Another NCAA Tournament game, another great performance from freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford. The reserve point guard scored 20 points in Auburn’s 78-65 Sweet 16 victory over Michigan on Friday night. Pettiford and Denver Jones both scored 20 behind Johni Broome’s 22 points. He had a big second half scoring 15 points, after only scoring five in the first half. He was seven of 14 on field goals and hit two three-pointers. Pettiford also had three assists and one block in 29 minutes of game action.
For the first half, and most of the second half the Tigers struggled to find any flow with the offense. The Tigers committed 10 turnovers in the first half. For most of the game, Broome was carrying the Tigers on his back. Auburn was down 48-39 with 12:26 remaining after a pair of free throws by Michigan’s Will Tschetter. Then, with 12:11 on the clock Pettiford hit a three from top of the key to get the Tigers within 48-42. The Tigers would outscore the Wolverines 36-17 after that shot.
That play came after a timeout, and the play almost did not work out for the Tigers. Pettiford just made a play to give Auburn some momentum. “That was actually a broken play. I messed the play up. I didn't know who was coming, but that just shows his shot making ability, and to be able to just be a dog at times and make plays,” said Broome after the game. “So he (Pettiford) came off the pick-and-roll and shot it, and he made it, cut the lead to six. So I kind of messed the play up. That just shows how special he is though,” he added.
The next time the Tigers got the ball, Pettiford found Jones in the corner for three points to make the score 48-45 with 11:48 remaining. Auburn took control of the lead with 9:53 when Pettiford hit a jumper to go up 49-48. The freshman was not done though. With 5:12 left in the game, he hit a step back three to give Auburn a 64-54 lead after almost turning the ball over.
After the game Pettiford spoke to the media about his performance in the win. “Started off a little slow, not how I wanted to start, but having guys like this just to back me up knowing that they've got my back, just an amazing feeling,” he said. “Just getting out there the second half, getting back to what I usually do. Then obviously having guys like Denver and Johni stepping up too and playing huge minutes and doing what they do best. Just having guys like that knowing that they have my back is a great feeling.”
Pettiford’s biggest highlight of the first half was at the defensive end. With the game tied at 13 with 12:11, Pettiford missed a three. Michigan looked to add points on a fast break, but Pettiford recovered to block Tschetter at the rim.
Auburn will not look to Sunday and their matchup with second-seeded Michigan State with a trip to the Final Four at stake. The game will be broadcast by CBS with a tip-off time of 4:05 p.m. CT.
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Tahaad Pettiford comes up big in Auburn's Sweet 16 win over Michigan
