Michigan, the No. 5 seed coached by Dusty May and led by 7-footers Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf, advanced to this stage after defeating UC San Diego and Texas A&M last week.Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Auburn alum Charles Barkley decried the ugly first half performance between his alma mater and Michigan on Friday. During halftime of the Sweet 16 matchup in Atlanta, of which Auburn led, 30-29, the CBS analyst said he was “disturbed” and “disgusted” by the Tigers’ 10 first-half turnovers.

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.

Auburn basketball fans were the vast majority of the crowd at State Farm Arena — and they let Michigan know it every time the Tigers made a play.

Danny Wolf had 20 points and Vlad Goldin added 10 points and nine rebounds for Michigan (27-10), which committed 15 turnovers and was outrebounded 48-33.

Michigan point guard Tre Donaldson, who played the last two seasons at Auburn, had just five points, no assists, and four turnovers against his former team. Nimari Burnett and Vladislav Goldin scored 10 each for Michigan, with Goldin working hard for his.

For Auburn’s Sweet 16 game against Michigan, Pearl invited Alexander’s family to the game. Roy and Adi Alexander were also pictured with Michigan center Danny Wolf, an Israeli American who represented the Israeli national team at the 2023 FIBA Under-20 European Championships.

There was a moment nearly halfway through the second half of the Sweet 16 matchup between 1-seed Auburn and underdog 5-seed Michigan where it felt like the Wolverines just might prevail. But then all hell broke loose.

The No. 1-seeded Auburn Tigers and No. 5-seeded Michigan Wolverines go head-to-head on Friday night in a highly-anticipated Sweet 16 showdown. The Tigers advanced through the first two rounds with ease, surpassing Alabama State with a 83-63 victory and outscoring Creighton 82-70 in the second round.