The Auburn men’s basketball team nabbed the last available ticket to the men’s college basketball Final Four on Sunday, as the Tigers held off Michigan State, 70-64, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Auburn grabbed the lead for good five minutes in and kept the Spartans out of striking distance for the remainder of the game. It is Auburn’s second-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four (2019) and only the second time all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four (2008). Like in 2008, the 2025 Final Four will be held in San Antonio (April 5-7).
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Leading the way on Sunday as usual for the Tigers was Johni Broome, one of the best players in the country and a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award presented annually to the most outstanding college basketball player. Broome amassed 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting (2-for-2 on 3-pointers) as well as 14 rebounds in 29 minutes against the Big Ten regular-season champions.
With 10:47 remaining in the game, however, Auburn supporters’ hearts skipped a collective beat; while defending a drive to the basket, Broome landed awkwardly on his left leg and right arm. Broome gingerly walked to the locker room to be evaluated, yet minutes later he triumphantly returned to the court and checked into the game. On the second offensive possession after his return, Broome swished in a dagger 3-pointer.
Johni Broome. Absolute cinema 🙌
He returns from the locker room to a HUGE ovation and immediately knocks down the triple 👏#MarchMadness @AuburnMBB pic.twitter.com/pCNSPfCZuV
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2025
“All glory to God,” Broome said in Sunday’s postgame press conference. “When I came back out, when I hit that three-ball, I called on Him again. You got to always call on Him. He’s always going to deliver.”
Broome was referencing Auburn’s distinctive “Call God” celebration, which the Tigers perform after made threes and which mimics the act of holding a phone to their ears. The celebration started with a student assistant named Caleb Jones. While some players were lifting weights one day, Jones walked into the room, said “call God,” and walked out, and just like that, the signature celebration was born.
While the celebration is a unique way for Auburn players to celebrate on-court successes with each other, it is also a testament to the strong foundation of faith in God within the program.
“Everybody on this team is revolved around God and having a relationship with God,” senior guard Miles Kelly told 247 Sports in January. “So that’s a big part of why everybody is doing it.”
Auburn’s emphasis on faith begins with head coach Bruce Pearl, who appeared on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2019. During a preseason trip in the Middle East in 2022, Pearl even took his team to Israel so that some of his players could get baptized in the Jordan River like Jesus was.
Fifth-year center Dylan Cardwell — who appeared on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast two weeks ago — even detailed the unforgettable experience on his blog.
“First, we went to see the Mount of Olives, which had the most amazing view,” an excerpt from Cardwell’s blog read. “From there, we walked down the mountain and visited the beautiful Garden of Gethsemane, which has been preserved since the days Jesus walked the Earth. We even walked along the Via Dolorosa, which is the historic path Jesus walked before His crucifixion. … Just to be able to stand where Jesus once stood was a crazy experience.”
Senior forward Chaney Johnson, who added eight points and six rebounds on Sunday, also made sure to deflect praise to Christ during the postgame press conference: “All glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has blessed me with such a wonderful opportunity, I can’t take it for granted.”
Broome, who wore a “Product of Christ” sweatshirt while sidelined with an ankle injury in January, believes the 2024-25 Tigers are different precisely because of the faith in Christ that so many on the team share.
“I’d just say it’s the connection we have, the brotherhood, our faith,” he said this season. “We have Bible study and things like that. That’s just a way for everybody to open up. That’s how we build our foundation, our brotherhood. That’s something that’s unmatched.”
Call God… just a test of faith 🤙🏽🙌🏾
— Johni Broome (@JohniBroome) December 18, 2024
In a press conference before Auburn took the floor for this year’s Sweet 16, Cardwell and Broome were asked about athletes being more outspoken in their faith in Christ.
“I think the country’s just learning that we can’t live life without Him,” Cardwell said. “We can’t do without Him at all. The Lord allows us to have success, but we’re not praising the Lord just because we’re successful. … The Lord is moving and having His way and using these athletes to be a vessel just to continue to spread who He is each day.”
Broome reiterated Cardwell’s comments.
“I think it’s just more people are speaking out and sharing their beliefs and sharing the Word on the platform we’ve been given,” he said. “I think it just opens the door for athletes who may have the same beliefs to kind of agree or to speak their heart and what’s on their their mind.”
When the eyes of the American sports world descend on San Antonio this weekend for the Final Four, Broome, Cardwell and the rest of the Tigers will have their best opportunity yet to point onlookers to Jesus, the only true Savior of the world.
Auburn will tip off against SEC-foe Florida on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET.
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