ATLANTA – No. 1 Auburn is dancing its way to its second-ever Final Four after taking down No. 2 seed Michigan State 70-64 on Sunday at State Farm Arena.
The Tigers jumped out to an early lead in front of a rocking crowd of orange and blue and never looked back as they handed legendary Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo his first-ever SEC loss in the NCAA Tournament.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Auburn comes out firing, Michigan State does what it does
Auburn couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the game than what it had, shooting out to a 23-8 lead in the first 10 minutes of play while on a 17-0 run.
During the run, the Tigers’ ferocious defense held Michigan State without a bucket for 5:23 as it shot 1 of 13 from the field during that stretch. Shortly after, the Spartans did what they had done in their last two tournament games – down by 10 in the first half against Ole Miss and New Mexico – and punched back with a 14-4 run of their own. After shooting 63% from the field during their run, the Tigers put together a sequence of poor shot selections and went without a bucket for nearly four minutes in a 7-0 Spartans’ response.
However, Auburn responded with a 6-2 run to close out the half, led by a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double by Johni Broome – his second consecutive game with a first-half double-double.
Broome a man among boys
There wasn’t a single Michigan State Spartan that could slow Broome down in the painted area on Sunday, and he made it apparent from the jump as he scored six of the Tigers’ first 10 points and started a stifling 5-of-5 from the field.
Broome scored five points in the second half on a 2-of-3 performance in seven minutes played before an abrupt early exit as he went down with what appeared to be a hyperextended elbow injury.
He emerged from the locker room with just over five minutes to go and was met with a burst of Auburn cheers as he stepped on the floor to immediately drain a triple to put the Tigers up 12.
He finished his night with 25 points and 15 rebounds in 29 minutes played for his 81st career double-double.
Tigers’ ferocious defense
This was set to be a defensive slugfest from the jump, as Michigan State boasts one of the best in the country – second in the nation 3-point defense and fourth-best defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
But Auburn is no slouch on that end of the floor either, and it showed as the Tigers constantly disrupted the Spartans’ offensive flow. At the break, Michigan State was shooting a putrid 28% from the field on just eight makes in 25 attempts. That trend continued through the second half as the Spartans shot 41% from the field in the final 20 minutes and were held without a make from beyond the arc in the second half, with just three in the first.
The Tigers recorded five blocks and forced nine turnovers on the night. Additionally, they held the Spartans' electric trio of Jaden Akins, Jace Richardson and Tre Holloman to 28 points.
Elite play sends Auburn to Final Four
On its way to its coveted Final Fourth berth, Auburn won every game but one by double digits.
The Tigers are set for their second Final Four appearance, both under Bruce Pearl, and will enter battle-tested after facing the field – Houston, Florida and Duke – this season, going 1-2 in those matchups.
It’s the first time since 2008 that all four No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four.
With National Championship stakes on the line, the Tigers are dancin’ to San Antonio.
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