-point attempts while also top ten in the country at limiting teams from the three-point line, keeping shooters to 29.8 percent from deep.

On offense, the “War Eagles” excel at finding shots around the rim and getting to the free-throw line. 6’10 forward Johni Broome leads the team with 16.2 points on 54.4 percent shooting from the field. Three-pointers account for only 28.9 percent of the Tigers’ points, but all five of their starters are capable shooters when allowed space. 

This is the Bulldogs’ second trip to Spokane this season. Yale first made the trip in November to face Gonzaga. In that game, Jones’s squad got out to an early ten-point lead but ultimately fell 86–71. In another high-profile matchup, the Bulldogs traveled for a game against Kansas in December, where they held a lead at halftime but wound up losing 75–60. 

“Coach did a great job of scheduling our non-conference games and putting us against tough teams,” captain August Mahoney ’24 said. “So we’ll be ready.” 

Still, Auburn – ranked as the nation’s fourth-best team – is the Bulldogs’ toughest test yet. The Tigers are 24–0 this season against non-quad one opponents, winning those games by an average margin of 16.2 points.  

To put themselves in the best position to advance to the round of 32, Yale must play at their own pace, excel in key matchups and win the rebounding battle. 

Play at Bulldog speed, not Tiger speed

Yale and Auburn are two of the most opposite teams in the tournament with regard to their pace of play. The Bulldogs rank 335th in time per possession while the Tigers are 47th. 

The War Eagles will look to seize control of the game early by overwhelming Yale with a fast-paced transition offense and attempting to force turnovers through defensive pressure. 

In this regard, Auburn plays a similar style to Cornell, who Yale played three times this season, including in the Ivy League semifinals. Both Cornell and Auburn rely on a deep bench and frequent substitutions to support a high-octane style of play. Ten different Auburn players average at least 13 minutes of playing time per game. 

As they did against the Big Red this past weekend, Yale must stay connected on both sides of the ball and look to play at their own pace. Finding looks on the perimeter for their two best shooters — Mahoney and John Poulakidas ’25 — in the onset of the game will open up space offensively and relieve some of the Tigers’ pressure. The sharpshooting duo has connected on a combined 41 percent from behind the arc this season on over 300 attempts. 

Mahoney, who knocked down eight of 13 threes in last weekend’s tournament, expressed confidence in his shot while also emphasizing Yale’s offensive versatility. 

“We’re always gonna have four other guys on offense that can score the ball,” he said. “So I know when my teammate sets a screen for me, they’ve gotta be worried about me but also the guy coming off the screen.”  

All five players in Yale’s starting lineup average double-digit scoring figures.

Matchups to watch

Forward Danny Wolf’s ’26 will be challenged both offensively and defensively by Auburn’s Broome. Both big men are “go-to” options for their respective teams, and lead their teams in points, rebounds and blocks. 

“He’s really big and he’s also got great skills,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said of the 7-foot Wolf. “He’s got a great feel for the game and can pass it over either shoulder.”  

Wolf’s ability to shoot from deep and run the Elis offense from the perimeter could open up space for cutters by forcing Broome outside of the paint. Pearl pointed out that Yale’s tendency to run a “five-out” style of offense – where all five players play on the perimeter – is not something the Tigers have much experience defending.  

On defense, Wolf must be physical with Broome, who likes to catch the ball around the rim and use his size to create room for easy layups. 

If the Tigers have any weaknesses, it’s in their backcourt, where Denver Jones and first-year guard Aden Holloway combine for just over 15 points and four assists per game. Yale point guard Bez Mbeng ’25, a second-team All-Ivy selection and the two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, will be the best defender on the court. Mbeng can swing the game in Yale’s favor by using his athleticism and hustle to create chaos on the perimeter and make it difficult for the Tiger guards to find Broome on the inside.  

Battle on the boards 

Yale outrebounded Baylor 36–32 in their 79-75 upset victory over the Bears in the first round of the 2016 NCAA tournament.  

This season, the Elis biggest strength as a team is on the defensive boards, where they rank 13th in the nation. In a fairly evenly sized matchup, Yale must use this to their advantage and keep the Tigers from racking up second-chance points. 

If Yale can rebound against Auburn the way they did vs Baylor, they’ll be a step closer to repeating history. 

Friday’s game will tip off at 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time and be televised nationally on TNT.

Correction, March 22: A previous version of this article mislabeled Yale’s seed; the Bulldogs are a No. 13 seed.

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“There’s a character called Mr. Anderson, and at one point he figures out that he’s Neo, that he’s really the one,” Jones said at the time. “I think that for Bez, he’s figured out he’s really good and he started to play that way. What you see from him this year will dwarf in comparison to next year.”

Indeed, Mbeng has taken his play to new heights this season. In addition to improved points, assists, blocks and steals per game numbers, the Maryland native earned second-team All-Ivy honors and — for the second year in a row — the Ivy League’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

Mbeng’s defensive effort, in particular, has cemented him as a player whose impact often transcends the stat sheet. Against Cornell in the Ivy League semifinals, Mbeng finished with three points but made his presence known defensively, limiting star guard Nazir Williams to just two points on 1-6 shooting while skying for several tough rebounds in key moments throughout the game. When the Big Red’s Jacob Beccles found himself open for a three in the game’s final minutes, Mbeng switched off his man, scrambled across the court and swatted the shot into the bleachers to seal the victory.

Bez with the big block!

| (ESPNEWS) https://t.co/T157BNMri3#ThisIsYale pic.twitter.com/kqV5KTX1Du

— Yale Men's Basketball (@YaleMBasketball) March 16, 2024

“I take huge pride in defending the other team’s best player,” Mbeng said. “It’s something that not a lot of players are willing or capable of doing, so I take a lot of pride in being different that way.”

Standing at 6’4 with quick lateral movement and closing speed, Mbeng’s athleticism and effort on defense have caused fans and teammates to grow accustomed to seeing him dive for loose balls or fly across the court for a defensive switch.

Against Cornell earlier this season, with Yale down 71–67 in the game’s waning minutes, an errant pass by forward Danny Wolf ’26 led to a fastbreak for the Big Red. But as Cornell guard Chris Manon streaked down the court for a would-be easy layup, Mbeng chased him down and dived for the ball from behind, poking it away and reclaiming possession for the Elis. The momentum shift sparked a 7–2 Bulldogs run in the game’s next minute, who took the lead and went on to win.

“He makes the game so much easier because of how hard he plays defensively,” Wolf said of Mbeng. “It’s easy for me especially when I have to guard ball screens and I don’t have to worry about going into drop coverage or switching because Bez seems to always be in front of his guy.” 

Mbeng says he gets his defensive instincts from growing up playing basketball in the DMV area, where grit and toughness are expected of every young player.

“It’s something that was instilled in me since a young age,” he said. “In a sense, I always had it, but playing basketball in that area for so many years definitely brought it out of me. After realizing that I could be good at it, I began to study a lot of players and implement their techniques into the way I play defense as well.”

When the guard committed to Yale in January 2021, he had never met Jones in person due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The entire recruiting process was done over Zoom.

In the 2021-2022 season, on a team where minutes for first-year players are hard to come by, Mbeng’s work ethic and strong guard play earned him a spot in the starting lineup midway through the season. He started 13 of 14 Ivy League games and earned the team’s George McReynolds award as the top defender.

“It’s special to have a guy that takes that much pride in his defense,” Jones said. “I would not want to be guarded by him.”

Even against stiff competition in No. 4 Auburn on Friday, Mbeng will likely be the best defensive player on the court. If the No. 13 Bulldogs are to come away with an upset — as they did in 2016 against No. 5 Baylor — Mbeng’s hustle and ability to shut down the opposing guard will be a key factor.

Friday’s game is set to tip-off at 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time and will be televised nationally on TNT.

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