ATLANTA − Mere moments after the clock struck midnight on the east coast, it did the same on Michigan basketball’s season.
The Wolverines were one of the best stories in college basketball, more than tripling their win total from a season ago, winning a Big Ten tournament championship and then gritting through the first weekend of the NCAA tournament to get within four games of a title.
But that’s where the run would end, as 1-seed Auburn used its home-court advantage in front of 16,743 fans in nearby Atlanta to spark a 20-2 second-half run and outlast Dusty May’s 5-seed Michigan 78-65 to end its season.
Auburn will now play Michigan State, a 73-70 winner over Ole Miss in the first game of the evening at State Farm Arena, Sunday (5:05 p.m., CBS) for the right to hang a banner and go to the Final Four in San Antonio.
For the Wolverines (27-10) the season ends with the seventh most victories in a single year, marking the most since the program went 30-7 in 2018-19 and lost to Texas Tech in the Sweet 16.
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Despite the final score, Michigan was well in control of this one, up 48-39 with 12:26 to play when the Tigers flipped the script entirely. U-M turned it over four times in the next four minutes and change, which opened the door for Auburn to make four of its next five 3-pointers.
From there, they wouldn’t let up, making 9 of 15 shots during a game-changing 28-5 push over eight minutes of play. Michigan’s Danny Wolf was exceptional, finishing with 20 points and six boards, but All-American Johni Broome got the last laugh, scoring a game-high 22 points to go with 16 rebounds.
Michigan lost this game on the boards, getting out-toughed 48-33. That included allowing 19 offensive rebounds for 21 second-chance points.
It didn’t help Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones filled up the box score, each scoring 20. U-M’s only other double-digit scorers were Vladislav Goldin and Nimari Burnett, who both scored 10.
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Second half meltdown
The second half opened as sloppy as the first, which is saying something.
After a Broome layup got Auburn within one, 37-36, Michigan went on a 9-3 run. First, a Wolf bucket in the paint, then after a Burnett block on a 3, it led to a runout plus an and-one for Roddy Gayle Jr.
Wolf then made a tip-in and a spinning layup before Will Tschetter added a pair of free throws to give Michigan its largest lead of the night, 48-39. But the Tigers wouldn’t go quietly. For the first time all night, they made consecutive 3s, then after a Broome hook shot and a Pettiford midrange step-back, Pearl’s squad retook the lead, 49-48, behind a 10-0 spurt.
It continued when Jones made back-to-back long balls, then a scooping layup as Auburn found itself up nine, 59-50, with 7:27 to play. Goldin finished a left-handed hook in the paint for an and-one to get back within two scores, only for Pettiford to catch fire and score eight straight on hesitation drives, step-back midranges and a fadeaway 3-pointer.
U-M’s offense was forced to generate things one-on-one, finishing with just six assists on 20 made shots. Tre Donaldson, playing his former team, hit a long ball early but finished with just five points on 2 of 9 shooting to go with six boards, one assist and four turnovers.
Michigan made just 2 of 7 3-pointers in the second half while Auburn made 5 of 12.
First half tight the whole way
It was scrappy from the beginning, with Auburn punching first and getting out to quick 9-5 lead.
Michigan changed that when Wolf got going. First it was a transition bucket, a tough paint finish over Broome and then a 3 from the right wing to put Michigan up 18-16 midway through the period. But he wasn’t done there, turning the corner for a layup before getting a pass along the baseline and throwing down a flush to give U-M the lead, 22-21.
Michigan’s lead was as large as 27-23, but three consecutive Donaldson turnovers stalled the momentum and the Tigers finished on a 7-2 push over the final 5:22 of the half despite shooting just 3 of 16 from long range and turning the ball over 10 times.
This story will be updated.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
