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Bruce Pearl emphatically labels Auburn as underdog for Elite Eight vs. Michigan State
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Bruce Pearl might be playing mind games, because that’s what college basketball head coaches do this time of year. But whatever Auburn’s veteran head coach is doing, he’s sticking to his guns in framing the Tigers as the underdogs in Sunday’s South Region Final against Michigan State in Atlanta.
Yes, Pearl believes the mighty Tigers are the underdog, even though they are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, even though they are 31-5 overall and went an amazing 15-3 in a historically good SEC this season. And even though they have arguably the country’s best player in Johni Broome and a near-home court advantage on Sunday.
Pearl knows all of that, but when he was asked in Saturday’s press conference about not letting Michigan State play the “underdog card,” Pearl had his shot and took it when also asked flatly who the underdog was in Sunday’s showdown for the right to get to San Antonio.
“Auburn. Auburn,” said Pearl in telling the college basketball world who the real underdog was. “This is the third time in our history we’ve gone to the Elite Eight. This is uncharted water for us. We’re talking about Michigan State. We’re talking about Tom Izzo.”
Auburn is the actual favorite in real numbers terms on Sunday, as a current 4.5-point favorite, according to ESPN Bet, and with a 68.9% chance to win the game, according to the ESPN matchup predictor. Fans can take advantage of those odds through any of the Michigan sports betting apps available.
But Pearl’s point on Saturday was that Michigan State has been here countless times, especially under Izzo, with the better basketball tradition, so Auburn should be seen as the underdog in the overall scheme of things.