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Auburn basketball locked up the last Final Four bid on Sunday by knocking out Michigan State in the Elite Eight, 70-64, to claim the South Region championship in March Madness.
Michigan State took a brief lead of just over 20 seconds before a major run by the Auburn offense swung momentum to their side, which it would ride until the final whistle. It was a game that Auburn did not have its best stuff offensively as they shot 55% from the free throw line and below 50% from the field and from three-point territory and only two Tigers shot above 50% and scored above 10 points on the night.
However, the Tigers defense did its job by limiting Michigan State to 34% shooting and holding the Spartans to just nine second-chance points.
Auburn got the job done on Sunday and will continue its season for one more weekend. Here are the five stats that defined Auburn's March Madness win over the Michigan State Spartans to advance to the Final Four.
Auburn led 33-24 in the first half mostly due to a 13-0 run in the middle stages of the half. A jumper from Miles Kelly broke an 8-8 tie with 14:41 to go in the first half of play, which kickstarted a 13-0 run over the next 4:12 of game time. The Spartans cut Auburn's lead to 27-22 with 3:23 left in the half before the Tigers pieced together a 6-2 run before heading into the locker room
Auburn star Johni Broome played a stellar game when it mattered most. Broome ended the game with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and went 3-for-5 from the free throw line. Not only did Broome provide an excellent stat line, but he exhibited by he is a candidate for the Naismith Player of the Year by reaching the 2,500 point and 1,500 rebound milestone in the game, becoming the fourth player of all-time to reach the goal. He also departed the game with 10:38 remaining in the game due to an arm injury. He returned five minutes later and immediately connected on a three-point bucket.
Sunday's game with Michigan State would be much closer if Broome had not played to his potential.
Auburn did not have the best day at the free throw line, or from beyond the arc, but held the advantage in overall field goal percentage. The Tigers shot 43% from the field while Michigan State connected on just 34% of its attempts. Auburn's offense also turned the ball over just six times, and scored 11 second-chance points off of 11 offensive rebounds.
Auburn's offense did a great job by limiting turnovers in the win. On the other side, the Tigers defense did their part by turning Sparty turnovers into points. Michigan State turned the ball over nine times in the game, which Auburn turned into 11 points. In a game as tight as Sunday's was, making the most of cough ups really comes into play.
Bruce Pearl brought the "underdog" narrative into the Elite Eight for its game with Michigan State, a program with storied history that rivals that of North Carolina, Duke, and Kansas. Michigan State played well in several areas such as free-throw shooting, rebounding, and fast break points. However, the Auburn Tigers, who fit into the "new blood" category, prevailed over one of college basketball's great programs to reach the Final Four for the second time in history.
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn basketball's key stats from Elite Eight win over Michigan State
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Michigan State took a brief lead of just over 20 seconds before a major run by the Auburn offense swung momentum to their side, which it would ride until the final whistle. It was a game that Auburn did not have its best stuff offensively as they shot 55% from the free throw line and below 50% from the field and from three-point territory and only two Tigers shot above 50% and scored above 10 points on the night.
However, the Tigers defense did its job by limiting Michigan State to 34% shooting and holding the Spartans to just nine second-chance points.
Auburn got the job done on Sunday and will continue its season for one more weekend. Here are the five stats that defined Auburn's March Madness win over the Michigan State Spartans to advance to the Final Four.
An Auburn 13-0 run sets the tone
Auburn led 33-24 in the first half mostly due to a 13-0 run in the middle stages of the half. A jumper from Miles Kelly broke an 8-8 tie with 14:41 to go in the first half of play, which kickstarted a 13-0 run over the next 4:12 of game time. The Spartans cut Auburn's lead to 27-22 with 3:23 left in the half before the Tigers pieced together a 6-2 run before heading into the locker room
Broome proves his legend status
Auburn star Johni Broome played a stellar game when it mattered most. Broome ended the game with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and went 3-for-5 from the free throw line. Not only did Broome provide an excellent stat line, but he exhibited by he is a candidate for the Naismith Player of the Year by reaching the 2,500 point and 1,500 rebound milestone in the game, becoming the fourth player of all-time to reach the goal. He also departed the game with 10:38 remaining in the game due to an arm injury. He returned five minutes later and immediately connected on a three-point bucket.
Sunday's game with Michigan State would be much closer if Broome had not played to his potential.
Auburn held the offensive edge
Auburn did not have the best day at the free throw line, or from beyond the arc, but held the advantage in overall field goal percentage. The Tigers shot 43% from the field while Michigan State connected on just 34% of its attempts. Auburn's offense also turned the ball over just six times, and scored 11 second-chance points off of 11 offensive rebounds.
Auburn's defense made the most of Michigan State turnovers
Auburn's offense did a great job by limiting turnovers in the win. On the other side, the Tigers defense did their part by turning Sparty turnovers into points. Michigan State turned the ball over nine times in the game, which Auburn turned into 11 points. In a game as tight as Sunday's was, making the most of cough ups really comes into play.
The "underdogs" storyline works in Auburn's favor
Bruce Pearl brought the "underdog" narrative into the Elite Eight for its game with Michigan State, a program with storied history that rivals that of North Carolina, Duke, and Kansas. Michigan State played well in several areas such as free-throw shooting, rebounding, and fast break points. However, the Auburn Tigers, who fit into the "new blood" category, prevailed over one of college basketball's great programs to reach the Final Four for the second time in history.
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn basketball's key stats from Elite Eight win over Michigan State
Continue reading...
