Auburn vs Michigan in Auburn win away from Final 4

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Recap

There is no place like home for the Sweet 16.

A ‘Jungle’ filled crowed propelled a revenge-hungry Johni Broome and the Tigers to an 8-5 early lead on Friday night, although Dusty May’s Michigan empire quickly struck back, leading to a back-and-forth first 10 minutes. Other than a Tahaad Pettiford sensational block, the first quarter of Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup was a grueling slugfest.

Auburn nemesis Danny Wolf, who infamously led Yale to a First Round victory over the Tigers last season, led the way for the Wolverines, clawing his way to 11 first half points.

Auburn’s attack relied on the hot hand, with Tahaad Pettiford (5 first half points), Denver Jones (7 first half points) and Johni Broome (10 first half points) attempting to erase Wolf’s uncanny knack for finding the bottom of the nylon. Those attempts kept Auburn afloat in a half Bruce Pearl’s teams struggled to find a rhythm. Still, they took a 30-29 lead into the locker room.

The second half was much of the same, with Danny Wolf carrying the load for Michigan while Auburn sloppily tried to stay in the game. Wolf, along with his guards, led Michigan to a 6-point lead with 14 remaining in the game. That lead only grew, with the former Yale Bulldog growing confidence, Auburn’s concentration wained.

Dusty May’s team opened up a 9-point advantage with 12:26 to go, then the No. 1 ranked team in the country lived up to its ranking. Auburn went on a 12-0 run to take a 49-48 advantage. That run extended to 20-2 thanks to Denver Jones.

The guard opened up a 59-50 lead midway through the second stanza, giving Auburn all the momentum it needed to finish off a third straight NCAA Tournament win.

Reaction

While many No. 1 ranked seeds, most recently last season’s UConn, run through the tournament with little resistance, the Auburn Tigers have a flare for the dramatic.

The Tigers, who own a 5-point victory over Houston, 2-point wins over Iowa State, Georgia, and Tennessee, and multiple other second half comebacks are simply…

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Source link : https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2025/03/29/auburn-78-65-score-march-madness-bracket-update-ncaa/82714163007/

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Publish date : 2025-03-29 04:14:00

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