There are college basketball experts that think Auburn has the talent and experience to return to the Final Four come March. There wouldn't be any argument from Yale. K.D. Johnson scored 19 points and Jabari Smith added 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the No. 20 Tigers to an 86-64 victory over the Bulldogs before a full house of 9,121 at Auburn Arena.
 
Matthue Cotton paced Yale with 14 points, Isaiah Kelly scored 12 and EJ Jarvis contributed seven points and eight rebounds off the bench.
 
Auburn, whose only loss came in double overtime to UConn, scored the first 11 points of the game. The Bulldogs, though, hung tough, closing to within 17-13 on two free throws from Jack Molloy midway through the first half.
 
The Tigers (7-1) seized control by closing the half on 14-7 run to build a 47-30 lead the break.
 
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, who guided the Tigers to the 2019 Final Four, was impressed with James Jones and the Bulldogs coming into the game.
 
Jones is "one of those guys that you don't schedule," Pearl told al.com on Friday. "[Yale] runs such great stuff that they challenge your defense because it's so hard to guard. They do a great job of taking care of the basketball."
 
Yale committed only 12 turnovers but was challenged by Auburn's athletic front court. The Tigers blocked 14 shots in the game.
 
The Bulldogs (5-5) are back in the friendly confines of Lee Amphitheater on Tuesday, hosting UAlbany. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m.