State Farm Arena ended up hosting what amounted to be the Big Ten vs Southeastern Conference invitational tournament Friday night. Instead of these games being played before Thanksgiving or Christmas, this was the Sweet 16! Both conferences would split the twin bill. First, the Michigan State Spartans overcame a ten-point deficit, beating the Ole Miss Rebels 73-70. In the second game, the top-seeded Auburn Tigers beat the Michigan Wolverines 78-65.
Pettiford and Jones power Auburn past the Wolverines
The Auburn Tigers were leading after the first half by the slimmest of margins. Also, they turned the ball over ten times in the first stanza, which is not normal for this team. In the second half, Michigan raced to a 49-38 lead. It left the orange and navy blue-clad Auburn fans feeling shocked at how well Michigan played to that point.
But, Tahaan Pettiford and Denver Jones each scored 20 points as Auburn asserted themselves. With the Tigers playing a mere 100 miles from home, State Farm Arena definitely felt like a home game as much of the Atlanta-based alumni base broke out in various chants during the contest.
“First of all, I’d like to congratulate Michigan, the Big Ten tournament champions, on an outstanding year,” said Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl. What an incredible first year for that staff to come in and turn that program around. They were playing really well coming into this tournament, having won the Big Ten tournament. Obviously we went on a 34-8 run in the second half, and it’s just the kids’ will to win. They just locked down defensively.
Johni Broome, whom many consider to be this year’s National Player of the Year, scored 26 points (leading all scorers) and pulled down 16 rebounds. Broome said Auburn hangs their hat on the defensive end of the floor. However, this team has playmaking ability in abundance.
“But then we have guys who can make plays,” said Broome. “Denver went on a 10-0 run by himself. Tahaad went on a 10-0 run by himself. Just guys like that who can create shots, it takes the load off of me. I wasn’t playing my best game today, but I had my guards come through and take big shots.”
Execution, Grit, and Toughness: Michigan State’s Formula for Success
“We don’t put up any banners for Elite Eights,” coach Tom Izzo said. “We put up banners for Final Fours and national championships.”
That has been Michigan State’s standard since Magic Johnson wore the green and white and Jud Heathcoate was his coach. Tonight’s game against the Ole Miss Rebels started out shaky for the Spartans. Ole Miss raced out to a ten-point lead in the first half, but Michigan State would hunker down and eventually cut the lead to two points. In the second half, it was more of the same. Ole Miss built a nine point lead. But, the Rebels could not put Sparty away.
“That team was the toughest, most physical defensive team that we’ve played in years,” Izzo said. “It reminded me of the old Gene Keady, Clem Haskins teams when I started in this profession. They did a good job. I didn’t think we did a very good job. We got stymied a lot.”
Jase Richardson, the son of NBA All-Slam Dunk Champion, Jason Richardson, scored 24 points for Michigan State, keeping the Spartans in the game. Ole Miss faltered down the stretch not because of inexperience. But because Michigan State played showed grit and displayed a gratuitous amount of fortitude.
“I think for us in the first half we weren’t as aggressive as we should have been,” Richardson said. “I feel like they were kind of just punking us in the beginning. We couldn’t get to the paint. Shooting decent shots, but not great shots. I think the second half really opened up for us. We were being more aggressive, getting downhill and getting driving kicks. I felt like we were at our best in that second half.
What’s next?
The number one overall seed, the Auburn Tigers, will face the Michigan State Spartans Sunday, March 30th. Tip-off is set for 5:05 PM Eastern Time on CBS at State Farm Arena. The Southeastern Conference heads into the Elite 8 with four teams: Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and the aforementioned Auburn Tigers.