ATLANTA (EETV) – Auburn Men’s Basketball traveled to Atlanta on Friday to take on the Michigan Wolverines in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Despite a slow start, Auburn bounced back to secure a 78-65 win and advance to the Elite Eight.
Auburn started the game messy on offense, unable to set consistent plays and drive to the basket successfully for much of the first few minutes. However, the Tigers also started with excellent intensity on the defensive end, slowing down the Michigan offense enough to continue to hold a slim lead.
The Wolverines would eventually retake the lead with ten minutes to play in the first half via a three from Danny Wolf, who was the catalyst for the Michigan offense in the first half. The Michigan defense also continued to play strong, forcing ten Auburn turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
At the break, Auburn found itself with a one-point lead, despite shooting 3-16 from three point range and just 12-37 from the floor. However, the Tigers had managed to win the rebounding battle 29-17 early, no mean feat vs a Michigan frontcourt featuring Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf, each members of the All-Big Ten Conference 2nd Team.
Coming out of the break, Auburn still found itself stuck in the mud. The turnover issues persisted, especially in transition, and Danny Wolf continued to have success down low for the Wolverines on the glass. The heavily Auburn leaning crowd began to deflate, and the Tigers’ offensive energy continued to slip.
By the 12:26 mark of the second half, Michigan held a 47-39 lead over Auburn. Then, Dylan Cardwell re-entered the game for Auburn, and Tahaad Pettiford knocked down a three on the ensuing Auburn possession.
Those two players immediately became key for the Tigers, one on each end of the floor. Cardwell’s energy on the defensive end was palpable, and the other Tiger defenders picked up their intensity in response.
When Cardwell entered the game, Danny Wolf had 20 points. Wolf would finish the game with the same number. Michigan would score just nine points from the field after Cardwell’s re-entrance, and only seven free throws.
On the offensive end, Pettiford’s made three at the 12:11 mark would be the spark that led to a late offensive explosion for the Tigers. From that point, Pettiford would score 12 more points on his way to a 20 point performance, his second consecutive 20 point game and sixth of the season.
The counterpart to Pettiford down the stretch was his fellow guard Denver Jones. Over the same twelve minutes, Jones racked up 13 points, including a solo 8-0 run. Jones would finish the night with 20 points as well, his second 20 point showing of the season.
However, the leading scorer for Auburn on the night was National Player of the Year Semifinalist Johni Broome. The Auburn big man racked up 22 points and 16 rebounds for yet another double double, extending his Auburn record. However, Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl gave Broome an extra statistic following the game.
“Wait a second,” Coach Pearl said. “You had a triple double today. Look at the stats. [Broome] Scored 22 points, he had 16 rebounds, and missed 11 shots. You had a triple double.”
Despite the gentle ribbing from his coach, Broome still took pride in the turnaround he and the team made in the second half when asked about what sparked the run.
“So everybody said let's get three stops,” Broome said. “And three led into four and four led into five stops, and we went on a little run and the crowd got involved, and we started playing Auburn basketball.”
The “Auburn Basketball” as Broome called it was enough to propel the Tigers to the final buzzer, finishing the game on a 39-17 run to secure the 78-65 win. Though, as it always seems to be in the tournament, this Auburn team knows it doesn’t have time to sit back and celebrate.
“If Michigan can turn us over 15 times, Michigan State can turn us over 25 times,” Coach Pearl said. “So that's a concern, and these guys know it.”
Michigan State is the squad that awaits Auburn in the Elite Eight, the Spartans coming off a 73-70 win over the Ole Miss Rebels, a team Auburn defeated three times this season.
The game will take place on Sunday, once again in Atlanta, as Auburn will attempt to return to the Final Four for the first time since the 2019 season.
