ATLANTA — With Auburn’s season on the brink, Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones suddenly became unstoppable.
On to the Elite Eight for the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Pettitford and Jones scored 20 points apiece to lead a second-half barrage that rallied the Tigers to a 78-65 victory over Michigan in the Sweet 16 on Friday night.
The Tigers (31-5) wiped out a nine-point deficit, outscoring No. 5 seed Michigan 39-17 over the final 12 1/2 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.
“Just the kids’ will to win,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Denver got heated up. Tahaad got heated up. We went to them, and they delivered.”
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, a freshman, and Jones, a senior, who took control when Auburn needed them most.
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.
But Pettiford sparked the comeback with a step-back jumper from beyond the 3-point stripe, Jones knocked down two straight from long range before scoring on a drive to the hoop, and Pettiford finished off Michigan with two stunning shots: a trey after briefly losing the ball but getting it back, followed by a three-point play when he knocked one down before landing flat on his back after being fouled.
“I saw one go in, and I just saw the basket get bigger and bigger,” Jones said. “So I just kept shooting.”
Danny Wolf led No. Michigan with 20 points, but no one else on the Wolverines managed more than 10.
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Still, the Wolverines had plenty of reasons to be proud after bouncing back from an 8-24 debacle a year ago that set a school record for losses in a season and led to the firing of former Fab Five star Juwan Howard.
“They left a legacy,” May said. ”They established an identity. They should be very, very proud of their body of work.”
The first half was played at a frantic but sloppy pace, with both teams plagued by turnovers and struggling to hit shots.
One sequence epitomized the opening 20 minutes. Tre Donaldson threw the ball away with a lazy pass, but Auburn gave it right back when Chad Baker-Mazara’s unnecessary behind-the-back effort was picked off by Roddy Gayle Jr. The Wolverines took off the other way, only to have Donaldson turn it over again with an errant lob that sailed way out of bounds. In just nine seconds, the teams combined for three turnovers.
Auburn led 30-29 at halftime despite hitting just 12 of 37 shots (32.4%) from the field, including a 3-of-16 showing from beyond the 3-point arc, to go along with 10 turnovers. The Tigers gave themselves plenty of second and third chances, and even a fourth on one possession.
They finished with 48-33 edge on the boards, including 19 rebounds at the offensive end.
Broome and the rest of Auburn’s frontcourt held up just fine against Michigan’s two 7-footers, Wolf and Vladislav Goldin.
“We took the game personal,” Broome said. “That’s a great front line, but we wanted to challenge ourselves to make it tough on them.”
Takeaways
Auburn: The Tigers lost in their first trip to the Elite Eight in 1986. They reached their lone Final Four in 2019, when a setback to eventual champion Virginia ended their season. … Pearl did not like one line in particular on the stat sheet — 15 turnovers. “If Michigan can turn us over 15 times, Michigan State could turn us over 25 times,” the coach said. “That’s a concern.”
Michigan: Goldin was held to 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting. He also led the Wolverines with nine rebounds. … Nimari Burnett scored 10 points as well. … Michigan shot just 35.6 percent from the field (21 of 59), including 5 of 17 from outside the stripe. … The Wolverines had only six assists, compared to 15 for Auburn.
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