Auburn is going back to the Final Four

March 30, 2025 – ATLANTA, GA. The 2024/2025 Auburn University men's basketball team accomplished something that only one team in the history of the Auburn program has done: win an Elite Eight game to go to the Final Four. Auburn joins Duke, Florida, and Houston in San Antonio next weekend.

Auburn, Duke, Florida, and Houston were all number one seeds in the NCAA Tournament and all four won their brackets to go to compete for a national championship. This is only the second time in NCAA history that all four number one seeds advanced to the Final Four.

Auburn punched their ticket to the big dance with a 80 to 74 win over the number two seeded Michigan State Spartans.

A lot of Auburn players have had moments to shine in this playoff run; but Sunday's game was dominated by the All-American – Senior Forward/Center Johni Broome.

Broome had 17 points in the first half......went out for a period in the second half with an elbow injury........and then returned to finish the game with 25 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a blocked shot including a late three to help seal the game. Broome only missed three shots in the whole game.

"I just wanted to help my teammates," Broome said. "If that's coming back out and playing and hitting one shot and grabbing the rebound, I was going to do it."

Freshman Guard Tahaad Pettiford scored ten points and had one rebound and three assists. Senior Guard Miles Kelly had eight points, six rebounds, and three assists. Senior Point Guard Denver Jones scored eight points. Senior Forward Chris Moore added eight points. Senior Forward Cheney Johnson had eight points and six rebounds. Senior Center Dylan Cardwell contributed five points, six rebounds, one assist, and two shot blocks. Senior Guard Chad Baker-Mazara had six points, two rebounds, and five assists.

Auburn is coached by Bruce Pearl – the winningest coach in Auburn history.

"It was a Willis Reed moment. But then he comes out there and bangs the three ball," Pearl said of Broome's dramatic return to the game after the elbow injury. "I didn't get any diagnosis. When Johni came out of the locker room, I hadn't talked to the doctor, but I just asked him, are you good to go? He said, I am. I said, well, get your ass in there."

Pearl was asked if Broome would be available to play in the Final Four.

"I think we won't really know until tomorrow and see what that was," answered Pearl. "Whether it's a slight hyperextension or whatever it was. Obviously, the doctors were able to examine it and determine that there was no damage."

14 SEC teams made the 64 team NCAA tournament field (the most in history). 7 made the Sweet 16. Four were still alive in the Elite Eight and two (Florida and Auburn) made it to the Final Four. One will play in the national championship game, since Auburn plays Florida in the semifinal game. The winner will then play the winner of the Duke versus Houston contest for a national title.

The only other time that Auburn has played in the Final Four was 2019 and Pearl was the coach then too. The 2024/2025 team has already tied that squad for the best year by an Auburn basketball team ever. A win over Florida would make this the best Auburn team in the history of the program.

Auburn won the SEC regular season championship and is in the Final Four. The University of Alabama made it to three of the last five Elite Eights – including a Final Four appearance. Alabama lost to Duke Saturday to miss this year's Final Four. At one point in the season Auburn and Alabama played ranked as the number one and number two teams in the country. Four Alabama teams made the Tournament. Alabama State (who was eliminated by Auburn) and Troy both won their conference tournaments to get automatic bids. UAB lost to Memphis in their conference tournament championship game so that was almost five. They and Jacksonville State won NIT games. Based on all of this Auburn legend and broadcaster Charles Barkley said that Alabama is presently the best basketball state in the country. If this Auburn squad can win a national championship that would be an exclamation point on that argument.