2 weeks Ago By Brandon Carr
The No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans have been eliminated by No. 1 seed Auburn 70-64 in the Elite 8 inside State Farm Arena.
The Spartans were hit early and often by the SEC-led crowd as Johni Broome dominated early and often in the matchup, finishing with 25 points and 14 rebounds as his Tigers are headed to the Final Four.The Spartans tied the game at 8-8 before the Tigers flexed their muscles and went on a 15-0 run to blow the game open and never looked back.Spartans head coach Tom Izzo now falls to 8-3 all-time in Elite 8 games in his 30-year coaching career as his team felt the pressure and the magnitude of the game, led by the raucous football-like atmosphere in the defeat.
Someone please check the decibel levels as this crowd is becoming defining. #MichiganStateSpartans #AuburnTigers #Elite8 #MarchMadness 🏀 pic.twitter.
com/0ooqllYozG— Brandon L. Carr (@Carrpediem21) March 30, 20251st halfThe Tigers opened the game, feeding senior big man Broome on their first three possessions. He went into his bag with a plethora of moves to score the first six points of the game.
He even got an assist to Miles Kelly, so he was part of his team’s first eight points of the game.Kelley came back down, made another jumper, and then followed that up with a three-pointer, scoring seven of his team’s first 15 points.Prior to that, the Spartans got their first bucket of the game from a Jaxon Kohler three-pointer.
Then superstar Jase Richardson connected on a three-point play to quiet the crowd.Hometown high flyer Coen Carr, after starting against Ole Miss, returned to the bench and came in the game with a monster dunk to tie the score at eight.But Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said enough was enough as Broome, Kelley, and Tahaad Pettiford led the Tigers on a 15-0 run to blow the game open early.
Broome had 11 points after knocking down a contested three-pointer, telling the SEC crowd to call for help as he held the phone signal to his head, taking a 23-8 lead at the 10:04 mark.Frankie Fidler knocked down two free throws to snap the run and the cold streak. He followed up with a three-pointer to cut the lead to 10.
Richardson drove the ball to the hoop for a contested bucket to extend their 7-0 run as the lead is cut to eight with seven minutes to play.Broome answered the Spartans’ run with a tough contested jumpshot for his 13th point of the half, but Richardson, with the shot clock expiring, quiets the Auburn crowd while cutting the lead to eight.Dylan Cardwell made a monster dunk to take a 27-17 lead, but Richardson drew a foul and knocked down two free throws to cut the lead back to eight with 4:22 to play.
Caldwell got back on defense and honored Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame center and former Atlanta Hawks legend Dikembe Mutombo with a block and finger-wag to the camera against Tre Holloman with 3:28 to play before the half.Kohler made another three-pointer to cut the once 15-point lead to 27-22, but Pettiferd scored a tough layup to put the score back up to seven.Broome followed with a putback bunny to take a 31-22 lead with 50.
7 before the half.Spartans get a much-needed bucket as Jaden Akins is fouled, but he missed the free throw with 14.8 remaining.
With the play clock running, Broome draws a foul with 3.9 to play. He converted both as his tigers took a 33-24 lead into the break.
Coach Izzo’s team was able to withstand the megarun by Auburn, but he needs to find a way to stop Broome, who has a double-double in the first half, scoring 17 points while snagging 11 rebounds.Izzo found something with the screen and pop, leading to two wide-open three-pointers by Kohler, but the coaching staff needs to find a way to get the ball in Richardson’s hands as he’s been aggressive, finishing the half with nine points.They must also find a way for Jeremy Fears Jr.
and Carson Cooper to get involved in the game, as they both have been ineffective this far.This jammed-pack SEC crowd isn't fans of the #MichiganStateSpartans who have taken the court for their #Elite8 matchup against the #AuburnTigers inside #StateFarmArena in Atlanta. pic.
twitter.com/q48GAQDy6t— Brandon L. Carr (@Carrpediem21) March 30, 20252nd halfIzzo opened the second half by putting the ball in Richardson’s hands, but he missed a contested layup over Broome, then drew his second foul of the game.
Szymon Zapala got on the scoreboard after an easy jumper, then Kohler followed suit with an easy make before guard Denver Jones got a monster dunk.Fears Jr. got on the scoreboard as well after a contested jumper to cut the deficit to 35-30, but Chad Baker-Mazara made a three-pointer to push the lead back to eight with 16:58 to play.
Cardwell gets a block and then finishes with a contest layup to take a 40-30 lead.Kohler knocked down a jumper to cut the deficit back to eight before an aggressive Broome gets fouled while driving to the rim on the next play.Pettiford drives to the rim for an uncontested layup to push the lead back up to 10, but Cooper slams home a wide-open dunk to cut the deficit back to eight.
Broome, to the crowd’s amazement, is fouled at the rim, making an and-one to push the lead to 45-34 with under 15 minutes to play.Kohler seems like the only option for Izzo as he draws another foul, splitting the pair, but Auburn is called for a lane violation, gifting the Spartans a free bucket to cut the deficit to nine.Kohler, quiet as kept, is on a rampage, scoring 12 points, but Broome is too much to handle as he dunks on two defenders for his 22nd point of the day.
Fidler makes an up-and-under to cut the lead back to single digits.Pettiford is starting to heat up as he connects on a wide-open three-pointer for his 10th point of the game to help the Tigers take a 50-38 lead with 11:52 to play.Richardson reaches double digits for the game, cutting the deficit to 10 with a contested layup over childhood rival Pettiford.
The crowd then gasps as Broome is injured after contesting a layup at the rim. He is seen holding his ankle as he gets attended to by the Auburn medical staff with 10:37 to play.Broome walks off the floor with a noticeable limp as the crowd cheers.
He is headed to the locker room as both teams resume play.This could be an opportune time for the Spartans to get back into the game.But a block shot led to a contested layup by Chaney Johnson to push the lead to 12.
Kohler scores his 14th point of the game to cut the lead to 10.Carr entered the game and got a huge block, leading to a defensive foul on Auburn against Fidler with 7:30 to play.Fidler drains both to cut the lead to 52-44 as the MSU fans get back into the game.
Chaney Johnson followed suit with a contested layup to push the lead back to double-digits, before Holloman is fouled while driving to the rim.He, too, knocked down both free throws to cut the lead back to eight, but Johnson, in the midst of pressure, knocked down an open three-pointer.Carr is hammered at the rim, sending him to the line where he knocked down both, but Broome receives a hero’s welcome as he does his best Willis Reed impersonation by re-entering the game with five minutes to play.
“Let’s go Auburn,” chants ring out as he knocks down a three-pointer with 4:19 to play.Jones is fouled and makes two free throws, but Aikins hits a floater to weather the Auburn storm as the crowd can taste the victory with 3:37 to play.Johnson is taking over the game for the Tigers as he split a pair of free throws for seven points off the bench.
Aikins makes a contested layup with 2:31 to play, trailing Auburn 63-52.Cardwell is fouled and makes the first free throw as the crowd erupts, then he nearly airballs the next.Aikins knocks down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 64-55 with 2:15 to play.
Johnson is fouled, splitting the pair to put the lead back to double-digits.Kohler knocks down a three-pointer, but Jones for Auburn makes a contested lay-up to take a 67-58 lead with 1:20 to play.Fears Jr.
is fouled but misses both free throws as the Spartans fans are exiting the arena to the joy of the Tigers fans.Jones makes two free throws to take a 69-58 lead with 1:10 to play.Aikins then makes a three-pointer to cut the deficit to eight with 59.
2 remaining.Kelly is found and splits a pair of free throws to take a nine-point lead with 26.6 left to play.
Aikins knocked down another three-pointer with 11.2 seconds left to play to cut into the 70-64 deficit, but that’s where the game ends as the Spartans have been eliminated.Kohler finished with 17 points, Aikins dropped 15, while Richardson finished with 11 and Fidler added nine in defeat.
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