Auburn Pummels Illinois State to Reach NIT Championship for First Time

The Auburn Tigers convincingly handled Illinois State to punch their ticket to the NIT championship. They pummeled the Redbirds, 88-66, at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler’s home court, to reach the championship game for the first time in program history.

Auburn got double-digit nights from four different players, including 24 points from forward Keyshawn Hall.

“All of those guys have really stepped up as the postseason has gone on,” head coach Steven Pearl said. “It’s an opportunity to represent themselves but also represent Auburn. They’ve done a really good job of that.”

En route to 24 points, Hall went 10-for-16 from the field, while leading the team with six rebounds.

“My teammates were finding me. We were getting a lot of fast-break points,” said Hall. “The defense carried us when we were getting out in transition and a lot of guys hit shots. We were having fun, we were smiling, happy, just playing.”

As a team, they shot 57.1% from deep, nailing 12 of 21 3-point attempts. Kevin Overton led the way on that front, going 5-for-5. Sebastian Williams-Adams was right behind him, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc as well.

The Tigers converted 18 Illinois State turnovers into 26 points while outscoring the Redbirds 22-2 in fast-break points. Already leading by 13 heading into the half, they kept pushing and made it a 24-point game by midway through the second half.

“We knew we had to keep our foot on the gas,” Tahaad Pettiford, who led the team with five assists, said. “Getting out in transition, letting our defense turn into our offense.”

Auburn, as a team, had 20 assists. Pearl said that this has been reflective of what he’s seen throughout the entire tournament. They’re making an effort to work as a team.

“We’ve done a good job all postseason of really sharing it,” Pearl said. “We did a great job of making easy passes and finishing around the rim. When we share the ball, we’re pretty good.”

The Tigers started the tournament with an 11-point win over South Alabama, before getting away with a six-point win over Seattle U in the second round. Auburn wrapped up play on home court in the quarterfinals by taking down Nevada 75-69.

Auburn’s final battle will come against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane defeated New Mexico 74-69 in Thursday’s first semifinal game. The game will be held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the home of the NBA’s Indianapolis Pacers.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CDT on Sunday. The game is scheduled to air on ESPN 2.