Auburn basketball locked up the last Final Four bid on Sunday by knocking out Michigan State in the Elite Eight, 70-64, to claim the South Region championship in March Madness.
Michigan State took a brief lead of just over 20 seconds before a major run by the Auburn offense swung momentum to their side, which it would ride until the final whistle. It was a game that Auburn did not have its best stuff offensively as they shot 55% from the free throw line and below 50% from the field and from three-point territory and only two Tigers shot above 50% and scored above 10 points on the night.
However, the Tigers defense did its job by limiting Michigan State to 34% shooting and holding the Spartans to just nine second-chance points.
Auburn got the job done on Sunday and will continue its season for one more weekend. Here are the five stats that defined Auburn's March Madness win over the Michigan State Spartans to advance to the Final Four.
An Auburn 13-0 run sets the tone
Auburn led 33-24 in the first half mostly due to a 13-0 run in the middle stages of the half. A jumper from Miles Kelly broke an 8-8 tie with 14:41 to go in the first half of play, which kickstarted a 13-0 run over the next 4:12 of game time. The Spartans cut Auburn's lead to 27-22 with 3:23 left in the half before the Tigers pieced together a 6-2 run before heading into the locker room
Broome proves his legend status
Auburn star Johni Broome played a stellar game when it mattered most. Broome ended the game with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and went 3-for-5 from the free throw line. Not only did Broome provide an excellent stat line, but he exhibited by he is a candidate for the Naismith Player of the Year by reaching the 2,500 point and 1,500 rebound milestone in the game, becoming the fourth player of all-time to reach the goal. He also departed the game with 10:38 remaining in the game due to an arm injury. He returned five minutes later and immediately connected on a three-point bucket.
Sunday's game with Michigan State would be much closer if Broome had not played to his potential.
Auburn held the offensive edge
Auburn did not have the best day at the free throw line, or from beyond the arc, but held the advantage in overall field goal percentage. The Tigers shot 43% from the field while Michigan State connected on just 34% of ...
