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Auburn Basketball: 3 things the Tigers should worry about against Michigan
By David Wasson
Published:
For much of the 2024-25 college basketball season, the Auburn Tigers were regarded as the best team in the land.
For good reason, too. The Tigers ruled the SEC – which was en route to smashing the record for most teams from a conference to earn NCAA Tournament bids. They sport a unanimous first-team All-American and candidate for Naismith College Player of the Year in forward Johni Broome. And they have the gumption and talent to cut down the nets in San Antonio on April 7.
But having all those attributes and actually getting it done are 2 very different things, which is why Auburn needs to turn its full attention to Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup against a Michigan team that is dangerous and ready to pull off the upset.
So what will it take for the No. 1 overall seed Tigers to get past the 5-seed Wolverines and into the Elite Eight? Here are 3 keys to an Auburn victory:
1. Control the glass
Michigan might as well own stock in Windex, as junior 7-footer Danny Wolf is seventh nationally, pulling down 354 rebounds in 36 games. The Wolverines are 26th nationally as a team with 38.48 rebounds per outing.
The combination of Wolf and fellow 7-footer Vladislav Goldin are the keystones to Michigan coach Dusty May’s vaunted 2-big system, and trying to keep them from casting a shadow over the rims on both ends of the floor will be paramount for Auburn.
Not that the Tigers are slouches themselves in the paint, as the 6-10 Broome pairs with more traditional big man center Dylan Cardwell to dominate many an opponent. This will be a classic low-post battle of height, and Auburn should be crashing the glass for the full 40 minutes to try and mitigate Michigan’s slight height advantage.
2. Score early and often
If there is one thing elite SEC teams like Auburn can do, it is fill up the basket. The Tigers rank ninth nationally at 83.8 points per game – which is still fourth in the SEC (behind Alabama, Florida and Kentucky… and just ahead of Missouri at 10th).
Auburn has been remarkably on point with its point production so far in the tournament, dropping 83 on No. 16 seed Alabama State and 82 on No. 9 seed Creighton. Michigan should be a willing dance partner for Auburn in that regard, as the Wolverines rank 152nd nationally in scoring defense at 71.3 points allowed per outing.
In 2 games against Big Ten teams this season, Auburn popped for 91 points (against Ohio State in a 38-point blowout win) and 87 (against Purdue in an 18-point victory), so Michigan’s style of play shouldn’t be a particular deterrent.
3. Let Broome be Broome
Johni Broome is a force multiplier for the Tigers, literally enhancing the effectiveness of his teammates and allowing them to accomplish more than they could without him. He is the reason Auburn has advanced beyond the NCAA Tournament’s first weekend for the first time since the Tigers’ Final Four run in 2019 and will likely be the catalyst should the Tigers win 2 more games this weekend in Atlanta.
Yes, Broome’s Player of the Year candidacy took a hit earlier this season when he sustained an ankle injury on Jan. 11. Up to that point, it was Broome and not Duke superstar freshman Cooper Flagg that was earning all the POY kudos. On the same night, Flagg dropped 42 points on Notre Dame and the race was really on.
Broome only missed 2 games due to the injury, but it was enough for Auburn to feel what basketball life is like without him. Broome is at full strength heading into the Sweet 16 against Michigan, and at has 18.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.4 blocks per game this season is precisely the kind of versatile weapon that championship teams need.
“The difference in that race, I think right now, is simply the body of his work,” Pearl said of Broome in the days leading up to Friday’s game. “If we have 14 Quad 1 wins? He’s a huge part of what that’s all about. He’s our leading rebounder, he’s our leading scorer, he’s our leader in blocked shots, and he leads us in assists as a power forward. That just tells you what an incredibly valuable player he is.”
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
