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.
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