INDIANAPOLIS -- In the second NIT semifinal of the night at Hinkle Fieldhouse, it was clear which team was a No. 1 seed in the tournament and which was a No. 4 seed. Top-seeded Auburn manhandled Illinois State 88-66.
The Tigers put on an offensive clinic en route to the championship game. Auburn (21-16) shot 61% from the field and 57% on 3-pointers. Illinois State (23-13) had no answer for Auburn's offensive firepower at any point throughout the night.
UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall led Auburn with 24 points. Hall, Auburn's leading scorer this season, shot 10 of 16 from the field. He was joined by Kevin Overton (16 points), Filip Jovic (13) and Tahaad Pettiford (12) in double figures.
Illinois State entered Thursday allowing just 67.9 points per game, although it played just one power conference team before the NIT (an 87-67 loss to USC). Auburn appeared to be a team in a separate pantheon from Illinois State for most of this contest.
"It helps, obviously, when guys are knocking down shots early," Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. "We got into a bit of a rhythm, and we did a good job early, I thought, of forcing them into turnovers. And we did a great job in the first half of converting those into points."
As if Auburn's highly efficient night wasn't enough, it was aided by Illinois State's costly mistakes. The Redbirds committed 18 turnovers, and Auburn took advantage. The Tigers scored 26 points off those turnovers (to nine) and had 22 fastbreak points (to two). Auburn flawlessly turned defense into offense to blow this game open.
"Their defense, I thought, really controlled the game," IllinoisState coach Ryan Pedon said. "They've had moments where they've been really, really good defensively, and that affects their offense in a very clear way. So I think when they play both sides of the ball at that level, they're tough to beat."
Said Hall: "We were getting a lot of fastbreak points. So that opened everything up, playing some defense and getting out in transition. When we do that, that's a recipe for good, for all of us."
After finishing the regular season 2-8 and winning just one SEC Tournament game, Auburn has strung together four straight victories, albeit without playing a Power Five opponent, to get to the NIT championship. Auburn was one of the first four teams out of the NCAA Tournament field of 68, and it'll have a chance to bring home the NIT championship exactly three weeks after Selection Sunday.
"Our league play got us ready for being able to play in this tournament and allowed us to find a way to win four straight," Pearl said. "So I'm proud of my guys. I've said it a million times, we took a really difficult situation, not getting in on Selection Sunday, and I think we turned it into a positive. And they're playing with a level of joy that is really good for me as a coach to see."
Auburn will face Tulsa, which outlasted New Mexico 74-69 in the first game of the night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The teams will switch venues to play at 8 p.m. Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tulsa will be going for its third NIT title while Auburn will aim for its first.