Michigan State's NCAA Tournament run crumbles against Auburn, Johni Broome

ATLANTA — More than a year ago, Tom Izzo vowed a resurrection. He’d take his Michigan State team deeper in the NCAA Tournament. A blueblood whose March pulse had cooled set course for a return to lofty expectations. The Big Ten throne. A shot at the Final Four.

Do it or die trying.

Michigan State's season ended in the Elite Eight with a 70-64 loss to No. 1 seed Auburn on Sunday. It was a season that surpassed all expectations at its beginning, but one in which its flaws of shooting and takeover talent finally caught up as it ran into a juggernaut.

Auburn forward Johni Broome, a Naismith player of the year frontrunner, had a double-double by halftime as he led Auburn to the win with 25 points and 14 rebounds.

A 17-0 Auburn run in the first half played a big part in Michigan State (30-7) trailing 33-24 at halftime, the deficit itself not uncommon for the Spartans but its magnitude a tough hill to climb. The Spartans chipped away, with Szymon Zapala, Jaxon Kohler (17 points) and Jeremy Fears Jr. getting the lead back down to five. But Auburn found level, with a big 3 from Chad Baker-Mazara answering in what would stand a 40-32 gap at the first media timeout.

When Michigan State found a way to inch closer, Auburn (32-5) found its own response. Kohler hit a jumper, but Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford answered with a layup. For a Carson Cooper dunk, Broome drew and and-one. Kohler hit free throws, but Broome dunked the next possession. Michigan State could hang around, but it couldn’t pull all the way back from its deficit.

Michigan State needed a burst to get even, and it had a chance as Broome headed to the bench. But Pettiford hit a corner 3 that brought a friendly crowd to fever pitch. The Spartans trailed by double digits.

With 10:37 left and Auburn up 50-38, Broome contested a Frankie Fidler layup and went down hard on his right arm. As he sat on the ground, not moving from the spot he fell until a trainer lifted him, he rubbed and flexed his arm. He left the game, returning at 5:29.

With Broome out, Auburn lost one of its most important players. Michigan State sought to capitalize on his absence. But Auburn kept pressing, keeping a double digit lead until a pair of Fidler free throws at 7:30.

With 6:28 to play, Baker-Mazara hit a second-chance 3 that brought the crowd back into it. Then Broome came down the tunnel, to a cheering crowd, and announced his return by grabbing a rebound shortly after getting back on the court. He followed it with a 3 of his own to go up 60-48.

The Spartans didn't cut their deficit to single digits until a Jaden Akins 3 made it a nine-point game with 2:15 remaining. Kohler hit another soon after. But the stops didn't come on defense, and in the end, there wasn't enough time for the Spartans to make their comeback.

Michigan State drew closer in the final minutes as Auburn turned over inbounds and missed free throws. Another Akins 3 made it 70-64 with 11.2 seconds left.

From the opening tip, both teams traded blows fitting for such a meaningful game. Broome drew Auburn’s first six points while getting the better of Jaxon Kohler in the paint. He had a double-double by halftime, imposing his will.

But Kohler hit a big corner 3, and Jase Richardson finished off an and-one to knot the score at 6 all. As the Spartans leaned into their rotation, Coen Carr dunked the Spartans’ first lead, 8-6, at 4:10 into the game before Auburn quickly erased it. Miles Kelly scored on back-to-back jumpers to take a 10-8 lead at the first timeout.

Then Auburn took over. A 17-0 run blew the doors off the game, as an Auburn-heavy crowd thundered. The Tigers’ talent one through five shined, with Kelly continuing to deal and Broome wreaking havoc down low.

At the other end, Michigan State went cold with 10 straight misses, including a number of open looks. In one sequence, three offensive rebounds kept feeding Akins and Tre Holloman to take shots, but they missed all four shots. That shooting had been a problem all season, and in the biggest moment proved fatal. The Spartans stared at a 23-8 deficit halfway through the first half.

Frankie Fidler gave Michigan State a pulse, ending the run with free throws before faking a pass and drawing up an elbow 3. His rebounding was all over a 7-0 run that got the Spartans back within single digits, 23-15. That’s where the game remained for the next two minutes, with Auburn’s offense held scoreless for 4:36.

Broome ended the drought with a hook shot, but a falling Richardson nailed a floater at the other end. He kept finding answers for Michigan State, his nine points leading in the first half and finished with 11. His scoring was much needed, as Akins and Holloman finished the half a combined 1 for 14 and 0 for 7 on 3-pointers.

Another Kohler 3 made the gap just five points, the lowest deficit since that big Auburn run. Auburn’s own freshman phenom, Pettiford, stretched it right back to nine with a minute to go. Akins’ first make came with 15.9 seconds to play in the half, missing the and-one free throw. The Spartans trailed at halftime, a familiar position in 12 of the past 16 games but a sizable deficit to come back from against such an opponent. In the end, it was too much for Michigan State to overcome.

Auburn will play Florida in the Final Four in San Antonio at 6:09 p.m. ET Friday. It’s the program’s second Final Four in school history. This is Michigan State’s first loss in the Elite Eight since 2014, and Izzo’s first loss to an SEC school in NCAA Tournament history.

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