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USA Today
03-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Final Four: Expert predictions for Auburn vs. Florida in March Madness
Final Four: Expert predictions for Auburn vs. Florida in March Madness Here is what Auburn Wire writers are saying about the Tigers' Final Four matchup with the Florida Gators. The Auburn Tigers will meet the Florida Gators on Saturday in the Final Four at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. For Auburn, it will be the second time in program history that they will compete in a Final Four, and its first since the 2018-19 season. From here on out, every game that Auburn plays will be a rematch. Auburn is 1-2 against the Final Four field, which includes a loss to Florida. The Gators upset Auburn on Feb. 8 in Neville Arena, 90-81, behind a strong performance from Walter Clayton Jr., who scored 19 points in the game. Auburn led by as many as 10 points before Florida stole momentum and led by as many as 21 points. How will the rematch shake out? Auburn Wire writers Taylor Jones, Brian Hauch, and Phillip Jordan shared their predictions and factors ahead of Saturday's Final Four clash between the Tigers and Gators. Here is what our writers are looking for this Saturday. Win the battle at the stripe Free throws played a giant factor in Auburn's loss to the Gators in February, where they shot 61%. Auburn has shot above 70% from the free throw stripe twice in the NCAA Tournament while Florida has shot worse than 75% only once, its 77-75 round of 32 win over the defending national champion UConn Huskies. I expect Tahaad Pettiford, Denver Jones, and Miles Kelly to step up, however, if it comes down to a free-throw shooting contest, Florida will escape victorious. - Taylor Jones Final Score: Florida 82 Auburn 78 Denver Jones needs to do Denver Jones things Other than the obvious need to have Johni Broome healthy, Auburn's perimeter defense, mainly when it comes to guarding Walter Clayton Jr., is the biggest key to the game for me. The Gators guard scored 19 points against the Tigers back in February, and comes into the Final Four leading the tournament with 89 points. If there was ever time for a Denver Jones legacy game, it's on Saturday. - Brian Hauch Final Score: Florida 83 Auburn 80 Calling all guards A big key for the Auburn Tigers on Saturday will be how they perform on the defensive end. While it is hard to stop Walter Clayton, making him work hard on the offensive end will be key. Denver Jones has been great all season, and this will be his most important defensive assignment. In Auburn's 90-81 loss in February, free throw shooting hurt them with a 14-of-23 performance. Expect Johni Broome to get his points, but the guards will need to play a complete game not just a great half. Most experts nationally are not picking Auburn to win this one. - Phillip Jordan Final Score: Auburn 78 Florida 73
USA Today
30-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
March Madness games today: Analyzing men's NCAA Tournament Elite Eight matchups
March Madness games today: Analyzing men's NCAA Tournament Elite Eight matchups Show Caption Hide Caption Sunday's Elite 8 slate features Michigan St. vs. Auburn, Tennessee vs. Houston Mackenzie Salmon breaks down Sunday's Elite Eight matchups. Sports Seriously Half of the NCAA men's tournament Final Four spots are filled. Florida is a representative of the SEC after beating Texas Tech and Duke is there from the ACC after dispatching Alabama. The other two will be determined Sunday in a pair of Elite Eight matchups The action will start from the Midwest Region in Indianapolis. Top seed Houston is coming off a dramatic win against Purdue with the benefit of a last-second inbounds play. Tennessee will be playing in their fourth Elite Eight, but have yet to reach the Final Four. On the plus side, the Volunteers were in this spot last season and can draw from their experience in a loss to Purdue. The second matchup takes place in Atlanta. Auburn, the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, looked to be in trouble in the second half against Michigan during the Sweet 16. Then Denver Jones stepped up with 3-point shots, and the Tigers blew away the Wolverines to make just their third Elite Eight in school history. Michigan State is no stranger to this situation but struggled Friday with Mississippi and faces a bigger challenge here. No. 1 Houston vs. No. 2 Tennessee Time/TV: 2:20 p.m., ET, CBS Like defense? You'll be in love with this game. The Cougars and Volunteers are first and eighth in fewest points allowed, respectively. They're also third and fourth in field-goal percentage defense. Points will be hard to come by for both teams. The matchup at point guard is one to watch. Houston has Milos Uzan, an Oklahoma transfer, to run the offense. Tennessee counters with Zakai Zeigler, who is the heart and soul of the team on both offense and defense. Both teams boast big bodies inside that should be interesting to watch. An edge there could be critical. While the disappointing history of the Volunteers will get a lot of attention, the Cougars have had their own disappointments in the past four tournaments when trying to return to their first Final Four since 2020. They'll be plenty motivated. No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Michigan State Time/TV: 5:05 p.m., ET, CBS If experience matters, then there should be lots of optimism for the Spartans. Tom Izzo has been here 10 previous times and gone 8-2 in regional finals. He knows how to get a team ready on a short turnaround with a Final Four berth on the line. But it also takes players to get it done on the court. Michigan State possesses the size to match up with Tigers big man Johni Broome (18.5 ppg and 10.8 rpg), though it will require a team effort to slow him down. Auburn, however, is more than just Broome, forcing the Spartans to be aware of perimeter scorers that include Jones, Chad Baker-Mazara and Tahaad Pettiford. Should the Tigers prevail, it would be quite to coup to take down the Big Ten's two Michigan schools along the way.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
CBS 42 Road to the Final Four: Afternoon Edition 3/29
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The Auburn Tigers are heading to the Elite Eight for the third time in program history. After the top-seeded Tigers downed No. 5 seed Michigan, 78-65, Friday night, Auburn will face second-seed Michigan State in Atlanta on Sunday. The Tigers overcame a nine-point deficit and finished the contest strong. Top-seeded Auburn rallies in 2nd half, beats Michigan 78-65 Auburn's Johni Broome led all scorers with 22 points Friday, while Denver Jones put up 20 points. Tahaad Pettiford added 20 points coming off the bench. The Spartans beat No. 6 seed Ole Miss, 73-70, before the Tigers and Wolverines took the floor at State Farm Arena. WKRG Sports Director Simone Eli interviewed Broome after Auburn defeated Michigan. The Auburn-Michigan State matchup is set to tip off at 4:05 p.m. Sunday on CBS 42. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
29-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Top seed Auburn claw back to join MSU, Tennessee and Houston in Elite Eight
Freshman Tahaad Pettiford and senior Denver Jones turned in dazzling performances when it mattered most, rallying top-seeded Auburn to a 78-65 victory over Michigan in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night. The Tigers (31-5) wiped out a nine-point deficit in the second half, outscoring No. 5 seed Michigan 39-17 over the final 12 and a half minutes to advance to the Elite Eight for only the third time in school history. They also became the fourth Southeastern Conference team to reach a regional final, with the SEC joining the Atlantic Coast Conference (2016) and Big East (2009) as the only leagues to do that. Auburn will face Michigan State in the South Region final on Sunday, with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The Spartans held off Mississippi 73-70 in the first game of the night in Atlanta. Johni Broome scored 22 points to go along with 16 rebounds, but it was Pettiford and Jones who took control with Auburn's season on the brink. The Wolverines (27-10) built their biggest lead, 49-38, and seemed headed for their most improbable performance yet in a remarkable comeback season under first-year coach Dusty May Jace Richardson scored 24 points and Michigan State surged past Mississippi in the second half for a victory in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Ole Miss (24-12) was denied in its bid for its first Elite Eight appearance despite leading by 10 points in the first half and by nine in the second half. Michigan State (30-6), the South Region's No 2 seed, rallied to keep alive coach Tom Izzo's bid for his ninth Final Four and second national championship. The Spartans will play No 1 seed Auburn on Sunday. Izzo, in his 16th Sweet 16, earned his 59th NCAA Tournament win, breaking a tie with Jim Boeheim of Syracuse for fourth all-time. Zakai Zeigler had 18 points and 10 assists, and Tennessee outhustled and outplayed Kentucky on both ends of the court in a victory that sent the Volunteers to a second consecutive Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The second-seeded Vols (30-7) beat their border rival in the first all-Southeastern Conference Sweet 16 matchup since 1986 and will play Sunday against Houston in the Midwest Region final. Chaz Lanier added 17 points and Jordan Gainey had 16 for the Vols, who lost twice to Kentucky in the regular season but prevailed on a much bigger stage this time. No one enjoyed the show at Lucas Oil Stadium more than Peyton Manning, who was back in the town where he spent 13 years and won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts. The Vols' most famous sports alum was in a bright orange ballcap seated behind the bench as Tennessee ran off with a no-doubt victory in the 'House Peyton Built'. Lamont Butler scored 18 points to lead first-year coach Mark Pope's third-seeded Wildcats (24-12), who were held 20 points under their season scoring average. Their 65 points matched their fewest in a game this season. Milos Uzan soared for an uncontested layup on a beautifully executed inbound play with 0.9 seconds left, and No 1 seed Houston survived a late collapse to beat fourth-seeded Purdue in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Houston led 56-46 with just under eight minutes remaining but made only one field goal from there until Uzan's tiebreaking bucket. He inbounded the ball from the baseline to Joseph Tugler, who threw a bounce pass back to Uzan, and the 6ft 4in junior took it to the rim. Houston, the Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion, became the fourth No 1 seed to reach the Elite Eight. The Cougars haven't lost since 1 February and won this time at Lucas Oil Stadium, where their 2021 tourney run ended with a loss in the Final Four to eventual national champion Baylor. Uzan scored 22 points and Emanuel Sharp had 17 as Houston survived an off night from leading scorer LJ Cryer, who finished with five points on 2-of-13 shooting. Fletcher Loyer scored 16 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 14 and Big Ten player of the year Braden Smith added seven points and 15 assists to lead Purdue (24-12). Smith assisted on all 11 second-half baskets for last year's national runner-up, which played in front of a friendly crowd about an hour's drive from its campus in West Lafayette.
Miami Herald
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Auburn in third Elite Eight after taking down Michigan
ATLANTA -- Johni Broome recorded a game-high 22 points and 16 rebounds to lead No. 1 seed Auburn to a 78-65 win over No. 5 seed Michigan in Friday's NCAA Tournament South Region semifinal. Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford added 20 points apiece for the Tigers (31-5), who rallied from a nine-point, second-half deficit en route to the program's third Elite Eight, where they will face No. 2 seed Michigan State on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four. Danny Wolf scored 20 points to lead Michigan (27-10), while Vladislav Goldin chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds and Nimari Burnett also had 10 points, paired with seven boards. Trailing 30-29 at halftime, Michigan opened the second half on a 13-6 run, capped with Roddy Gayle Jr.'s three-point play to build a 42-36 edge with 14:36 left. Broome cut Auburn's deficit in half with a three-point play of his own, before Wolf's consecutive layups and Will Tschetter's two free throws extended the Wolverines' lead to 48-39 with 12:26 to play. From there, Pettiford and Denver Jones each buried a 3-pointer, beginning a 12-0 Auburn run to grab a 51-48 lead at the 9:19 mark. Rubin Jones answered with a much-needed layup for Michigan, but Jones continued to find the range, knocking in two more 3-pointers and a layup to push Auburn's cushion to 59-50. The prolonged run was extended to 28-6 after Pettiford's triple and three-point play gave the Tigers a 67-54 edge, igniting the Auburn-heavy State Farm Arena crowd. Chaney Johnson's dunk punctuated Auburn's 31st win - setting a program record. After an early 6-0 spurt gave Auburn a 9-5 edge, Goldin and Tre Donaldson's back-to-back baskets stamped a 10-4 Michigan run to grab a 15-13 lead with just over 11 minutes left. Wolf scored the Wolverines' next seven points, including his dunk for a 22-21 advantage. Michigan's largest lead of the first half came at the 5:22 mark, when Burnett's 3-pointer pushed the margin to 27-23. Broome accounted for the final three points of the opening half, giving Auburn a one-point halftime lead. In a sloppy first 20 minutes, the Tigers turned the ball over 10 times, while Michigan was forced into eight giveaways. --Jack Batten, Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
