Auburn secured a spot in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship game for the first time after defeating Illinois State 88-66 on Apr. 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The victory marks a significant achievement for Auburn’s basketball program, giving the team an opportunity to compete for its first NIT title. Auburn will face Tulsa in the championship game Sunday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Keyshawn Hall led Auburn with 24 points and six rebounds, making 10 of his 16 shots. The Tigers made 12 three-pointers, shooting over 57 percent from behind the arc. Kevin Overton contributed five three-pointers on perfect shooting and finished with 16 points, while Sebastian Williams-Adams added three more threes without a miss. Tahaad Pettiford scored 12 points and had a game-high five assists.
Coach Steven Pearl said, “I’m proud of my guys. We took a really difficult situation, not getting in on Selection Sunday, and I think we’ve turned it into a positive.” He also noted, “They’re playing with a level of joy that is really good for me as a coach to see.”
Auburn capitalized on turnovers by converting eighteen Illinois State errors into twenty-six points and outscored their opponent by twenty fast-break points. Pearl said, “The last thirty minutes, I thought our defense was really solid,” adding that he was pleased with his team’s overall effort.
Hall credited his teammates for finding him during fast breaks: “My teammates were finding me. We were getting a lot of fast-break points… The defense carried us when we were getting out in transition and a lot of guys hit shots.” Pettiford added, “We knew we had to keep our foot on the gas,” emphasizing their focus on turning defense into offense.
The Tigers shot over sixty percent from the field overall—marking only their second time this season reaching that mark—and tallied twenty assists as part of an efficient offensive display. Hall’s performance moved him into fifth place on Auburn’s single-season scoring list while Pettiford became just the forty-first player in program history to reach one thousand career points.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s final against Tulsa, Pettiford said: “Finish what we came here for… Not every team can finish their season with a win so hopefully we can do that and end the season happy.”
If Auburn wins its next game against Tulsa, it will close out its postseason run as NIT champions.
