Auburn defeated the Illinois State Redbirds 88-66 on Thursday to advance to the NIT championship, the first in Auburn program history. The Tigers rode a 51-point first half to victory, led by Keyshawn Hall’s 15 first-half points. The Tigers also shot 61% from the field on the game as a team and what was an all-around solid performance in the famous Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The first half saw Final Four-worthy offensive performances by both teams, as each shot over 50% from both the field and the three-point line. Auburn was led by upperclassmen transfers, Hall and Kevin Overton, who were both in double digits in the first 20 minutes. Illinois State took more of an all-around approach to scoring, with five Redbird players with at least five points in that first half.
Illinois State started their night hot from the three-point line, with their first three made shots coming from behind the arc. However, heading into the first media timeout, Auburn’s shooters has responded in kind, with Hall, Overton, and Elyjah Freeman combining for Auburn’s first 10 points, all without a miss.
After a back-and-forth stretch following the under-16 media timeout, Auburn went on runs of 6-0 and 8-0 to break the game wide open. Both runs were led by Tahaad Pettiford, as the sophomore guard scored nine points for the Tigers in just over two minutes played to extend the lead to nine. Auburn was able to take advantage of the Redbirds’ poor ball-handling during this stretch as well, securing 11 turnovers which directly led to 22 points for the Tigers on the other end.
The duo of Ty’Reek Coleman and Ty Pence would try and fight back for the Redbirds the rest of the half, combining for 12 of the last 16 Illinois State points, but it would be too little too late. The red-hot Tigers finished the half with a commanding 13-point lead, the lowest differential for the rest of the game.
Auburn dominated the second half, never letting their lead get below double-digits. The Tigers looked like the version of themselves that had beaten St. John's and Florida this season rather than the struggling team from the end of the regular season. The well-oiled performance by the Tigers would later draw credit from Illinois State head coach Ryan Pedon, who was impressed by the quality of Auburn's play.
“That’s an NCAA Tournament-caliber team, no question, not a bubble team." Pedon said. “I give them credit.”
Keyshawn Hall led the scoring for Auburn with 24 points, with Overton, Filip Jovic, and Pettiford also in double figures with 16, 13, and 12, respectively. However, those 12 points for Pettiford were special, as they took him past the 1,000 point-mark for his two-year Auburn career. As he was enjoying the win postgame, the sophomore talked about the milestone and what it means to him.
“I'm happy, but we still have another game to play. I'm looking forward to that," Pettiford said.
Auburn will play in their first NIT championship Sunday, as they face fellow No. 1 seed, Tulsa. The Tigers have faced the Golden Hurricanes in the NIT once before, in the first round of the 2009 edition of the event. Auburn won that game easily, 74-55. This Tigers will be hoping for a repeat of that matchup in championship at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, which will be broadcast on ESPN at 7 p.m. CDT.
