'I don't know what happened': Wendell Green Jr. on Auburn's NCAA Tournament loss to Houston
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Wendell Green Jr. was obviously struggling to find the words in the locker room after Auburn’s 81-64 loss to top-seeded Houston on Saturday night inside Legacy Arena.
He finished with nine points and four assists in the final game of the season, battling Houston’s physical defense and athletic guards all night. Green Jr. doesn’t exactly know what happened in the second half as Auburn’s 10-point lead evaporated, eventually losing by 17. Minutes after a defeat of that nature, it’s certainly hard to explain.
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“They didn’t change anything defensively. They guarded us the same. I don’t know what happened, I’ll have to go back and watch the second half,” Green Jr. said.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said after the game the ball movement slowed in the final 20 minutes. Green Jr. agreed, but didn’t have any answers.
“It was different in the second half. I don’t know why, it just was,” he said.
The first half saw Auburn score 41 points and hit 16 field goals against the nation’s No. 4 most efficient defense. Houston allowed just 26 first-half points on average during the season, but was torched by the Tigers’ patience, focus and 22 points in the paint.
“We were patient. Ball screens, finding the open man. They stayed man and we were patient and finishing. We made shots,” Green Jr. said.
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Houston erased Auburn’s lead by the 9:32 mark in the second half, but Auburn stayed within striking distance despite the abysmal offensive showing. Auburn trailed by just six with 5:35 remaining, but was outscored 19-8 the rest of the way.
“It was hard when they’re at the free-throw line every possession,” Green Jr. said of Auburn’s attempts to slow Houston’s momentum. “We were shooting free throws, too, but the game was slow. It got slower in the second half. They were making them and we were missing them.”
Auburn missed 11 second-half free throws. Houston missed none.
In the end, the season ends with familiar feelings. A blown lead, lack of execution late, and few answers. However, Auburn did win 21 basketball games which isn’t easy to do. They won a game in the NCAA Tournament, which 1-seed Purdue wishes they could say.
Not everything went smoothly this season, but there was fight.
“We have some tough guys,” Green Jr. said. “Everybody is resilient. Nobody turned on each other during the season. We all love each other, there’s love there. Everybody stayed together no matter what. A regular team would rip each other apart, but we wouldn’t be in this position. Everybody stayed together and we trusted each other.”
