Auburn advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) semifinals for the first time after defeating Nevada 75-69 at Neville Arena on March 25. The win marks Auburn’s fifth consecutive season with at least 20 victories.
The Tigers’ advancement is significant as it represents a new milestone for the basketball program, highlighting consistent success over recent years and an opportunity to compete for a national postseason title.
Head coach Steven Pearl said, “Defensively, for the first 30 minutes, we did a lot of good things and made a lot of improvement. A lot of contributions. It’s not the tournament we want to be playing but our guys have done a great job of using this platform and this opportunity to go out there and hoop. I’m really proud of them for that and it’s something we can build on.”
Filip Jovic led Auburn with 18 points and nine rebounds, making nine out of twelve shots. “I listen to my coaches, I understand everything,” Jovic said. “In the first half, they didn’t double me and I looked to make the right play. In the second half, they doubled me and I made the right plays for my teammates.” Tahaad Pettiford contributed 16 points along with six assists. Pettiford said, “That’s why we’re here. Our goal is to win it all, so that’s what we’re here to do. Going to get ready to go to Indiana and finish business. I’m happy to play every single day with these guys and I can’t wait to go play another game with them.” Elyjah Freeman added 15 points while playing all forty minutes; Keyshawn Hall scored fourteen points with six rebounds.
Nevada challenged Auburn late in the game but could not close the gap after several key plays by Freeman down the stretch including eight points in the final four minutes. Pearl praised Freeman: “He’s been great… He did a great job late of getting to the rim and finishing.” Nevada coach Steve Alford commented on Jovic’s performance: “When he got doubled, he never panicked… His ability to play out of traps… showed a lot of intelligence on his part.”
With this victory at home—where Auburn finished its season with a record of fourteen wins against four losses—the team extended its nation-best non-conference home winning streak to sixty-seven games.
Auburn will face Illinois State next Thursday at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for an opportunity at reaching their first NIT championship game.
