A late-season swoon changed the narrative around an Auburn team that dominated as the nation’s No. 1 team for much of the regular season.
Consider that narrative a thing of the past. Auburn cruised on Sunday to a 70-64 win over Michigan State in the South region final, securing its spot in the Final Four. It survived an injury scare to star Johni Broome along the way.
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Broome landed hard midway through the second half and appeared to hyperextend his right elbow. He left for the locker room and appeared to say “I’m done” as he walked off the floor.
But he returned to the game minutes later and almost immediately hit a 3-pointer. From there, Auburn held on for the win.
Details of Broome’s injury weren’t clear in the immediate aftermath of the game. He clearly favored his left arm for the remainder of the game after his return. CBS reports that X-rays from the locker room were negative.
All-chalk Final Four
Auburn’s win ensures that all four No. 1 seeds will meet in San Antonio. Duke, Florida, Houston and have already advanced to a Final Four that will crown an NCAA champion from among the nation’s best teams.
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If Broome is healthy, don’t count Auburn out of the equation. The Tigers raised doubts about their championship mettle with three losses in their last four games before the tournament. But those losses arrived against ranked SEC opponents Texas A&M, Alabama and Tennessee.
Since then, the Tigers reeled off three consecutive double-digit wins in the NCAA tournament before handily beating the second-seeded Spartans. They did so on Sunday behind a monster effort from Broome, the only player not named Cooper Flagg who’s in the National Player of the Year conversation.
Broome’s big game
Broome set the tone from the opening tip, scoring Auburn’s first six points on a 3-for-3 effort early in the game. He then anchored a 17-0 Auburn blitz that gave the Tigers a 23-8 lead and put Michigan State behind the 8-ball for the rest of the game.
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Michigan State answered with a 7-0 run to keep the game competitive. But Auburn took a 33-24 lead into halftime to maintain control of the game. By then, Broome had already tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds. He did so against a Michigan State defense that repeatedly met him with single coverage.
The plan didn’t change after halftime, and Broome continued to feast until he initially left the game due to the injury scare with 10:37 remaining. He returned to the game with 5:29 left, and his late 3-pointer extended Auburn’s lead to 60-48.
From there, he was in and out of the game. He re-entered at 1:20 as Auburn held a 67-58 lead to help fend off a late comeback effort. Michigan State hit multiple late 3-pointers to keep some pressure on Auburn, but never threatened a rally.
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When the game was done, Broome had tallied 25 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. He shot 10 of 13 from the field and hit both of his 3-point attempts.
It was a dominant effort that would demand the focus on the conversation around the game if it weren’t for his injury. Broome looked very much like a National Player of the Year while leading his team into the Final Four.
Broome led both teams in scoring and rebounding. Only one other Auburn player scored in double figures as Tahaan Pettiford posted 10 points and two assists off the bench. The Tigers shot 42.6% from the field, 28% (7 of 25) from 3 and overcame a 55% (11 of 20) effort at the free-throw line.
Michigan State can blame poor shooting for the end of its season. The Spartans shot 34.4% from the field and 30.4% (7 of 23) from 3. Many of the misses were due to strong Auburn defense and contested looks. But the Spartans also missed a lot of open shots and failed to take advantage of repeated second chances while securing a 41-39 rebounding advantage and 13-11 edge on the offensive glass.
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Jaxon Kohler, who was tasked for much of the game with guarding Broome, led Michigan State with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Jaden Akins added 15 points on a 6-of-17 shooting effort.
Michigan’s State’s season is over. And Auburn is moving on to the Final Four, where all eyes will be on the status of Broome’s right elbow. Up next for Auburn: SEC rival Florida in the national semifinal.
