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No. 5 Michigan will face No. 1 Auburn in Sweet Sixteen

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Chris Breiler | Last updated Mar 22, 2025 9:21 PM ET

After knocking off UC San Diego and Texas A&M in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines now advance to the Sweet Sixteen for a showdown with No. 1 Auburn.

The Wolverines are fresh off of an impressive win over the Aggies on Saturday, 91-79. Michigan was led by an incredible performance from Roddy Gayle Jr, who scored 21 of his career-high 26 points in the second half. Vlad Goldin added 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Danny Wolf added 14 points and 9 rebounds.

Michigan shot 43.1 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from beyond the arc. Most importantly, the Wolverines avoided making careless mistakes that often derailed their success in the regular season. They won the rebounding battle against Aggies (48-39), and limited the turnovers to just 9 for the entire game.

They'll need to continue that level of play next week against the Auburn Tigers, who have been one of the best teams in all of college basketball this season. At one point during the regular season, the Tigers had won 20-of-21 games, including a 14-game winning streak from December 8th to March 1st.

5-seed Michigan and 1-seed Auburn will meet on Friday, March 28th in Atlanta for a shot at the Elite Eight.

This article first appeared on Michigan Wolverines on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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