Top-seeded Auburn brushes off late-season lull to make Sweet 16 with contributions abound

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Auburn has brushed off a late-season lull that had some questioning whether the Tigers deserved their top billing as the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now, Auburn is in its first Sweet 16 since 2019 looking to top that Final Four run with its first national championship.

Most notable in this run is the different Tigers stepping up to help Associated Press All-American Johni Broome carry the load.

Broome’s scoring is down to 11 points per game in March Madness from his average of 18.9 — including just eight in the Tigers’ second-round comeback victory over No. 9 seed Creighton — his 11.5 rebounds are up slightly from his 10.6 average coming in. Offense matters in the postseason, and Broome is encouraged his teammates made sure he has a chance to bounce back against No. 5 seed Michigan in the South Region semifinal on Friday night in Atlanta.

“I came here to win,” Broome said. “This season is about winning. I know my teammates got my back, and they know I have theirs.”

Auburn’s bench has stepped up the most, outscoring No. 16 seed Alabama State and Creighton by a 61-24 combined margin in the opening weekend.

Guard Tahaad Pettiford provided the biggest boost scoring 39 combined points off the bench, including a freshman school-record 23 against Creighton. Senior forward Chaney Johnson contributed 13 against the Bluejays and 21 points through two games.

“My guys helped me get the ball, get me open and find the shots that I wanted to get,” said Pettiford, who had 16 after halftime.

Auburn’s starters have had their moments.

Guard Miles Kelly did the heavy lifting in an opening victory over Alabama State with 23 points keyed by 7-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc. Denver Jones scored 15 against Creighton, including both 3-point attempts in a game that featured 16 lead changes and seven ties.

Forward Chad Baker-Mazara jump-started the second-half rally by scoring 12 of the Tigers’ first 16 points over six minutes with Pettiford jumping in. Auburn shot 60% after halftime and committed just seven turnovers.

“My coaches and teammates kept helping me, telling me they believed in me,” the emotional Baker-Mazara told media in the locker room after the game. He finished with 17 points and an ice pack on his right hip after landing hard while being fouled.

Baker-Mazara has emphasized Auburn’s ability to spread the ball around along with the Tigers creating opportunities every chance they get. Coach Bruce Pearl credits a veteran core but noted that winning in the NCAA Tournament has instilled confidence that he hopes to build on.

“I’m really happy for this group because they’ve been so good over the last three or four years and now to get awarded by getting to really feel like we’re playing for a national championship,” Pearl told CBS.

Something had to give for Auburn after losing three of four entering the NCAA Tournament, including to Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals. On the other hand, the SEC has seven teams in the Sweet 16 as proof of the league’s most competitive season ever.

“We went back home and made a couple changes that we had to do,” Baker-Mazara said last week. “So now we just keep going, doing the right things and listening to the coaches.”

He added, “It’s special but the job isn’t done. We’ve got to go back to the lab, fix a couple things and get ready for Michigan.”