Auburn's Bruce Pearl not buying Michigan State as underdogs - ESPN

ATLANTA — As the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, Auburn is, not surprisingly, a minus-4.5 point favorite against Michigan State in their Elite Eight matchup on Sunday, according to ESPN BET.

But Bruce Pearl doesn't believe the odds tell the true story of the game, suggesting Michigan State and its historically successful program should be the real favorite.

«Most of our guys are guys that were mid-majors or junior college or Division II,» Pearl said Saturday. «I'm not going to let Michigan State play the underdog card even though we're a No. 1 seed and they're a No. 2 seed. No, they're Michigan State. They're Kansas. They're Duke. They're North Carolina and we're Auburn.

»We know our place. We know what we're trying to go up against, and we know the uphill battle that it is when you play against a Hall of Fame coach and obviously, a legendary program."

Pearl also cited the number of McDonald's All-Americans on their respective rosters as a factor in his position on the Spartans. Michigan State's Xavier Booker and Jeremy Fears Jr. both played in the 2023 installment of the game, while Tahaad Pettiford is the only McDonald's All-American on Auburn's roster. He also noted Tom Izzo's perfect record — 10-0 — against SEC teams in the NCAA tournament.

Izzo, however, doesn't seem to agree. He said he and Pearl have been friends for years but he never gets caught up in the odds because anything can happen to a team, regardless of their seeding.

«I've been through so many of these, I've been a 2-seed that's been beaten by a 15-seed,» Izzo said. «I've been a 1-seed that hasn't gotten out of the first weekend, so I don't buy any of that stuff, but if it makes them feel better, I'll be the favorite. I'm cool with that.