It was raining 3-pointers at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, as Auburn punched its first-ever ticket to the NIT championship, taking down Illinois State 88-66.
Kevin Overton led the way from downtown for the orange and blue, finishing with 16 points and a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc. Auburn knocked down 12 3-pointers as a team, shooting 57.1% from deep.
“I knew that I needed to be aggressive in order to win these last two games,” Overton said. “This is something we’ve been trying to find all year.”
Along with its 3-point shooting, capitalizing on Illinois State’s mistakes was huge for Auburn.
The Tigers forced 18 Redbirds turnovers and turned them into 26 points in transition.
Kevin Overton (1) blocks against Illinois State in Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. on April 2, 2026.
“It separated us from them,” Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford said. “It just made offense easier for us. We knew that if we got a stop on defense, we could slow the game down and turn it into our game.”
Illinois State came out firing behind its home crowd, taking an early 12-10 lead as its first four field goals all came from 3-point range.
However, once Auburn settled in, the Tigers asserted dominance, closing the first half on a 41-26 run.
Filip Jović stepped up in the absence of KeShawn Murphy, taking on a larger role as one of Auburn’s remaining big men. The freshman posted 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Pettiford, Auburn’s lone returning rotation player from last year’s Final Four run, added 12 points, including two 3-pointers. The sophomore eclipsed 1,000 career points in the victory.
Tahaad Pettiford (0) celebrates a shot against Illinois State in Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. on April 2, 2026.
“All of those guys have really stepped up as the postseason has gone on,” Pearl said. “It’s an opportunity to represent themselves but also represent Auburn. They’ve done a really good job of that.”
In the second half, the Redbirds were completely run out of the gym, shooting just 34.8% from the field compared to Auburn’s 54.2%.
“The last 30 minutes, I thought our defense was really solid,” Pearl said. “Good overall effort. Proud of the guys.”
After finishing the regular season 2-8 and missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021, Pearl’s group has won four straight postseason games.
“We took a really difficult situation, not getting in on Selection Sunday, and I think we’ve turned it into a positive,” Pearl said. “They’re playing with a level of joy that is really good for me as a coach to see.”
Auburn will look to capture its first NIT championship in program history and bring a banner back to Neville Arena on Sunday when it faces Tulsa. Tipoff in the third all-time meeting between the Tigers and Golden Hurricane is set for 7 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Auburn team smiles from the bench against Illinois State in Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. on April 2, 2026.
“We came to win it all and that’s what we’re looking forward to doing,” Pettiford said. “It’s special to be one of the last teams playing. Not every team can finish their season with a win. Hopefully we can do that and end the season happy,” Pettiford said.
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Rory is a sophomore majoring in journalism sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @RorymGarvin
