Michigan

Michigan State basketball vs Auburn score prediction: Elite 8 March Madness pick is in

Published

12 months ago

March 30, 2025

Press Room

Michigan State basketball vs Auburn score prediction: Elite 8 March Madness pick is in

Michigan State will play Auburn in the NCAA tournament South region final on Sunday in Atlanta.
The winner of the game will advance to the Final Four in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Scouting Michigan State basketball vs. Auburn

Breaking down Sunday’s South region final between No. 2-seed Michigan State basketball and 1-seed Auburn:

Matchup: Michigan State (30-6) vs. Auburn (31-5).

Fast facts: 5:05 p.m. Sunday; State Farm Arena, Atlanta.

TV: CBS.

At stake: Winner advances to the Final Four in San Antonio to face West region winner (1-seed Florida or 3-seed Texas Tech) in national semifinals on April 5.

About MSU

Location: East Lansing.

Coach: Tom Izzo (30 seasons at MSU, 737-301 career).

School NCAA tournament record: 76-36 in 37 appearances.

Past 10 games: 9-1.

Scoring leaders: Jaden Akins, 12.8 points per game, Jase Richardson 12.2, Tre Holloman 9.3.

Rebounding leaders: Jaxon Kohler 7.4 rebounds per game, Carson Cooper 5.3, Szymon Zapala 4.

Assist leaders: Jeremy Fears Jr. 5.5 assists per game, Holloman 3.8, Richardson 1.9.

3-point leaders: Richardson 42%, Fears 34.2%, Holloman 34%, Kohler 34%.

The buzz: After entering the season unranked and with tepid outside expectations, the Spartans blew away league competition to win Izzo’s record-tying 11th Big Ten regular-season championship. MSU is in its 11th Elite Eight under Izzo after putting together three hard-fought victories to get there — eventually pulling away from pesky 15-seed Bryant by 25 points in the opening round, then grinding out an eight-point win over 10-seed New Mexico in Cleveland. No game, however, might have been more grueling than the Spartans’ Sweet 16 win Friday night in Atlanta, as the Spartans didn’t get their first lead until more than 32 minutes in against Mississippi before getting enough stops and some key baskets and free throws for a 73-70 victory over the 6-seeded Rebels. It came with more strong play from Richardson, who scored 20 points for the sixth time his freshman season. However, MSU continues to see an uptick in production from sophomore forward Coen Carr, who had 15 points in his starting debut, and another strong floor game from redshirt freshman point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (four points, six assists).

The Spartans went 19-for-22 on free throws after struggling down the stretch and in the first two rounds, drawing 20 fouls and making all 10 of their attempts at the line in the final 7:50. They are 19th nationally at 77.8% by averaging 17.5 free throws (13th) while attempting 22.5 per game (32nd). MSU also held Ole Miss to 9-for-27 from 3-point range, and Izzo’s defense holds opponents to just 28% from the arc, which is second in the nation. Expect a fresh Zapala, after sitting out the tough matchup against the quicker, undersized Rebels, to log more minutes against Auburn after the Spartans were outrebounded (33-29) on Friday.

About Auburn

Location: Auburn, Alabama.

Coach: Bruce Pearl (231-124 in 11 seasons at Auburn, 693-269 in 30 seasons overall).

School NCAA tournament record: 22-12 in 13 appearances.

Past 10 games: 7-3.

Scoring leaders: Johni Broome 18.5 points per game, Chad Baker-Mazara 12.3, Tahaad Pettiford 11.8, Miles Kelly 11.5, Denver Jones 11.

Rebounding leaders: Broome 10.8 rebounds per game, Dylan Cardwell 4.9, Chaney Johnson 4.9.

Assist leaders: Pettiford 2.9 assists per game, Broome 2.9, Baker-Mazara 2.6, Jones 2.6.

3-point leaders: Jones 42.4%, Kelly 38.6%, Baker-Mazara 37.9%, Pettiford 37.6%.

The buzz: Despite stumbling into the tournament in losing three of its last four (to NCAA squads Texas A&M, Alabama and Tennessee), the Tigers still earned the overall No. 1 seed and blew through 16-seed Alabama State by 20 and 9-seed Creighton by 12 in Lexington, Kentucky, before eliminating 5-seed Michigan on Friday night, 78-65. Broome, a 6-10 senior forward, had 16 rebounds against the Wolverines, including nine on the offensive glass, but went just 9-for-21 in getting his 22 points as Auburn shot just 39.4% overall and went 8-for-28 from 3-point range. According to kenpom.com, the Tigers have the nation’s third-most efficient offense and eighth-most efficient defense, with their 83.6 points scored 12th nationally and their 29.6% 3-point defense 11th-best. Auburn’s 9.4 turnovers per game ranks 12th in the country, but U-M forced Pearl’s team into 15 on Friday. Pettiford is the catalyst of the Tigers’ offense, a 6-1 freshman from New Jersey who was a McDonald’s All-American a year ago and whose attacking style and slight frame is a little reminiscent of former MSU combo guard Tyson Walker. Containing his quickness off the dribble, play-making ability and left-handed outside shooting will be equally as critical for the Spartans’ defense Sunday as it is to mix-and-match big bodies against Broome. Meantime, the Tigers’ complementary players all can score and present another long-armed defensive problem for MSU’s perimeter players.

Chris Solari’s March Madness prediction for Michigan State basketball vs. Auburn

Don’t be fooled by the offensive capabilities of these two teams, both Izzo and Pearl know the key in this will be defending each other at an elite level. For the Spartans, that means alternating their bigs on Broome and their guards on Pettiford to keep them confused and force the rest of the Tigers’ eight-man rotation to play above their averages. Auburn can get sloppy, but MSU also must continue to play through their own mistakes and keep it close into the second half, where Izzo’s adjustments and his players’ sheer will to win send the Spartans back to his ninth Final Four, and first since 2019. The pick: MSU 68, Auburn 66.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

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Michigan

Woman struck, fatally injured, while walking on the Lodge Freeway, state police say

Published

2 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Woman struck, fatally injured, while walking on the Lodge Freeway, state police say

March 27, 2026 / 7:44 AM EDT
/ CBS Detroit

A pedestrian was struck and died of her injuries early Friday on the Lodge Freeway in Detroit.

Emergency dispatchers started to get calls about 2:30 a.m. about someone who was walking along the Lodge, and then were notified that the person had been struck by a vehicle, the Michigan State Police reported.

When troopers arrived, they found multiple cars stopped along the freeway, and people standing around a woman who was severely injured.

Detroit EMS pronounced the woman dead at the scene, state police said. She has not yet been identified.

The driver who struck the woman did not stay at the scene.

“Troopers are currently using technology that is available in the area to identify the vehicle involved,” MSP F/Lt. Mike Shaw said.

The Lodge Freeway, also known as M-10, was closed at about 2:46 a.m. Friday between Chicago Boulevard / Hamilton Avenue and Clairmount Street for the investigation and emergency assistance, according to Michigan Department of Transportation reports. The Lodge was reported back open at 6:05 a.m.

Michigan Department of Transportation traffic reports are at the MI Drive site.

State police said their investigation is continuing. Those who witnessed the crash or have other information are asked to call the MSP Metro South Post at 734-287-5000 or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 800-SPEAK-UP.

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Michigan

List of active weather alerts as severe weather moves through Southeast Michigan

Published

15 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

List of active weather alerts as severe weather moves through Southeast Michigan

Severe storms bring risk of tornadoes, hail, flooding

4Warn Weather – The severe thunderstorm warnings in Monroe and Lenawee counties have expired.

A ground stoppage has also been deployed.

Click here for the latest forecast from our 4Warn Weather team.

Here’s a list of the alerts by county.

Wayne County

No active weather alerts.

Oakland County

No active weather alerts.

Macomb County

No active weather alerts.

Washtenaw County

No active weather alerts.

Monroe County

Severe thunderstorm warning expired at 8 p.m.

Livingston County

No active weather alerts.

Lenawee County

Severe thunderstorm warning expired at 7:45 p.m.

Lapeer County

No active weather alerts.

Genesee County

No active weather alerts.

St. Clair County

No active weather alerts.

Sanilac County

No active weather alerts.

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Michigan

Michigan football emphasizes return of discipline under new regime

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Michigan football emphasizes return of discipline under new regime

The buzzword continued to come up in Schembechler Hall, from each one of the captains.

From Bryce Underwood to Jordan Marshall, Rod Moore to Trey Pierce − Michigan football players around for the previous regime and in the case of the latter two, the one before that too − each said Wednesday, March 25, that there’s a noticeable difference within the program under new coach Kyle Whittingham.

For Moore, a sixth-year player who will likely become a third-time captain when the official leaders are voted on later this summer, he recognized the vibe.

“I would say it’s kind of a similarity to coach Harbaugh’s regimen,” he said. “It’s a lot more strict than the past two years, and the weight room has kind of been a night-and-day difference than the past two years. We feel a lot stronger, a lot more progress.”

The Wolverines finished winter conditioning and Whittingham graded it with an “A+.” Hope is often the dominant mode at this time of year and adding a new coaching staff to what’s generally a positive time creates little surprise that the Wolverines are raving about the new system.

But beyond the platitudes and clichés, there are tangible examples. Take Pierce: The projected starting defensive tackle has trimmed his weight to 300 pounds while adding muscle mass to his overall frame.

“Something new that we have now is that whenever we start meetings, there’s like a loud air horn that goes off throughout the whole building,” Moore said. “The past two years, we would start the meeting at 2:30, but now we start the meeting at 2:25, even though it’s a 2:30 meeting. Just everyone being five minutes early. The coaches are holding everyone accountable in the meetings, going to class.

“Just the little things that makes a team great, not just the big, broad things that everyone sees.”

There was an implication from everyone, though nothing said explicitly, that the past two seasons featured little enforcement. Most players would show up on time for lifts, but there were those who didn’t, with few repercussions.

“It’s the little things,” Pierce said. “Guys being late for lifts, guys not being where they’re supposed to be, whether it’s [missing] class. Just enforcing that a little bit heavier, that type of thing. … A lot of coaches say that when you’re being recruited in front of your parents. But for [Whittingham] to say that in front of the huddle after practice and say, ‘That’s why I’m here,’ I would say, ‘OK, he cares. He gets it.’”

Throughout the offseason, some who’ve spent time inside the facility said the weightlifting sessions had notably more juice. The past two years felt like a carryover of the previous years in terms of style, but accountability and discipline wavered.

Now, with Doug Elisaia leading the strength and conditioning room, there are different philosophies.

Practices are a bit shorter these days – two hours – but as Marshall said, “I don’t stop moving at practice, like, we’re always doing something that’s not only going to help with us competing with teams, but our conditioning.”

Marshall believes it can take the Wolverines to the next level, he said.

Just more than a week into spring ball, players are oozing confidence. Not just in their skills − the running back room is deep, the wide receiver room has as much raw talent as at any point the past decade, the offensive line returned multiple key pieces, the secondary added depth and the defensive tackles feel underrated − but in mindset.

U-M had early, demanding lifting sessions during winter conditioning, with a clear organization.

“It introduces that factor of toughness, like we’ve been through this at 6:30 a.m., 6:15 a.m., all these days in the grind together,” Pierce said. “It improves team bonding, and puts you in the headspace of, we’ve done harder stuff than this, and nothing can break us.”

The difference between winning and losing can often be razor-thin. Will this pay off when it counts during the season?

“If I can trust you to do things maybe you don’t want to do,” Marshall said, “then I can trust you on the field when it’s the fourth quarter and we have one minute left.”

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

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