SALT LAKE CITY _ Kansas and its legion of fans will not be descending upon the Sprint Center this week.
At least not to watch the Jayhawks play basketball.
KU's bid to play an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 contest Friday against the winner of Sunday's North Carolina-Washington game in Kansas City's downtown arena ended on Saturday. No. 5 seed Auburn defeated the No. 4 seed Jayhawks, 89-75, in a second-round Midwest Regional game at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
It tied for the fourth-worst NCAA Tournament loss by margin in 155 games for the Jayhawks, the biggest being an 18-point defeat to Indiana in the 1940 NCAA title game.
Bryce Brown scored 25 points, Jared Harper scored 18 points with six assists and Chuma Okeke added 12 points for Auburn, which raced to a 19-point lead, 34-15, just 11 minutes in. And a 20-point lead, 40-20, 13{ minutes into the game. And a 21-point advantage, 44-23, with 3:58 left in the first half. And yes, a 26-point lead at halftime, 51-25, the largest for KU in an NCAA Tournament game.
The Tigers (28-9) will play in a semifinal contest Friday at the Sprint Center.
Dedric Lawson scored 25 points with 10 rebounds for the Jayhawks, who finished the season with a 26-10 record. It's KU's second 10-loss season in the 16-year Bill Self era.
For KU, Quentin Grimes had 15 points, Devon Dotson 13 points and David McCormack 11.
Auburn knocked down 13 of 30 3s and hit 52.5 percent of its shots. KU hit 6 of 19 3s and 45.8 percent overall.
KU was able to get the 26-point deficit down to 18 points at 67-49 with 14 minutes left, but Auburn immediately responded to get the lead back to 25. KU again knocked the deficit down to 18 at 78-60 with 8:27 left. But Brown responded and it was 80-60 at 7:46. KU reduced the deficit to 17 points, 80-63, at 5:55.
Brown scored 17 points, Harper 14 (with four assists) and Okeke seven points the first half as Auburn hit 9 of 17 3s.
KU, which suffered eight first-half turnovers to Auburn's two, hit 8 of 27 shots in the half for 29.6 percent.
It was an ugly half to say the least as KU's leading scorer, Lawson, missed six of seven shots and scored six points thanks to four free throws in as many tries.
Dotson was 1 of 5 in the half for three points with no assists. McCormack had five early points and finished with five in the half with five boards.
KU missed 9 of 10 3s the first half and had just four assists on its eight baskets.
KU played tentative basketball early, Self calling an early time out when it was 12-5 and bellowed "scared to death" to his young squad, which once again started four freshmen.
KU had advanced to the second-round game by blasting Northeastern 87-53 in the first round on Thursday.
