ATLANTA – For No. 1 overall seed Auburn to advance to the Final Four for the second time in program history, the Tigers will need to hand No. 2 Michigan State’s hall of fame coach Tom Izzo his first March Madness loss to a Southeastern Conference team.
“Tom Izzo is 10-0 in the NCAA tournament against the SEC,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “They've always been as athletic as anybody in the backcourt. Michigan State has elite athletes in the backcourt. Therefore, like my athletes, they guard. They can score in multiple ways. Then his front lines are always big, strong, physical, and play really hard.
“I think we've won six or seven in a row against the Big Ten. The reason why is, I think, our athleticism in the SEC has been a factor against the teams that we've played against in the Big Ten. It will be interesting to see whether it's not as big a factor tomorrow because of how good their athletes are. I'm obviously challenging my guards and challenging our athletes. It’s an interesting matchup.”
The Spartans advanced to the Elite Eight by beating Ole Miss 73-70 Friday in the South Region semifinals.
“My team can't shoot the 3 like his team can, and we don't have an inside player like his,” Izzo said. “But we have 10 guys that are on a mission, and the mission is to get to San Antonio. We're going to try to make that happen.”
Auburn made history Friday by beating Michigan 78-65 in the Sweet 16, giving the Tigers 31 wins this season, a program record.
“We are on the doorstep,” said All-American Johni Broome, who led Auburn with 22 points and 16 rebounds against Michigan. “We want it bad for this university. I want to reward this university for allowing me to come here. This is what I came here to do. This is what my teammates came to do as well.”
In the South Region semifinals, Auburn outrebounded Michigan 48-33, including 19 offensive boards, a statistic that will impact which team travels to San Antonio next week for the Final Four.
“(Offensive coordinator) Mike Burgomaster calls us the Auburn Aggies,” said Dylan Cardwell, who had four offensive rebounds among his nine boards, referencing Texas A&M’s penchant for rebounding. “That’s our new MO. Making sure we control the boards like we did last night. Trying to win however we can. Be more physical and be more excited to play.”
“Michigan State is not going to give up 19 (offensive) rebounds,” Pearl said. “They're just too good.”
Miles Kelly contributed six rebounds against Michigan, Auburn’s third most boards after centers Broome and Cardwell.
“I’m a basketball player, not just a scorer,” Kelly said. “You have to do things that your team needs to win. In March, that’s something you need.”
When Auburn needed points down the stretch against Michigan, Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford delivered, combining to score 28 of the Tigers’ 48 second-half points.
“Having the trust and the confidence from teammates and coaches in games like that helps a lot,” said Pettiford, who scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half. “Being ready for the moment.”
“We know the type of team we have,” said Jones, who scored 13 of his 20 points in the second while going 3-for-3 on 3-point shots. “We know we have a lot of weapons on offense. We hang our hats on our defense.”
Seeking to join the 2019 team by reaching the Final Four, No. 1 Auburn (31-5) meets No. 2 Michigan State (30-6) Sunday at 4:05 p.m. CT on CBS in the South Region final. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will provide play-by-play and analysis to listeners on the Auburn Sports Network.
“Miles Kelly and Denver Jones are really solid defenders, and our guards are going to get a real test as far as their ability to stay in front of Michigan State's guards,” said Pearl, noting that guards comprise six of the Spartans’ top seven scorers. “It's going to be a real challenge. Michigan State was 17-3 in the Big Ten. Michigan won the Big Ten tournament, but Michigan State won the Big Ten, and they are the best team in that league.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer