Auburn completes sweep of No. 1 seeds into Final Four, beating Michigan State
By Charles Odum
ATLANTA (AP) — Johni Broome held his injured right arm through most of Auburn’s Elite Eight postgame celebration.
That didn’t keep the star forward from climbing a ladder to cut down the net he then wore around his neck.
Broome had 25 points and 14 rebounds and Auburn took command with 17 unanswered points in the first half to beat Michigan State 70-64 on Sunday and complete a sweep of No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four.
“You talk about delivering again at the biggest moments,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said of Broome.
Auburn (32-5) earned its second Final Four trip, while Michigan State (30-7) fell short in its bid to send coach Tom Izzo to his ninth national semifinal. Pearl also led Auburn to its only previous Final Four appearance, in 2019.
The South Region champion Tigers, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, became the last of the No. 1 seeds to advance to the Final Four — joining Florida, Duke and Houston.
Auburn will face Florida, which beat Texas Tech 84-79 in the West Region final, in an all-Southeastern Conference semifinal on Saturday in San Antonio.
“Unfortunately there will only be one SEC team playing for the national championship,” Pearl said, also wearing a net around his neck.
Jaxon Kohler led the Spartans with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Jaden Akins had 15 points.
Broome fell on his right arm while attempting to block a shot with 10:37 remaining and left the game. He was escorted to the locker room for a quick examination. Broome, the Associated Press SEC player of the year and a first-team All-America selection, appeared to hurt his right elbow on the fall.
Broome returned with 5:29 remaining, drawing an immediate ovation from Auburn fans. He had the elbow wrapped and sank a 3-pointer less than a minute later. He also grabbed a rebound with one hand.
“It was a scary moment,” Broome said. “I went down but my team had my back.”
Broome said he was told by a team doctor “nothing serious” was wrong with the elbow, which appeared to bend at an ugly angle on his fall.
“I bet he’ll be sore tomorrow,” Pearl said.
Broome made 10 of 13 shots from the field, including each of his two 3-pointers.
“That’s why he’s an All-American,” Izzo said. “That’s why he’s a player of the year candidate. Did a hell of a job. … We did most of the things we wanted to do except guard Broome a little better.”
Auburn was the only Elite Eight team to win each of its first three March Madness games by double digits, including its 78-65 Sweet 16 victory over Michigan. Michigan State rallied for a 73-70 win over Mississippi in the Sweet 16.
The Spartans led 8-6 before the Tigers took command with the 17-0 run. The Spartans were held scoreless for 5:46 while missing 10 consecutive shots during the Auburn run.
A 3-pointer by Broome capped the run for a 23-8 lead.
Auburn led 33-24 at halftime. The Spartans pulled within five points at 35-30 early in the second half but got no closer.
Top seeds — and selection committee — shine
It’s the first time all top seeds have reached the Final Four since 2008, which was the only previous year of all No. 1-seeded semifinalists since seeding began in 1979. And higher-seeded teams went 12-0 in regional semifinals and finals for the first time since the tournament expanded in 1985.
“That means the people that get the criticism … the selection committee, must have done a damn good job,” Izzo said.
Added Pearl: “I think the four teams that advanced are the four best teams in the country and that doesn’t always happen.”
Pride in the Spartans
Izzo, who won the 2000 national championship and was participating in his 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament with Michigan State, said he was proud of his players’ “connectivity and camaraderie.”
“For the 30th year (as coach), I don’t know if I’ve ever been prouder of a team,” the 70-year-old Izzo said. “It was a tear-jerking locker room because they knew they spilled it all and yet we started off poorly. … We just couldn’t recover from that 17-0 run.”
Takeaways
Michigan State: Coen Carr, who received his first career start against Ole Miss, was back in the lineup against the Tigers. The forward, a native of Stockbridge near Atlanta, earned the nod after scoring 15 points against the Rebels, while 7-foot center Szymon Zapala, normally a starter, returned in a reserve role against Auburn after not playing against Ole Miss. Carr scored four points against Auburn while Zapala had two points in 14 minutes.
Auburn: Miles Kelly had three field goals in the 17-0 run. After making back-to-back jumpers to start the run, Kelly added a steal and 3-pointer. He finished with eight points. Tahaad Pettiford scored 10.
Kimmel and Colbert appear as guests on each other’s shows
On Tuesday night, in New York City, they united in a special talk show crossover of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS.
Taylor Swift popularized fighting for masters. Are more artists getting ownership?
Taylor Swift turned masters ownership from a behind-the-scenes conversation into a mainstream debate about artist autonomy. But how has that fight influenced other artists in the music industry?
Federal agencies are rehiring workers and spending more after DOGE’s push to cut
Eight months after the Department of Government Efficiency effort to shrink the federal workforce began, some agencies are hiring workers back – and spending more money than before.
Fans of the mysterious Mothman bring its West Virginia hometown new life
It started in the 1960s, when two couples told a harrowing story about being chased by a large flying creature on a rural road. It grew from there — and now 20,000 people come to celebrate Mothman.
A GOP push to restrict voting by overseas U.S. citizens continues before 2026 midterms
Republican officials are pushing for more voting restrictions on U.S. citizens who were born abroad and have never lived in the country, after unsuccessfully challenging their ballots in 2024.
Poll: Agreement that political violence may be necessary to right the country grows
On hot button issues, a majority say children should be vaccinated; controlling gun violence is more important than gun rights; and Epstein files should be released, in a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.