Coach Bruce Pearl wants fans filling Rupp to help Auburn advance in March Madness

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Bruce Pearl sent a message to Auburn fans not to take the Tigers’ second-round game in the NCAA Tournament for granted.

He even pitched them on turning Saturday night’s game against Creighton into a two-for-one deal. Auburn is playing Kentucky in baseball, so Pearl urged fans to paint Lexington orange, especially the inside of Rupp Arena.

“I don’t want our fans to wait thinking that Atlanta is an automatic, because it’s not,” Pearl said, even though his Tigers are the No. 1 overall seed in this tournament.

Creighton is the No. 9 seed in the South Region but finished second in the Big East behind St. John’s and lost to the Red Storm in that league’s tournament championship. Pearl said the seeding gap is no reflection of a talent gap.

“Obviously Creighton is an outstanding team, and there are tickets available,” Pearl said.

Experienced Creighton (25-10) is looking for a fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five years. The Bluejays are the reason Auburn has a chance to turn Rupp into a home court instead of a hostile environment because they ended Louisville’s season with an 89-75 win in the first round.

“I’ve been really lucky to be a part of so many good teams at Creighton, and I’ve been lucky to be here at the time,” fifth-year center Ryan Kalkbrenner said. “I’ve been here. It’s not just me that’s done it. It’s been Mac (coach Greg McDermott), all my teammates. It’s been an awesome ride, and I don’t want it to end yet.”

Pearl noted only four of his Tigers had won an NCAA Tournament game before this year, with AP All-American Johni Broome, Chris Moore and Dylan Cardwell doing that at Auburn. The rest? Thursday’s 83-63 win over Alabama State was the first.

“We got to the Final Four in 2019, but since that time we haven’t been to the second weekend,” Pearl said. “So none of our guys have been past this moment right now. We have a huge obstacle in our way in Creighton.”

With Tennessee playing in the Midwest Region, the former Vols coach tugged on Southeastern Conference ties and said he thinks Vols fans will cheer for Auburn.

“But they won’t be able to rebound for us or put balls in the bucket from the stands,” Pearl said. “But I think SEC will be represented well.”

Down-to-the-wire wonders

If Michigan finds itself in another nailbiter against No. 4 seed Texas A&M in the South Region on Saturday, you can bet the tried-and-tested fifth-seeded Wolverines won’t flinch.

The Wolverines are 13-4 this season in games decided by four or fewer points. After starting out 2-4 in such close games this season, they’ve reeled off 11 wins in a row, including their 68-65 squeaker over UC San Diego Thursday night in Denver.

Bradley in 1985-86 is the only other Division I team to win 13 games by four or fewer points in a season. First-year Michigan coach Dusty May noted that all those close contests produce emotional fatigue but also cement a belief that everyone on the team has each other’s back.

“We need everyone to make an impact, whatever that impact may be, because there’s so many ways to make a difference in this game,” May said.

The Wolverines have a propensity for turning the ball over. They had 14 turnovers that led to 15 points in their NCAA Tournament opener.

“We plan to capitalize off that,” Aggies senior guard Manny Obaseki said.

Texas A&M also hopes to capitalize on fresher legs and a deeper bench — 10 Aggies average double-digit minutes — for this quick turnaround at elevation. This will be their second game in nine days compared to Michigan’s fifth in nine.

“Everybody understands when you get to this point that if you don’t win, it’s over,” Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “I think that the resiliency and the resolve, that’s why it’s March Madness.”

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AP Sports Writer Arnie Stapleton in Denver contributed to this report.