In the era of NIL and extreme liberal transfer portal rules, the Auburn Tigers punched their ticket to the Final Four this season on the back of four transfers, all seniors, in their starting five. Outside starting center Dylan Cardwell, Auburn rolls out a starting five consisting of former Morehead State Eagles standout Johni Broome, two-time transfer Chad Baker-Mazara, sharpshooter and former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Miles Kelly, and the seasoned Denver Jones, formerly of the Florida International Panthers. Naturally, it makes sense that the two Tigers named to the South Regional Team were Broome, a fifth-year senior, and Tahaad Pettiford, a true freshman deployed off the bench. Wait, what?
Alongside South Regional Team Most Outstanding Player Johni Broome, star freshman Tahaad Pettiford became the fifth Tiger in the past seven years to make an All-Regional team.
A four-star recruit in the class of 2024, Pettiford landed with head coach Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers this season while holding offers from the Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, and Ole Miss Rebels, among others. Pettiford became an immediate impact player, scoring 21 points against the top-ranked Houston Cougars in the season’s second game. Pettiford displayed unique playmaking ability as a freshman this postseason, averaging 17.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game across four March Madness games. He has posted a double-digit scoring effort in each game this NCAA Tournament, headlined by a 23-point outing against the Creighton Bluejays in the Round of 32.
The six-foot-one guard also registered 20 points against the Michigan Wolverines in the Elite 8. At the same time, fellow bucket-getters Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelly, and Chaney Johnson combined for just 15 points on 5-of-22 shooting. Pettiford and Broome became the first Auburn Tigers to make an all-regional team since the trio of Jared Harper, Bryce Brown, and Chuma Okeke in 2019.