Ben BabyMar 22, 2025, 11:35 PM ET
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- Ben Child covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the corporate in July 2019. Previous to ESPN, he labored for quite a lot of newspapers in Texas, maximum not too long ago at The Dallas Morning Information the place he lined faculty sports activities. He supplies day-to-day protection of the Bengals for ESPN.com, whilst making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL presentations and ESPN Radio systems. A local of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the College of North Texas with a bachelor’s stage in journalism. He’s an accessory journalism professor at Southern Methodist College and a member of the Asian American Reporters Affiliation (AAJA).
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Auburn freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford drove down the center of the protection, hit a floater and waved good-bye to no one particularly at Rupp Enviornment on Saturday night time.
Within the second, it was once a salutation that instructed the top-seeded Tigers had been about to knock 9-seed Creighton out of the NCAA event, an result finalized a couple of mins later in an 82-70 victory in a second-round matchup.
However Pettiford’s wave may well be redirected towards the entire knocks Auburn has confronted in contemporary weeks and years. The Tigers entered this yr’s tourney because the No. 1 total seed however had misplaced 3 of 4 video games coming into the postseason. That they had a slightly uninspiring efficiency towards 16-seed Alabama State on Thursday and trailed Creighton at halftime Saturday.
However a moment part that featured a powerful defensive appearing and Pettiford’s go off the bench intended Auburn had a rebuttal for the questions surrounding the group.
“We by no means actually listened to what other people needed to say about us,” senior ahead Johni Broome stated. “We knew that what we had on this team, we’re going to have the ability to make a run and if we performed how we performed [Thursday] night time, we are going to make it out of the primary [weekend].”
Broome, the SEC Participant of the Yr, was once restricted to 8 issues and 12 rebounds on 4-of-13 taking pictures. However there have been various others who picked up the slack for the Tigers (30-5). Pettiford scored a game-high 23 issues, together with 16 in the second one part. Senior ahead Chad Baker-Mazara had 17 issues regardless of lacking lots of the moment part after taking a difficult fall on a pressure to the basket. Senior guard Denver Jones added 15 issues.
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Creighton (25-11) led by way of two at halftime and was once within the recreation till Auburn went on an enormous run. All the way through the game-defining stretch, Auburn scored 20 of the sport’s 26 issues to open a 14-point lead with 6:20 left. Up to Auburn was once clicking offensively, the protection clamped down in the second one part.
Within the opening 20 mins, Creighton senior guard Steven Ashworth and freshman ahead Jackson McAndrew blended for 23 of the Bluejays’ 37 issues. Creighton was once 9-of-14 taking pictures at the back of the 3-point arc. After the wreck, Auburn took away simple seems at the perimeter.
Tigers trainer Bruce Pearl stated the job of the group’s giant males on Creighton’s shooters and an uptick in physicality helped gradual the Bluejays.
“I’d say fatigue will have been an element,” Pearl stated, “within the sense that the best way we guard makes Creighton paintings actually onerous to get open and get seems. It does take its toll a little bit bit.”
The Tigers flip their consideration to 5-seed Michigan within the South Regional in Atlanta.
For Auburn senior Dylan Cardwell, this season’s run and the step forward into the second one around was once years within the making. On a group stuffed with transfers, Cardwell may level around the locker room at those that had been at the roster for the former March shortcomings. Cardwell stated this yr’s team set the mark for aiming upper than earlier years.
“Final yr, we had been content material with the SEC event championship,” Cardwell instructed ESPN. “Now it is like, hello, the ones do not imply the rest. We received the SEC common season [this year]. We did not even rejoice.”
The similar could not be stated after Saturday’s win over Creighton. Pettiford was once gently teased by way of Broome and Jones for no longer wishing his mother a contented birthday till the top in their information convention. Cardwell may slightly get via a few sentences ahead of giggling at his teammates within the locker room. It was once a group taking part in some aid after in spite of everything shaking off outdated pitfalls.
“That is extra of a contemporary win, for actual,” Cardwell stated. “I am hoping it offers us a kind of moments the place we simply get sizzling and it propels us to a pleasing run.”
