ATLANTA — For the second time in program history, Auburn men’s basketball is headed to the Final Four.
Top seeded Auburn defeated No. 2 seed Michigan State 70-64 on Sunday night in the Elite Eight to punch its ticket to San Antonio.
“There are four teams in the country that are left, and Auburn is one of them,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “So we couldn’t be happier.”
The Tigers went on a 17-0 run in the first half, building a 15-point lead in just under ten minutes of play. Miles Kelly ignited the run with back-to-back midrange jumpers, and Johni Broome capped things off with a 3-pointer.
“It was super impactful,” Kelly said. “The motto of today’s game was to set the tone early. That’s what we did. That set the tone for the whole game.”
The Spartans answered with a 14-4 run, trimming Auburn’s lead to five with just over three minutes remaining in the first half. But the Tigers closed the half strong, responding with a 6-2 run to take a 33-24 lead into the break.
“Our guys, they've trusted us with a game plan,” Pearl said. “And one of the things that we just talked about, if we do these things offensively and then if we do these things defensively, we're going to win the game, and they did, and we did.”
Auburn’s strong first half was fueled by Broome, who recorded a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double — his second straight game with a double-double by halftime.
No. 4 Johni Broome attempts a layup against No. 2 seed Michigan State in the Elite Eight inside of State Farm Arena in Atlanta on March 30, 2025.
At the break, Auburn was shooting 43.8% from the field, compared to 26.7% from Michigan State on eight made field goal attempts.
Michigan State opened the second half with a dunk off an Auburn turnover, but Denver Jones quickly answered with a slam of his own on the other end. The Tigers maintained a steady lead, leading by no less than five points the entire second half.
Auburn scored 34 points in the paint and pulled down 41 rebounds in the win over Michigan State. In addition to Broome’s dominant performance, Chaney Johnson contributed eight points and six rebounds, while Dylan Cardwell added five points, six boards and two blocks.
Broome exited the game after suffering an elbow injury seven minutes into the second half but returned with five minutes to play, checking into the game and hitting a 3-pointer on his first possession back from the locker room.
“All glory to God,” Broome. “When I came back out, when I hit that 3 ball, I called on him again. You’ve got to always call on him. He's always going to deliver. I just wanted to help my teammates. If that's coming back out and playing and hitting one shot and grabbing the rebound, I was going to do it.”
Broome finished the night with 25 points, 14 rebounds and two assists.
“He’s carried us on his back all season,” Jones said. “That’s a testament to his greatness. He’s for sure going to go down as one of the best Auburn players in history.”
Broome’s 3-pointer gave Auburn a 60-48 lead with 4:40 to play. The Spartans fought back, coming within eight points of the Tigers’ lead with one minute to play, but Miles Kelly made a free throw with 13 seconds left to play, sending Auburn to its first Final Four since 2019.
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Grace Heim is a senior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in Political Science. She started with The Plainsman in January of 2023.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @graceeheim
