Auburn basketball fans were able to take a huge sigh of relief when the Tigers defeated Creighton 82-70 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That win meant the Tigers would make it out of the first weekend. That is an accomplishment they have not pulled off since the Final Four run in 2019. Now they turn their attention to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta, and the Michigan Wolverines.
The Wolverines were the Big Ten Tournament champions and played well in the first two rounds. They defeated UC San Diego 68-65 and Texas A&M 91-79. They are led by their two seven-foot big men Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf. Goldin has averaged 18.5 points per game and 10 rebounds in the first two games. Auburn is familiar with Wolf. He played on the Yale team that defeated the Tigers last year in the first round. In that game he had points.
The good news is that the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives the Tigers a 79.6% chance at advancing to the Elite Eight.
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Auburn will need to play well defensively against the Michigan front court without fouling. The Tigers will also need more offense from Johni Broome. He was four of 13 in the second round for just eight points. Dylan Cardwell will need to bring the same defensive attitude he did against Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton.
Auburn should have an advantage at the guard positions against Michigan. Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford have both run the offense efficiently. Miles Kelly did not have the same success against Creighton as Alabama State, but can put up big numbers from the three-point line in any game. The Tigers will see a familiar face in Tre Donaldson. He transferred from Auburn to Michigan after last season. This season he is averaging 11.5 points per game for the Wolverines.
The Michigan versus Auburn Sweet 16 matchup can be seen on CBS with an approximate tip-off time of 8:39 p.m. CT. The game will follow Ole Miss versus Michigan State.
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn vs. Michigan March Madness prediction from ESPN
