Michigan
Auburn
Wolverines to Square Off with No. 21 Auburn on Day Two of Players Era Festival
11/25/2025 1:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The seventh-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team (5-0) meets up with No. 21 Auburn (5-1) on the second day of the Players Era Festival on Tuesday (Nov. 25). The Wolverines will take on the Tigers nearly eight months after facing off in the 2025 NCAA Sweet 16, this time in Last Vegas, Nev., at the Michelob ULTRA Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET), with truTV televising the matchup featuring Brian Anderson, Grant Hill and Lauren Jbara on the call.
Notes
• Michigan and Auburn meet for just the second time, with their only prior matchup coming seven months and 27 days ago in the NCAA Sweet 16. Top-seeded Auburn used a decisive 25-6 second-half run to pull away for a 78-65 win. Danny Wolf posted 20 points and six rebounds, while Nimari Burnett and Vladislav Goldin added 10 each.
• Michigan opened the Players Era Festival with a dominant 94-54 win over San Diego State, powered by six double-digit scorers and a defense that tallied season highs in steals (11) and second-chance points (22) while holding the Aztecs to 27 percent shooting. Yaxel Lendeborg led U-M again with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, followed by 13 points each from Morez Johnson Jr. and Elliot Cadeau.
• Michigan held San Diego State to just 21 second-half points -- a new season low, surpassing the 28 allowed at TCU (Nov. 14). The lowest mark of the Dusty May era remains the 19 points yielded to Tarleton State (Nov. 21, 2024). Overall, SDSU's 54 total points are the fewest by a Wolverine opponent since last year's Thanksgiving event in Fort Myers, when Xavier was limited to 53 (Nov. 27, 2024).
• Michigan recorded a season-high 11 steals, led by Roddy Gayle Jr. and Trey McKenney with three each. The Wolverines surpassed their previous best of eight steals against Wake Forest.
• Auburn has opened 5-1 under first-year head coach Steven Pearl, who succeeded his father, longtime Tigers head coach Bruce, following his retirement. The Tigers opened the Players Era with an 84-73 win over Oregon.
• Auburn's lone loss was a 73-72 neutral-site battle with No. 1 Houston at Legacy Arena in The Battleground 2K25. Down seven with 2:57 remaining, Auburn forced three Cougar turnovers, used a 6–0 run to pull within one, and produced three looks on the final possession.
• With five Tigers averaging double figures, Auburn is scoring 91.8 points per game. Keyshawn Hall leads the way with 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds, while KeShawn Murphy, a Mississippi State transfer working through early-season injuries, has added 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds, shooting an impressive 71.0 percent (22-for-31). Tahaad Pettiford has contributed 13.0 points, a team-best 3.5 assists, and 2.8 rebounds.
• The Players Era Festival is a multi-day men's and women's college basketball showcase in Las Vegas. A significant element of the event is its focus on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Teams play a series of early-round games, and their performance in those matchups determines final seeding.
