The crowd at State Farm Arena in Atlanta went silent with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game as Auburn star Johni Broome walked off the court, holding his elbow and wincing in pain. Television cameras caught the fifth-year senior wording “I’m done” as he walked off the floor with his mother coming down to be with him.
Six minutes later, the national player of the year candidate returned to the court and buried a triple from the right wing. The memorable shot served as the dagger to Michigan State‘s Final Four hopes and sent the Auburn faithful into a frenzy.
For the second time in the last six years, the Tigers are heading to the Final Four after a 70-64 win over Michigan State in the South Regional final.
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Bruce Pearl, who has done an incredible job building this Auburn program into a basketball destination, powered the Tigers to a 27-2 start and the No. 1 ranking in the FOX Sports Top 25 throughout the majority of the season. After entering the NCAA Tournament with three losses in four games, it looked as though Auburn might have been on the wrong side of what the tournament can be about sometimes, peaking in March.
But Broome and Auburn would not be denied, dominating from the jump against the Big Ten regular-season champion Spartans, whose season ended after one of Tom Izzo’s all-time coaching jobs.
After Miles Kelly and Tahaad Pettiford combined for 54 points in Auburn’s win over Kentucky on Friday, Sunday was about Broome. A 17-0 run in the first half over a span of five minutes gave the Tigers an early 23-8 lead just 10 minutes into the game. The Spartans tried to chip away, but the deficit proved to be too much in a game they led for just 22 seconds.
Broome ended with a game-high 25 points and 14 points, while Pettiford added 10 points. The Tigers’ defense made it hard on Jaden Akins and Jase Richardson to find a rhythm, holding the duo to 10-of-30 shooting from the floor.
But the day was about Broome, who went from looking like his season might be over due to injury, to flying out of the tunnel to loud cheers and willing his program to the Final Four in San Antonio next weekend.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
„Od první chvíle jsem si jako hráč věřil a tohle byl jednoznačně můj cíl. Mám radost, že se mi to podařilo,“ řekl Castle, který byl s 1190 body nejlepším střelcem mezi nováčky. Cenu získal pro San Antonio podruhé za sebou. Loni v anketě triumfoval jeho spoluhráč pivot Victor Wembanyama.Naposledy získala ocenění pro nováčka roku dvakrát po sobě v letech 2015 a 2016 Minnesota díky triumfům Andrewa Wigginse (nyní působí v Miami) a Karla-Anthonyho Townse (nyní hraje za New York Knicks). Před tím se to povedlo v letech 1973 a 1974 Buffalu Braves (nyní Los Angeles Clippers).
“We’re at half-time.”That was Mikel Arteta’s message to his players. They may have suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, but Arsenal’s manager was keen to emphasise that the tie remains very much alive.Given the way the game started and finished, Arteta may be relieved about that. PSG opened the scoring through Ousmane Dembele after just four minutes. It marked the start of a period of dominance for the away side which lasted a quarter of the game. Rarely have Arteta’s Arsenal looked so clearly second best.AdvertisementIf the quarter-final triumph over Real Madrid had a dreamlike quality, this was a game in which Arsenal awoke to the harsh realities of the sharp end of the Champions League.Facing Madrid was a huge psychological test for this team. They had to overcome the […]
CLEVELAND — Chris Paddack and the Minnesota Twins pitching staff were very good in a rain-delayed game on Tuesday night. The Cleveland Guardian pitchers were just a little better.Tanner Bibee and two high-leverage relievers shut down a hot Twins offense, and Bo Naylor and Kyle Manzardo each went deep, the latter with a walk-off home run, as the Guardians won 2-1 at Progressive Field. Manzardo’s solo homer off Louie Varland to start the ninth inning snapped the Twins’ four-game winning streak and evened the four-game series.AdvertisementThe teams waited out a 190-minute rain delay during which it only rained for roughly five minutes.“We were playing good baseball,” Twins shortstop Carlos Correa said. “It was a good game. We didn’t come up with a win. Come back (Wednesday) and keep up the same spirits. We’ve been playing great ball for the last […]
Am Samstag in Leipzig kann Bayern-Trainer Vincent Kompany (39) den Gewinn der Deutschen Meisterschaft perfekt machen. Der Belgier legt jedoch Wert darauf, dass es nicht seine erste Meisterschaft wäre: Mit Burnley wurde er 2023 in der zweiten englischen Liga Erster.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Der Gewinn der Schale in seiner ersten Saison als Bayern-Coach wäre für den 39-Jährigen ein großer Erfolg, der auch deswegen gelingen würde, weil es dem Belgier zu Saisonbeginn schnell gelungen war, eine Wagenburg-Mentalität aufzubauen, die es so bei Bayern lange nicht gegeben hatte – weder unter Thomas Tuchel (51) noch unter Julian Nagelsmann (37). Er stellt die Spieler nicht vor der Gruppe bloß, übt scharfe Kritik nur in Einzelgesprächen. Was denkt er sich dabei?: Türkei-Star tickt komplett aus<!-->[-->Quelle: BILD/DAZN28.04.2025Kompany zeigte sogar Beispiele, wie Profis von anderen Teams mit öffentlichen Statements die eigene Mannschaft anzählten und damit den Teamgeist gefährdeten: […]
Com força máxima, o Fluminense esperava encaminhar a classificação às oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil na última terça-feira. Mas não foi isso o que se viu no Maracanã. O time de Renato Gaúcho venceu a modesta Aparecidense-GO, da Série D do Campeonato Brasileiro, por 1 a 0, graças a um gol de Keno aos 35 minutos do 2º tempo e deixou o campo sob vaias da torcida. O desempenho da equipe não foi o único motivo que gerou preocupação aos torcedores: Germán Cano sofreu uma entorse no joelho esquerdo ainda nos primeiros minutos do duelo e fará exames nesta quarta-feira para saber a gravidade da lesão. Alvo definido: Com Ancelotti descartado, CBF tem Jorge Jesus como plano B pronto para ser acionadoSantos: Advogados de Caixinha notificam CBF por permitir que clube registre Cleber Xavier sem pagar rescisão de […]
<!--> Jamal Murray erupted for 43 points and Russell Westbrook chipped in 21 in his return from a foot injury, sparking the Nuggets' 131-115 win over the LA Clippers on Tuesday night that gave Denver a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.-->The Nuggets also got 23 from Game 4 hero Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic's 21st career playoff triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists).Again, Denver took a 22-point lead early in the fourth quarter only to watch the Clippers go on a furious run, like they did in Game 4 when they erased their entire deficit only to lose 101-99 when Gordon's buzzer-beater for the first walk-off dunk in NBA playoff history.ADVERTISEMENT <!-->This time, the Clippers went on a 17-4 run to cut their deficit to single digits at 116-107, but the Nuggets fended off another frenetic finish by […]
„Od první chvíle jsem si jako hráč věřil a tohle byl jednoznačně můj cíl. Mám radost, že se mi to podařilo,“ řekl Castle, který byl s 1190 body nejlepším střelcem mezi nováčky. Cenu získal pro San Antonio podruhé za sebou. Loni v anketě triumfoval jeho spoluhráč pivot Victor Wembanyama.Naposledy získala ocenění pro nováčka roku dvakrát po sobě v letech 2015 a 2016 Minnesota díky triumfům Andrewa Wigginse (nyní působí v Miami) a Karla-Anthonyho Townse (nyní hraje za New York Knicks). Před tím se to povedlo v letech 1973 a 1974 Buffalu Braves (nyní Los Angeles Clippers).
“We’re at half-time.”That was Mikel Arteta’s message to his players. They may have suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, but Arsenal’s manager was keen to emphasise that the tie remains very much alive.Given the way the game started and finished, Arteta may be relieved about that. PSG opened the scoring through Ousmane Dembele after just four minutes. It marked the start of a period of dominance for the away side which lasted a quarter of the game. Rarely have Arteta’s Arsenal looked so clearly second best.AdvertisementIf the quarter-final triumph over Real Madrid had a dreamlike quality, this was a game in which Arsenal awoke to the harsh realities of the sharp end of the Champions League.Facing Madrid was a huge psychological test for this team. They had to overcome the […]
CLEVELAND — Chris Paddack and the Minnesota Twins pitching staff were very good in a rain-delayed game on Tuesday night. The Cleveland Guardian pitchers were just a little better.Tanner Bibee and two high-leverage relievers shut down a hot Twins offense, and Bo Naylor and Kyle Manzardo each went deep, the latter with a walk-off home run, as the Guardians won 2-1 at Progressive Field. Manzardo’s solo homer off Louie Varland to start the ninth inning snapped the Twins’ four-game winning streak and evened the four-game series.AdvertisementThe teams waited out a 190-minute rain delay during which it only rained for roughly five minutes.“We were playing good baseball,” Twins shortstop Carlos Correa said. “It was a good game. We didn’t come up with a win. Come back (Wednesday) and keep up the same spirits. We’ve been playing great ball for the last […]
Am Samstag in Leipzig kann Bayern-Trainer Vincent Kompany (39) den Gewinn der Deutschen Meisterschaft perfekt machen. Der Belgier legt jedoch Wert darauf, dass es nicht seine erste Meisterschaft wäre: Mit Burnley wurde er 2023 in der zweiten englischen Liga Erster.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Der Gewinn der Schale in seiner ersten Saison als Bayern-Coach wäre für den 39-Jährigen ein großer Erfolg, der auch deswegen gelingen würde, weil es dem Belgier zu Saisonbeginn schnell gelungen war, eine Wagenburg-Mentalität aufzubauen, die es so bei Bayern lange nicht gegeben hatte – weder unter Thomas Tuchel (51) noch unter Julian Nagelsmann (37). Er stellt die Spieler nicht vor der Gruppe bloß, übt scharfe Kritik nur in Einzelgesprächen. Was denkt er sich dabei?: Türkei-Star tickt komplett aus<!-->[-->Quelle: BILD/DAZN28.04.2025Kompany zeigte sogar Beispiele, wie Profis von anderen Teams mit öffentlichen Statements die eigene Mannschaft anzählten und damit den Teamgeist gefährdeten: […]
Com força máxima, o Fluminense esperava encaminhar a classificação às oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil na última terça-feira. Mas não foi isso o que se viu no Maracanã. O time de Renato Gaúcho venceu a modesta Aparecidense-GO, da Série D do Campeonato Brasileiro, por 1 a 0, graças a um gol de Keno aos 35 minutos do 2º tempo e deixou o campo sob vaias da torcida. O desempenho da equipe não foi o único motivo que gerou preocupação aos torcedores: Germán Cano sofreu uma entorse no joelho esquerdo ainda nos primeiros minutos do duelo e fará exames nesta quarta-feira para saber a gravidade da lesão. Alvo definido: Com Ancelotti descartado, CBF tem Jorge Jesus como plano B pronto para ser acionadoSantos: Advogados de Caixinha notificam CBF por permitir que clube registre Cleber Xavier sem pagar rescisão de […]
<!--> Jamal Murray erupted for 43 points and Russell Westbrook chipped in 21 in his return from a foot injury, sparking the Nuggets' 131-115 win over the LA Clippers on Tuesday night that gave Denver a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.-->The Nuggets also got 23 from Game 4 hero Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic's 21st career playoff triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists).Again, Denver took a 22-point lead early in the fourth quarter only to watch the Clippers go on a furious run, like they did in Game 4 when they erased their entire deficit only to lose 101-99 when Gordon's buzzer-beater for the first walk-off dunk in NBA playoff history.ADVERTISEMENT <!-->This time, the Clippers went on a 17-4 run to cut their deficit to single digits at 116-107, but the Nuggets fended off another frenetic finish by […]
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