Tahaad Pettiford doesn’t start for the Tigers, but his play will have as much of an impact on Auburn’s Final Four success as anyone.
It’s rare for a team’s best player not to be its most important player, but that’s where Auburn stands ahead of Saturday’s Final Four showdown with Florida.
Johni Broome is Auburn’s undisputed star. There’s no doubt about that, especially given his season-long accolades and awards list appearances. But even though Broome has “no limitations” following his elbow injury against Michigan State, freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford’s play will have more of an impact on Auburn’s championship hopes.
Pettiford’s ‘relentless’ work ethic
From a matchup standpoint, Auburn has to match Florida’s perimeter attack of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard on Saturday. Given that trio might be the best backcourt in the country, the Tigers need to counter. Martin did not play in the regular-season matchup between the two sides, yet the Gators still won the perimeter battle as both Chad Baker-Mazara and Denver Jones had off games.
Broome’s presence will give the Tigers a leg up inside regardless, making the perimeter matchup a critical component.
That adds to Pettiford’s importance. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder has been Auburn’s most dynamic guard, showcasing an electric ability to create his own shot while also making plays for others — all from his role as a sixth man.
He ranked in the top 25 in the SEC in assist rate, shot rate, usage and 3-point percentage, and the only players in the country who matched his efficiency profile during the regular season were Louisville’s Chucky Hepburn and Cornell’s AK Okereke.
“He’s just relentless,” teammate Dylan Cardwell said. “He doesn’t take a shot that he doesn’t practice. So every time you see him shoot a ball, just know he has practiced that shot no matter how ludicrous it is.
“He has an immense confidence in his work ethic and he’s just so talented. That’s what makes him so great. He’s not afraid to fail because he realizes he works on these shots.”
Embracing the sixth-man role
Despite all of Pettiford’s individual achievements and his importance to Auburn’s team success, he hasn’t been put in the starting lineup aside from one game (Texas A&M). That can cause other players to mentally check out and focus elsewhere, particularly in today’s NIL landscape and the freedom of movement afforded to players via the transfer portal.
“I supposed some would just sort of expect that to be a problem,” head coach Bruce Pearl explained. “But not a word [from him]. Not a body language, shoulder shrug, rolled eye ever from Tahaad.
“Now, he may not feel the same way if he’s not in there at the end. In case you hadn’t noticed, he was almost always in there at the end.”
“Big Game Tahaad”
Although he is the team’s sixth man, Pearl needs Pettiford when the lights are brightest. On a team often mocked for its age, it has frequently relied on this freshman to hit the big shots in clutch moments – and he has delivered. It started in the season’s first week when he made several big shots down the stretch to beat Houston, and has continued with big moments against Alabama, Michigan and many others.
TAHAAD PETTIFORD. NAILS. pic.twitter.com/A2hHcVZims
— Heat Check CBB (@HeatCheckCBB) March 29, 2025
“He’s been a phenomenal finisher, especially for a freshman,” Pearl said. “We put him in huge pressure situations, put the ball in his hands, and trusted that he could make a play. He’s been a joy to coach.”
Those late shots, combined with his efforts in the biggest games of Auburn’s incredibly difficult schedule, earned him the nickname “Big Game Tahaad.” Both his production and efficiency numbers are much better when the Tigers have faced Quad 1 competition and in the NCAA Tournament compared to their 12 games against everyone else.
While Pettiford has answered the bell at every turn, both Pearl and Cardwell talked about the freshman’s desire to get the respect he feels he deserves. “He has always been overlooked,” Pearl stated.
That desire extends to the team as a whole.
The road ends here
Saturday also represents a chance for Auburn to reassert itself as the team to beat. Its late-season struggles — the Tigers lost three of their last four games prior to the Big Dance — caused the consensus to shift to viewing either Duke or Florida as the title favorite, even after Auburn secured the tournament’s top overall seed.
“People still don’t have the respect for us that we think we should have,” Pettiford told FOX Sports’ John Fanta. “It has put that chip on our shoulder.”