Sunday’s Elite 8 slate features Michigan St. vs. Auburn, Tennessee vs. Houston
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down Sunday’s Elite Eight matchups.
Sports Seriously
Johni Broome and the top-seeded Auburn Tigers are moving on to the Final Four after a victory over the No. 2 seeded Michigan State Spartans in an Elite Eight matchup on Sunday.
Auburn will represent the South Region of the men’s NCAA Tournament bracket and compete in the Final Four against the No. 1 seeded Florida Gators, who took down Texas Tech 84-79 on Saturday.
Broome produced a double-double before managing to overcome an injury scare in the second half that sent him to the locker room for X-rays for some time.
“It is a scary moment,” Broome told CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson after the game. “I went down but my team had my back.”
On Friday, the Tigers earned a 78-65 victory over No. 5 seed Michigan. Broome, the SEC Player of the Year, had 22 points and 16 rebounds in the matchup to lead Auburn. Michigan State was coming off a 73-70 victory over Ole Miss on Friday. Jase Richardson had 20 points and six rebounds to lead the Spartans.
Here’s how the Auburn-Michigan State clash went down:
The Tigers will play the Gators on Saturday, April 5 at 6:09 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
Auburn beats Michigan State 70-64. The Tigers are back to the Final Four for just the second time in the program’s history.
The Spartans trailed the Tigers at halftime. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has won 14 NCAA Tournament games when his team has trailed at halftime. He is tied for most all-time with former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Michigan State has won eight games this season after trailing by as many as 10 points. The Spartans have trailed the Tigers by as many as 15 points today.
Johni Broome has 25 points, 14 rebounds and two assists for the Tigers. It was his fifth game this season with a first-half double-double.
He has five double-doubles in tournament action, he ties Shaquille O’Neal (LSU) and Jeff Moore (Auburn).
Jase Richardson has 11 points, three rebounds and one assist for the Spartans.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo also coached Jase’s father, Jason Richardson, in the Sweet 16 back in 2000. The Spartans would go on to win the national championship that season.
Auburn forward Chad Baker-Mazara was spotted on the bench getting his thumb taped up in the second half.
Forward Johni Broome appeared to have a right shoulder injury but managed to return to the game. He returned to the game with 10:50 left in the second half, but an awkward fall led to him heading back to the locker room with a visible limp. He also appeared to injury his elbow during the fall.
Broome did return to the game. The X-rays were negative, according to Wolfson.
Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo said the Spartans’ defense got better in the later half of the opening period when talking to CBS during a TV. He admitted that his team may have been a little nervous to start the game.
What time is Auburn vs. Michigan State basketball today?
March Madness continues Sunday with an Elite Eight matchup between the No. 1-seeded Auburn Tigers and the No. 2-seeded Michigan State Spartans. The action tips off at 5:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch Auburn vs. Michigan State: TV, streaming coverage
- TV channel: CBS
- Live stream: Paramount+ and Fubo (Fubo offers a free trial subscription)
Men’s NCAA Tournament games on Sunday will be broadcast on CBS. You can also watch Elite 8 action via these streaming options: Paramount+ and Fubo. Fubo offers a free trial subscription to new users.
The Auburn Tigers are favorites to beat the Michigan State Spartans, according to BetMGM odds as of Sunday, March 30.
- Spread: Auburn (-5.5)
- Moneyline: Auburn (-220); Michigan State (+180)
- O/U: 147.5
Detroit Free Press: Michigan State 68, Auburn 66
Chris Solari writes, “Don’t be fooled by the offensive capabilities of these two teams. Both Tom Izzo and Bruce Pearl know the key will be defending each other at an elite level. For the Spartans, that means alternating their big men on Johni Broome and their guards on Tahaad Pettiford to keep them confused and forcing the rest of the Tigers’ eight-man rotation to play above their averages. Auburn can get sloppy, but MSU also must continue to play through mistakes and keep it close into the second half, where Izzo’s adjustments and his players’ sheer will to win send the Spartans back to his ninth Final Four and first since 2019.”
Lansing State Journal: Auburn 78, Michigan State 70
Graham Couch writes, “In terms of pound-for-pound talent, this will be MSU’s biggest challenge of the season thus far. I’ve learned time after time not to doubt this MSU team. But here we are again.”
The Auburn Tigers and Michigan State Spartans have played one another just once in their history. The Spartans defeated the Tigers 92-79 on Nov. 23, 1989.
The Auburn Tigers have never won a national championship. They have reached as far as the Final Four in 2019. The program also claims two Elite Eight appearances (1986, 2019) and six Sweet 16 appearances.
The Michigan State Spartans have won the national championship twice (2000, 1979). The Spartans also went to the finals in 2009, losing to North Carolina, 89-72.
Odds to win the men’s NCAA national championship, according to BetMGM odds as of Saturday, March 29. Here’s a full look at the favorites to win the men’s tournament:
- Duke (+190)
- Florida (+290)
- Houston (+525)
- Auburn (+550)
- Michigan State (+2800)
USA TODAY’s Dan Wolken looks at Bruce Pearl’s thoughts on his Auburn team playing underdog in its game against Michigan State.
Wolken begins, “Bruce Pearl had an interesting framing for overall No. 1 seed Auburn’s matchup with Michigan State on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four.
And by interesting, we mean utterly nonsensical.
‘We’re a team made up of only one five-star (recruit),’ Pearl said Saturday. ‘One of the things I reminded my guys of, there are several guys on the Michigan State roster that are McDonald’s All-Americans. I have one, and that’s Tahaad Pettiford. He’s pretty good.'”
All times Eastern
Tuesday, March 18
First Four games
Wednesday, March 19
First Four games
Thursday, March 20
Round of 64 games
- South region: No. 9 Creighton def. No. 8 Louisville, 89-75
- Midwest region: No. 4 Purdue def. No. 13 High Point, 75-63
- East region: No. 3 Wisconsin def. No. 14 Montana, 86-66
- Midwest region: No. 1 Houston def. No. 16 SIU-Edwardsville, 78-40
- South region: No. 1 Auburn def. No. 16 Alabama State, 83-63
- Midwest region: No. 12 McNeese State def. No. 5 Clemson, 69-67
- East region: No. 6 BYU def. No. 11 VCU, 80-71
- Midwest region: No. 8 Gonzaga def. No. 9 Georgia, 89-68
- Midwest region: No. 2 Tennessee def. No. 15 Wofford, 77-62
- West region: No. 10 Arkansas def. No. 7 Kansas, 79-72
- South region: No. 4 Texas A&M def. No. 13 Yale, 80-71
- West region: No. 11 Drake def. No. 6 Missouri, 67-57
- Midwest region: No. 7 UCLA def. No. 10 Utah State, 72-47
- West region: No. 2 St. John’s def. No. 15 Omaha, 83-53
- South region: No. 5 Michigan def. No. 12 UC San Diego, 68-65
- West region: No. 3 Texas Tech def. No. 14 UNC-Wilmington, 82-72
Friday March 21
Round of 64 games
- East region: No. 9 Baylor def. No. 8 Mississippi State, 75-72
- East region: No. 2 Alabama def. No. 15 Robert Morris, 90-81
- South region: No. 3 Iowa State def. No. 14 Lipscomb, 82-55
- West region: No. 12 Colorado State def. No. 5 Memphis, 78-70
- East region: No. 1 Duke def. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s, 93-49
- East region: No. 7 Saint Mary’s def. No. 10 Vanderbilt, 59-56
- South region: No. 6 Ole Miss def. No. 11 North Carolina, 71-64
- West region: No. 4 Maryland def. No. 13 Grand Canyon, 81-49
- West region: No. 1 Florida def. No. 16 Norfolk State, 95-69
- Midwest region: No. 3 Kentucky def. No. 14 Troy, 76-57
- South region: No. 10 New Mexico def. No. 7 Marquette, 75-66
- East region: No. 4 Arizona def. No. 13 Akron, 93-65
- West region: No. 8 UConn def. No. 9 Oklahoma, 67-59
- Midwest region: No. 6 Illinois def. No. 11 Xavier, 86-73
- South region: No. 2 Michigan State def. No. 15 Bryant, 87-62
- East region: No. 5 Oregon def. No. 12 Liberty, 81-52
Saturday, March 22
Sunday, March 23
Thursday, March 27
East and West region Sweet 16 games
Friday, March 28
Midwest and South region Sweet 16 games
Saturday, March 29
Sunday, March 30
Saturday, April 5
Final Four
- Semifinal 1: 6:09 p.m. | CBS
- Semifinal 2: 8:49 p.m. | CBS
Monday, April 7
- National championship game: 8:50 p.m. | CBS
The men’s Final Four is scheduled for Saturday, April 5. The NCAA championship game will take place two days later on Monday, April 7. All games will played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
For the women, the Final Four will be played on Friday, April 4 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The championship game will be Sunday at 3 p.m. at the same venue.
Here is the remaining schedule for the women’s NCAA Tournament:
- Elite Eight: March 30-March 31
- Final Four: Friday, April 4, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, hosted at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Second game starts 30 minutes after first game ends.
- NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, hosted at Amalie Arena in Tampa.
