Top-seeded Auburn Rallies In 2nd Half, Beats Michigan 78-65 In Sweet 16 Of March Madness

With Auburn's season on the brink, Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones suddenly became unstoppable.

On to the Elite Eight for the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Pettitford and Jones scored 20 points apiece to lead a second-half barrage that rallied the Tigers to a 78-65 victory over Michigan in the Sweet 16 on Friday night.

The Tigers 31-5 wiped out a nine-point deficit, outscoring No. 5 seed Michigan 39-17 over the final 12 1/2 minutes to advance to the Elite Eight for only the third time in school history. They also became the fourth Southeastern Conference team to reach a regional final, with the SEC joining the Atlantic Coast Conference 2016 and Big East 2009 as the only leagues to do that.

"Just the kids' will to win," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "Denver got heated up. Tahaad got heated up. We went to them, and they delivered."