The Auburn Tigers are headed to the NIT championship for the first time in program history.
No. 1 Auburn took down Illinois State 88-66 in dominant fashion on Thursday night inside a pro-Redbirds Hinkle Fieldhouse to advance to the title game on Sunday, in which Auburn will face the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes.
“They had a tremendous turnout from their fans, and I thought that gave our guy a little extra juice in the building playing in a road environment, almost,” Auburn head coach Steven Pearl said after the game. “And, you know, they came out and threw the first punch.”
The Tigers set the tone from the tip, forcing turnovers on Illinois State’s first two possessions, allowing them to jump out to a quick 5-0 lead less than one minute into the game.
The opening sequence served as a perfect portrayal for the remainder of the contest, as Auburn finished with 26 points off 18 Illinois State turnovers.
“We got into a bit of a rhythm, and we did a good job early, I thought, of forcing them into turnovers, and we did a great job in the first half of converting those into points,” Pearl said. “And then, last 30 minutes, I thought our defense was really solid.”
Auburn’s defense had its breakdowns at times, but for the most part, it limited the Redbirds’ most dangerous scoring threats.
Illinois State guards Johnny Kinziger and Boden Skunberg lead the Redbirds in 3-point makes this season with 61 and 57, respectively, but the duo combined for just three combined triples on the night, with Skunberg finishing 2-for-9 from downtown.
Additionally, Illinois State big man Chase Walker headlined Illinois State’s offense entering the night, but Auburn held him at bay, scoring just 13 points and committing four turnovers.
Kevin Overton (1) blocks against Illinois State in Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. on April 2, 2026.
Walker also picked up four fouls, which likely explains why he saw just 22 minutes of action.
“We did a good job limiting his touches,” Pearl said of Walker. “And I thought when he did catch it, we did a good job with our activity. He had four turnovers in the game. So, I thought we bothered him with our ball pressure, we bothered with our doubling, and I thought our guys did a really good job.”
Auburn’s offense was clicking on all cylinders, as the Tigers shot 60.7% from the field and 57.1% from 3-point land. Auburn also posted 38 points in the paint, a large advantage to Illinois State’s 24, and it finished with 20 total assists on the offensive end.
Senior Keyshawn Hall and Kevin Overton headlined Auburn’s scoring effort, as Hall posted 24 points on 10-for-16 from the field and Overton notched 16 points on a perfect 5-for-5 from downtown.
Keyshawn Hall (7) dribbles the ball down the court against Illinois State in Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. on April 2, 2026.
Two other Tigers — sophomore point guard Tahaad Pettiford and freshman forward Filip Jović — finished in double-figures, with Pettiford recording 12 points and Jović tallying 13.
Pettiford notched his 1,000th career point, as he needed 11 points entering the night to achieve it.
“Honestly, I didn’t know I got it until after the game,” Pettiford said on breaking 1,000 points. “So, it was something I was looking forward to getting. I’m happy, but we have another game to play, so I’m looking forward to that.”
The Tigers claim their 21st win of the season with the victory, and they are set to face Tulsa in the NIT championship game on Sunday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CDT inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and it will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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Gunner is a sophomore majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @norene_gunner10
