ATLANTA — At the 12:26 mark of the second half the future of No. 1 overall seed Auburn's postseason run looked bleak as the Wolverines mounted a nine point lead with the help of 14 Tiger turnovers.
But in front of a large majority of Auburn fans who made the quick drive up I-85 the top-seeded Tigers wouldn’t be denied, going on a game-defining 28-6 run to ultimately defeat the No. 5 seed Michigan Wolverines 78-65 inside of State Farm Arena.
Auburn now advances to just its third ever Elite Eight, now just a single win away from a historic Final Four berth, with its program-record 31st win of the season.
"They got really heated up. Denver got heated up. Tahaad got heated up. We went to them, and they delivered," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Great win for Auburn. Four teams from the SEC in the Elite Eight. That's pretty good."
But between the Tigers and a spot in the Final Four is the No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans, who took down No. 6 seed Ole Miss 73-70 in the game prior to Auburn’s in State Farm Arena.
“It's hard to believe that two days we're playing for a chance to do one of the all time great things in any basketball player's life, and that's play for a Final Four,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said following the win over Ole Miss. “They've earned it. They deserved it. They did it.”
Izzo’s squad, with four players in double figures, was able to take its first lead of the game in the second half and hold off the Rebels to clinch the Spartans’ 11th Elite Eight berth under the legendary coach.
"If Michigan can turn us over 15 times, Michigan State can turn us over 25 times," Pearl said. "So that's a concern, and these guys know it. So we slopped through our offense. Give Michigan credit, they extended, they bothered us, and Michigan State is going to be even better at it. That's one of the best defensive teams in the country."
No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Michigan State are set to tipoff at 5:05 p.m. EST inside of State Farm Arena in Atlanta on CBS with a trip to San Antonio, TX on the line.
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
