Of all of the Candy 16 matchups that unfolded over the past two days, none had as many ready-made storylines because the showdown between No. 1 Auburn and No. 5 Michigan within the South Regional.
On the high of the heap was the potential for level guard Tre Donaldson to actual revenge on his former group. Donaldson, the start line guard for the Wolverines, spent two years enjoying for Auburn earlier than transferring to Michigan forward of the present season. Then there was the Danny Wolf subplot during which the Wolverines’ large man, who led the Huge Ten in double-doubles, was going through the group he upset within the first spherical of final yr’s NCAA Event whereas enjoying for Yale. Wolf scored 13 factors and grabbed 5 rebounds in Yale’s pulsating 78-76 victory over fourth-seeded Auburn.
And at last, as of roughly 9:45 p.m. on Friday, there was the likelihood for Michigan to face archival Michigan State within the Elite Eight if the Wolverines may wiggle previous Auburn, the match’s No. 1 total seed. Michigan State narrowly defeated sixth-seeded Ole Miss within the first recreation of the night at State Farm Enviornment in Atlanta, leaving the Spartans a single win from the Closing 4.
Sensing, maybe, the magnitude of the second — with Auburn chasing simply the third Elite Eight look in program historical past and Michigan looking for its first below new head coach Dusty Could — the gamers from each groups accelerated into overdrive as the sport appeared increasingly more like a sloppy, mid-summer AAU showcase. Frantic quick breaks overlaying each inch of the courtroom produced a comedy of errors in a gap half that featured 18 mixed turnovers. There was an ill-advised lob go that sailed out of bounds and a foolish behind-the-back go that wiped away a possible layup for the Tigers. There have been guards who acquired pick-pocketed and large males who had been stripped down low. On the sideline, the place Could and Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl had been trying to handle the chaos afflicting their respective groups, appears to be like of incredulity dominated the present. The Tigers clung to a one-point lead on the break.
Backwards and forwards they went into the second half: six ties, 12 lead modifications, neither group pulling forward by greater than 5 factors till Wolf transformed a devilish spinning layup off the glass with 13:06 remaining. And the celebs for each packages unquestionably delivered: Wolf, who has performed his means into NBA lottery dialogue, poured in 20 factors and grabbed six rebounds; Johni Broome, who’s the first challenger to Duke’s Cooper Flagg for the Naismith Participant of the Yr award, scored 22 factors and snared 16 rebounds, together with 9 on the offensive finish. They had been the one gamers with greater than 10 factors for his or her respective groups till simply earlier than the halfway level of the second half.
However ultimately, and maybe inevitably, Auburn confirmed why it was thought of the very best group within the nation for many of this season. With its again towards the wall, Pearl’s group reeled off an prolonged 20-2 run that reworked a nine-point deficit right into a nine-point lead in fewer than 5 minutes of recreation time. The breathtaking sequence included 4 3-pointers — three of which got here from the incandescent guard Denver Jones, who scored 13 of his 20 factors within the second half — and a handful of baskets across the rim. As the ultimate couple of minutes unfolded, Jones and freshman Tahaad Pettiford (20 factors) mixed to attain 16 straight whereas the Tigers constructed a double-digit lead. Pettiford’s spinning fadeaway jumper with 4:35 remaining, plus the foul, served because the metaphorical nail within the coffin for an eventual 78-65 win.
The opportunity of an all-Michigan affair within the Elite Eight was extinguished when the Tigers reminded everybody how good they are surely.
Michael Cohen covers school soccer and school basketball for FOX Sports activities. Comply with him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.
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