The last time the legendary coach brought a team that far in the NCAA Tournament was also in 2019. In that year's Elite Eight, his Michigan State team also took down the No. 1 overall seed to punch a ticket to the Final Four — a memorable 68-67 upset of Zion Williamson-led Duke.

It appeared Auburn would've had to play the final 10 minutes of Sunday's Elite Eight game without Johni Broome. Instead, he played hero.

SportsLine expert Matt Severance has revealed his Michigan State vs. Auburn Tigers picks for the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Sunday

The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team has been eliminated from the 2025 NCAA tournament. The No. 2 seed Spartans fell to the top-seeded Auburn Tigers on Sunday afternoon 64-70 in the Elite Eight round of the tournament.

According to the ESPN Matchup Predictor, the Tigers have a 68.8% chance of winning the Elite Eight matchup and advance to the Final Four. The Spartans are predicted to have a 31.2% chance of winning.

The Auburn Tigers were victorious over the Michigan Wolverines on March 28, with a 78-65 win, cinching their spot in the Elite Eight. Now, Auburn will go up against Tom Izzo and the Michigan State University Spartans on March 30,

Behind a 25-point, 14-rebound effort from Johni Broome, Auburn on Sunday defeated Michigan State, 70-64, giving the program a South Region Title and a trip to the Final Four, where they'll face the Florida Gators in a rematch of a 90-81 loss.

Broome left the game midway through the second half after landing awkwardly on his right arm and left leg, but has returned to finish the game.

On a bad night to go ice cold, Michigan State basketball did just that. They froze their way to a 70-64 Elite Eight loss to the Auburn Tigers, ending their 2024-25 season. Michigan State went punch for punch with Auburn in the opening minutes, but the Tigers used a 17-0 run to open a 23-8 lead. Michigan State never erased that big deficit.