All four No. 1 seeds will be present in the Elite Eight after the Tigers and Cougars survived respective scares on Friday

Freshman Tahaad Pettiford and senior Denver Jones turned in dazzling performances when it mattered most, rallying top-seeded Auburn to a 78-65 victory over Michigan in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Wolverines finish with a 27-10 record in May's first season in charge. Here is a recap of Michigan vs Auburn in the NCAA tournament: Michigan vs Auburn score updates in March

Michigan basketball or Auburn? Who you got? Three Free Press sports writers have some thoughts on the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 in Atlanta.

The No. 4 Auburn Tigers take on the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

Michigan basketball vs Auburn photos from the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament Friday, March 28, 2025 in Atlanta.

After neither team got the offense going for a few possessions, Auburn secures an offensive rebound, which is kicked out to guard Denver Jones behind the arc and his 3-point look was good to open the scoring.

He eventually committed to Auburn, but only for hoops. On Friday, he’ll face some close friends in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 (9:39 p.m. ET, CBS). The path to this moment is a common one in modern college basketball.