NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Johni Broome scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as regular-season champion Auburn opened its bid to repeat at the Southeastern Conference Tournament by holding off eighth-seeded Mississippi 62-57 Friday.
The third-ranked Tigers (28-4) will play No. 8 Tennessee, an 83-72 winner over 13th-seeded Texas, in the semifinals Saturday.
Denver Jones also had 13 points as Auburn snapped a two-game skid.
Ole Miss (21-11) has lost two of its last three to top-five teams. Dre Davis and Sean Pedulla each had 12 points, and Malik Dia and Jaylen Murray 10 apiece.
The Tigers showed some rust after being off since losing to Alabama in overtime last week. They led 29-22 at halftime but never were up more than 10.
Ole Miss: The Rebels now are 4-2 on a neutral site against Auburn and 2-2 at this tournament. They dropped to 1-4 in the quarterfinals and last reached the semifinals in 2013.
Auburn: The Tigers have won this tournament three times, twice under coach Bruce Pearl. They also won this event in 2019 under Pearl and in 1985. They've won three league regular-season titles as well and their two tourney titles leads the SEC for most overall men's championships since 2018.
Tied at 46 after a layup by Pedulla, Auburn went on an 11-1 run. Johnson's 3-pointer put the Tigers ahead to stay with 6:05 to go. Broome scored the next five, and Jones had a three-point play as Auburn went up 57-47.
Up 60-57 with the clock ticking, Auburn went to Broome inside for a short jumper with 11.1 seconds left to seal the win as the Tigers hit six of their final eight shots.
Auburn won at Texas during the regular season and beat Tennessee by two on Jan. 25 on the Tigers' home court. Ole Miss heads home to learn its NCAA Tournament destination.
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Auburn forward Chaney Johnson (31) and Mississippi forward Jaemyn Brakefield battle for the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after beating Bahrain 2-0 at Saitama Stadium on Thursday.
Second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo ensured the Samurai Blue secured a spot in Asia Group C's top two automatic qualification places.
At its eighth successive World Cup, Japan joins co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico in the expanded 48-team tournament.
Earlier, second-placed Australia took a big step towards a seventh appearance by defeating Indonesia 5-1 in Sydney in the visitor's first game under new coach Patrick Kluivert.
Indonesia's Kevin Diks missed a penalty in the eighth minute, and 10 minutes later Martin Boyle made no mistake with his spot kick to put the Socceroos ahead.
Nishan Velupillay and Jackson Irvine scored before the break and Lewis Miller made it 4-0 on the hour. Ole Romeny pulled one back for Indonesia before Irvine grabbed his second and the hosts' fifth.
The top two from each of the three six-team groups in the third round of Asian qualifying advance to the World Cup while the third- and fourth-placed teams advance to another stage to compete for two more places.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Japan players celebrate after defeating Bahrain in the World Cup qualifying soccer match at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japanese players acknowledge the applause from the crowd after their win against Bahrain in the World Cup qualifying soccer match at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan players celebrate with their coach Hajime Moriyasu, center, after defeating Bahrain in the World Cup qualifying soccer match at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's Takefusa Kubo, center, celebrates with team players after scoring their side's second goal against Bahrain during a World Cup qualifying soccer match at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025.(Kyodo News via AP)
Japan's Takefusa Kubo shoots in an attempt to score during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Japan and Bahrain at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan players celebrate with teammate Daichi Kamada who scored the opening goal during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Japan and Bahrain at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan players celebrate with teammate Daichi Kamada, second left, who scored the opening goal during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Japan and Bahrain at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)
Japan players throw water at each other to celebrate after defeating Bahrain in the World Cup qualifying soccer match at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)
Japan's head coach Hajime Moriyasu speaks after defeating Bahrain in the World Cup qualifying soccer match at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's Ao Tanaka reaches for a header during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Japan and Bahrain at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's Takefusa Kubo, left, and Bahrain's Komail Hasan Alaswad vie for the ball during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Japan and Bahrain at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's Daichi Kamada, left, celebrates with teammates, Takefusa Kubo, center, and Kaoru Mitoma, right, after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Japan and Bahrain at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)
Japan players celebrate after defeating Bahrain in the World Cup qualifying soccer match at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's Daichi Kamada, right, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Japan and Bahrain at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's Daichi Kamada shoots to score the opening goal during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Japan and Bahrain at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
