Tahaad Pettiford’s shot was missing in action during No. 21 Auburn’s first five games.
The sophomore guard will look to have rediscovered it at the Players Era men’s tournament and will seek a second straight strong effort when the Tigers face No. 7 Michigan on Tuesday night at Las Vegas.
Pettiford scored a season-high 24 points in Monday’s 84-73 triumph over Oregon. He shot 50% (9 of 18) from the field after shooting less than 36% in each of the first five games.
“The first couple games I came out and didn’t play how I want to play,” Pettiford said after Monday’s victory. “So I stayed composed and stayed in the gym. My teammates, my coaches they had my back through the whole thing, and (Monday) was just the day that it needed to be shown.”
Pettiford averaged 11.6 points as a backup last season and considered leaving for the NBA. He withdrew his name from the draft in late May and focused on improving for this season.
Tigers coach Steven Pearl said he wasn’t surprised Pettiford stepped up in the tournament setting.
“He always plays well on these stages,” Pearl said. “He likes being away from home a little bit. He really kept us in the game in the first half. … I’m really proud of him for stepping up in a big moment when we needed him.”
Pettiford is second on the Tigers with a 13.0 scoring average despite shooting just 33.3% from the floor.
Auburn (5-1) won its second straight game since falling 73-72 to then-No. 1 Houston on Nov. 16.
Keyshawn Hall returned from a one-game absence due to foot and ankle injuries to contribute 18 points and six rebounds against Oregon. He leads the squad with averages of 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds.
Michigan (5-0) flattened San Diego State 94-54 in its Monday night contest. It is the fewest points the Wolverines have allowed this season. Michigan owned a 49-34 rebounding advantage, limited the Aztecs to 27.4% from the field, and forced 17 turnovers.
“I think we have a really good team, and we haven’t played up to our potential,” said Wolverines coach Dusty May, “but we also felt like we were on the cusp of breaking through, and we haven’t broken through. There’s so much more ball to be played. But we do feel like we’ve been better than the scores have indicated.”
It certainly was the kind of defensive effort May has been looking to see.
“If you don’t give up easy baskets at the rim, and then you take away catch-and-shoot 3s, you’re probably going to be a good defensive team assuming you can rebound it,” May said. “And I thought we were as physical as we’ve been on the glass.”
Yaxel Lendeborg had 15 points to lead six Michigan players in double digits. Elliot Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr. had 13 apiece, and Roddy Gayle Jr. contributed 11 on 5-of-6 shooting with three steals. He said the Wolverines arrived in Las Vegas on edge for the three-game tournament.
“I know we have a chip on our shoulder to be the best team at the tournament,” Gayle said. “That’s kind of how we were able to present ourselves (against San Diego State).”
The Michigan-Auburn matchup is a rematch of last season’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 contest in which Auburn prevailed 78-65. Pettiford scored 20 points off the bench.
–Field Level Media
