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Bruce Pearl's Auburn Tigers are set to take on Tom Izzo's Michigan State in the Elite Eight round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Sunday. Ahead of the game, ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale sent in his regard to both teams via his Instagram account.
Sharing a picture of himself and coach Pearl on Saturday, Vitale wrote in the caption:
"Talk about PASSION & PRIDE it will be glowing big time when BRUCE PEARL & TOM IZZO battle tomorrow as @auburnmbb & @michiganstatebasketball clash for the right to be part of the 2025 FINAL 4 !
"Their emotional mentality is contagious to all they reach in their respective programs & that is #awesomebaby"
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Auburn defeated Dusty May's Michigan 78-65 in the Sweet 16 round on Friday. The No. 1 seed Tigers have enjoyed a great regular season with a 27-4 overall record. While it won the regular season conference championship, Auburn exited the SEC Tournament championship race after the semifinal loss to Tennessee.
Michigan State won 73-70 over Ole Miss to book their Elite Eight berth. The Spartans were 27-5 in the regular season.
According to ESPN Analytics, Auburn has a 68.8% chance of winning the game and advancing to the Final Four.
Bruce Pearl comments on Michigan State's underdog tag
In terms of records and rankings in comparison with Auburn, Michigan State is the underdog. However, the Tigers coach Bruce Pearl does not agree with it.
During a pregame chat on Saturday, Pearl said:
"We’re a team made up of only one five-star. One of the things I reminded my guys of, there are several guys on the Michigan State roster that are McDonald’s All-Americans. I have one, and that’s Tahaad Pettiford. He’s pretty good."
“Most of our guys are guys that were mid-majors or junior college or Division II. I’m not going to let Michigan State play the underdog card even though we’re No. 1 seed and they’re No. 2 seed, no, they’re Michigan State. They’re Kansas, they’re Duke, they’re North Carolina, and we’re Auburn. We know our place."
Bruce Pearl added that his team understands that Sunday is going to be an uphill battle against a Hall of Fame coach leading a legendary program.
The Tigers made history in 2019 when they reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. They defeated Kentucky 77-71 but lost to Virginia 63-62 in the Final Four. Now, the team looks to recreate that success and make another memorable run this year.
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