NOTES

Auburn took particular pride in the 81-74 victory over Oklahoma State in the South Regional because it showed the Tigers--after an average scoring margin of 20.4 points, tops in the nation--could win when challenged down the stretch.

Before Saturday, only two of the 29 wins had come by fewer than 10 points, 73-70 at LSU on Jan. 9 and 76-73 at Mississippi State on Feb. 27. Even the Tigers’ three losses had come with little doubt in the final minutes--72-62 at Kentucky, 104-88 at Arkansas and 69-57 against Kentucky in the SEC tournament.

“People will always be talking,” center Mamadou N’diaye said of the critics who wondered whether the Tigers could be disciplined enough to win in the final minute. “If we win the national championship, they are still going to have something to say. We haven’t had anybody behind us. Never.”