Tom Izzo Ready to Challenge Auburn's Trifecta in Elite Eight

The Auburn Tigers will have to overcome a Hall of Famer's gameplan if they want to reach the Final Four for the second time in program history

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has a grasp on how to contain Auburn's top players / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers are set to face the Michigan State Spartans in the Elite Eight Sunday evening. Bruce Pearl will go toe-to-toe with longtime Spartans coach Tom Izzo. 

Izzo seeks his ninth Final Four appearance in his 30 seasons at the helm. To do that, the Hall of Fame coach knows he has to crack the code against three players on the Auburn staff: forward Johni Broom and guards Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford. 

“Broome is an incredible player, but the other two guys can make shots, and they can make shots from a lot of different places,” Izzo said. 

Broome provides the toughest test for the Spartans due to his versatile style of play. However, that provides an opportunity for Izzo to get creative. 

“We're going to have to do some different things with Broome because he scores it in so many different ways,” Izzo said, “and we've got a couple different things we'd like to do with him.”

As for Jones and Pettiford, the game plan he alluded to is much more simplified. Izzo acknowledged that if the Spartans try to shut them down entirely, it’s not going to end well. However, if they work from the angle to limit the damage instead, the defense will have better opportunities to make plays and create more scoring chances. 

“They can put it on the floor,” Izzo said. “They can shoot it from the logo. We've got to make sure we try to contain them. We're not going to stop them, but we're going to contain them. If we can do that, we can get some rebounds, we can run, and I think that's a big part of our game too.”

The Auburn trifecta is coming off a dominant showing in the Sweet 16, particularly in the second half of the game. The three combined for 62 points in the 78-65 win over the Big Ten Tournament Champions, Michigan. 

Auburn and Michigan State will face off in Atlanta to see who will advance to the Final Four. The Tigers look to advance to the final weekend for the second time in program history. Tip-off is set for 4:05 p.m. CDT. 

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