3 Games that Defined Auburn Tigers Final Four Run
At several parts this season, the Auburn Tigers looked like an unstoppable machine that outmuscled and hustled past their competition. Meanwhile, after clinching the SEC Championship, some cracks in the foundation appeared and opponents took full advantage of those flaws.
In retrospect, Auburn’s path to the Final Four does not look easy and it could’ve ended poorly during the tournament. Yet, through perseverance, Bruce Pearl’s team will take the court on Saturday. With that said, which three games shaped Auburn’s season?
November 24, 2024 vs. Iowa State
Usually, people see holiday tournaments in warm locations as exhibition basketball that actually counts in the standings. In the Maui Invitational, the Tigers faced Iowa State who were the No. 5 team in the AP Poll at the time. The Cyclones came out of the chute strong in the first half and took a 16-point lead into halftime.
Yet the Tigers stormed back, and with a second left, the game was tied at 81-81. Johni Broome puts back a missed shot with one second left, and Bruce Pearl’s team escapes with a two-point victory. From that point, the national media started to pay attention.
March 15, 2025 vs. Tennessee
In the SEC Tournament, the Tigers looked to right the ship against a strong Tennessee team after going 1-2 the previous three games. This game unfolded like a nightmare. Tahaad Pettiford finally looked like a freshman, missing all eight shots and finishing with zero points.
The Tigers made just 13 of 22 free throws and looked a step slow without the same energy they showed as they were dominating the regular season. Instead, they looked like sleepwalkers, just far behind Tennessee’s late pace. Whatever the subsequent speeches and practices were like, the team woke up at the right time.
March 28, 2025 vs. Michigan
In facing two seven-foot starters against the Michigan Wolverines, the team looked truly vulnerable for a good portion of the game. Michigan’s Danny Wolf dragged Auburn’s bigs away from the basket, allowing for movement. Wolf continued to have his way, while his teammates did little to nothing.
Auburn saw this and took advantage of Vladislav Goldin. Unlike Wolf, he lacks any semblance of quickness, operating at a glacial pace. That’s when Tahaad Pettiford went to work. Everyone knows that Broome could score on Goldin and that Michigan couldn’t find the hoop with a map.
As a result, the freshman guard took over. Between hesitation dribbles and blurring speed, he racked up 20 points and spurred a 34-8 run that put the game away.
Bottom Line
Auburn was dominating in the regular season starting with their comeback run against Iowa State. They took their foot off the gas and that culminated with getting bounced by Tennessee in the SEC Tournament. They still looked vulnerable in the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament before finding themselves against Michigan. It helped them put away a good Michigan State team, but now the Florida Gators wait in the Final Four.
The Gators hung the only conference loss on the Tigers before Auburn clinched the SEC regular season championship, however, the best version of the Tigers is certainly capable of beating Florida and earning a rematch with either Duke or Houston in the finals.
