The No. 1-seeded Auburn Tigers took down the No. 2 Nevada Wolf Pack on Wednesday night in a 75-69 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) quarterfinals victory.
This win marks the Tigers’ furthest advancement in the NIT, as the team had previously only reached the third round.
The Tigers were led by freshman forward Filip Jovic, who had 18 points, 10 of which were off dunks, and nine rebounds.
Filip Jović (38) attempts to shoot against Nevada in Neville Arena in Auburn, AL on March 25, 2026.
“Filip’s obviously stepped up over the last three games when we needed him most,” head coach Steven Pearl said after the game. “Looked a lot like the South Carolina game, where he just was really aggressive. When Filip feels like he has an advantage, he looks to attack it.”
Auburn led by 12 at halftime and held on for the win despite a late comeback attempt by the Wolf Pack. The Tigers took advantage of Nevada’s 12 turnovers, scoring 11 points off them.
“Since we’re not very big right now, we have to use our speed and our quickness to make plays,” Pearl said. “They did a good job of that. Obviously, it led to run outs and led to us being able to get out in transition.”
Auburn’s win was sealed with the help of Tahaad Pettiford’s 16 points and six assists. The sophomore also had a block with 4:54 remaining in the second half that helped set the tone for the remainder of the game.
“People aren’t expecting me to jump with them and meet them at the rim,” Pettiford said. “So, just trying to get that timing right. If I feel like I can go get them, I’m going to jump, I don’t care who it is.”
Elyjah Freeman knocked in 15 points and grabbed four rebounds, and Keyshawn Hall added 14 points and six rebounds to help the Tigers advance in the NIT.
Elyjah Freeman (6) dunks on Nevada in Neville Arena in Auburn, AL on March 25, 2026.
Nevada put up a fight against a team with one of the best home-court advantages in the country, closing the gap to six points by the final buzzer. Elijah Price absolutely dominated for the Wolf Pack with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 9-for-13 shooting from the free-throw line, but his efforts weren’t enough to secure the win.
Nevada didn’t have the same luck with points off turnovers that Auburn did. Auburn had seven turnovers, resulting in nine points for the Wolfpack. While the turnover totals were similar, those missed opportunities may have cost Nevada the game.
“This team is so hard to play against on the glass,” head coach Steve Alford said. “We’re even on the backboard, assists and turnovers are about the same, free-throws are about the same, threes are about the same. I thought the difference was we had some light ball turnovers that they produced into dunks and easy scores, and we didn’t quite have as many easy scores on their turnovers.”
Auburn Basketball celebrates a win against Nevada in Neville Arena in Auburn, AL on March 25, 2026.
With the win, No. 1 Auburn punched its ticket to Indianapolis for the NIT semifinals. The Tigers will face Illinois State on Thursday, April 2, at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
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