ATLANTA — It took a second half surge from No. 1 seed Auburn to surpass the No. 5 seed Michigan Wolverines inside of State Farm Arena with a 78-65 win to advance the top-seeded Tigers to the program’s third ever Elite Eight.
Below are quotes of note from coaches and players inside the locker room following Auburn’s latest tournament victory.
Head coach Bruce Pearl:
Opening Statement:
“I'd like to congratulate Michigan, the Big Ten tournament champions, on an outstanding year. 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. I thought Dylan Cardwell did an incredible job on Goldin. I thought Johni, Dylan, Chaney were physical with those guys and didn't let them dominate the game with their size, which they do against most opponents.
“Then a couple of guards got really hot. They got really heated up. Denver got heated up. Tahaad got heated up. We went to them, and they delivered. Great win for Auburn. Four teams from the SEC in the Elite 8. That's pretty good.”
C Johni Broome:
On Tahaad Pettiford:
“He has a very important role on this team. He does whatever it takes to win. We need a spark, he gives the spark. And he's a good person, good human being. He listens to us, as being a freshman, but there's not too many freshmen who can take over a game like he can. You saw in today's game he had a spurt where he just took over the game.”
PG Denver Jones:
On his personal 10-0 run:
“Honestly, just I seen one go in, and I just felt the basket got bigger. I just wanted to continue being aggressive. Coach was getting me more involved in the plays, and I was just taking more advantage of it.”
PG Tahaad Pettiford:
On slow start and second half surge:
“Started off a little slow, not how I wanted to start, but having guys like this just to back me up knowing that they've got my back, just an amazing feeling. Just getting out there the second half, getting back to what I usually do. Then obviously having guys like Denver and Johni stepping up too and playing huge minutes and doing what they do best. Just having guys like that knowing that they have my back is a great feeling.”
F Chris Moore:
On the second half run:
“I just feel like, honestly, we had confidence that whole game. Like we came into this game having faith that we can win. Having confidence that we can win. And I just felt like you just saw a team that was just completely just molded to win honestly.”
On Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford:
“We have players on this team that – it can be anybody on any given night. Man, you gotta, you gotta really scout us, because you got at least six or seven players that can score in double figures on any given night. So we’re a dangerous team in March. Man, when you’ve got guys like that as hot as Tahaad and Denver was tonight, it's special. It's a special thing.”
PF Chaney Johnson:
On what changed for Auburn down the stretch:
“Danny Wolf was a key part of the offense, and we threw the best defensive big - best defensive player in the country on him, and Dylan did what he had to do. On the other end, we gave Denver and Tahaad the ball and they made something shake. I don't think we really had a plan, it was just guard and get rebounds and just free flowing offense.”
On advancing to the Elite Eight:
“I'm grateful for this opportunity. We went through some adversity, but I feel like pressure makes diamonds, and as long as we continue to stay humble and hungry, the sky is the limit for this team.”
C Dylan Cardwell:
On the Auburn fans in Atlanta:
“Auburn East is crazy. I just can’t imagine playing in front of that. It was loud. I’ve never seen a home-court advantage for a March Madness game like that. Just packed out the arena with orange and blue.”
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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
