NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Auburn is sticking around this NCAA Tournament longer than last year, even if the Tigers didn't play with the energy coach Bruce Pearl wants to see.
Miles Kelly made seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points, All-American Johni Broome added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 1 seed Auburn beat 16th-seeded Alabama State 83-63 on Thursday in the first round of the South Region.
Pearl's Tigers (29-5) lasted one game in 2024, losing to Yale days after winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament. This time, Auburn came in having lost three of four inside the power-packed SEC with a resume still strong enough to earn the top overall seed among the four No. 1 teams.
“We just weren’t sharp,” Pearl said of his Tigers. “One thing you can control. Our teams always play with great effort and energy too or our system doesn’t really work. I just didn’t think we did today.”
Auburn will play No. 9 seed Creighton, an 89-75 winner over eighth-seeded Louisville, in the second round on Saturday for a trip to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta.
“We won't beat Creighton if we play like we did tonight,” Pearl said.
Alabama State, whose lone lead was 3-0, didn't make it easy in the first half.
The Hornets fell behind 28-15 but scored the next nine points and pulled within 32-31 on a layup by Amarr Knox, the guard whose buzzer-beater gave the Hornets their victory over Saint Francis on Tuesday in the First Four. Fans inside Rupp Arena started roaring for Alabama State, hoping to see a big upset and bringing energy to the tired Hornets.
Alabama State coach Tony Madlock said he was proud of what his team did for Montgomery, their university and all historically Black colleges and universities to get to the Big Dance and win their first tournament game. And yes, they did something in this game to be proud of.
“(We) had some moments in this game where, you know, we made coach Pearl call timeout,” Madlock said.
Knox had a chance to give Alabama State the lead with 1:27 left in the half, but he missed both attempts at the line.
“I should've made those two free throws,” Knox said. “I definitely should’ve made those.”
Broome scored the first of nine straight for the Tigers, who took a 41-31 lead into halftime. Auburn smothered Alabama State in the second half even with Broome picking up a third foul within the first four minutes.
Tahaad Petitford added 16 points for Auburn and Chaney Johnson had 13.
The Tigers improved to 7-0 against Alabama State (20-16) with this the first NCAA Tournament game between the schools separated by about 50 miles in south Alabama. The historically Black school still goes home with its first NCAA Tournament win in its fifth appearance.
Knox led Alabama State with 18 points. TJ Madlock added 11.
Alabama State: The Hornets had nothing to lose. The Southwestern Athletic Conference program came up with 10 steals and forced Auburn into 12 turnovers.
Auburn: The Tigers had a 46-36 rebounding advantage, but their issues at the free-throw line could prove costly in the second round and beyond. They shot 56.3% (18 of 32).
The Tigers are trying to get past the first weekend for the first time since their only Final Four in 2019. They lost in the second round in three straight tournaments from 2021-23.
This story has been corrected. A previous version included an incorrect first name for Miles Kelly.
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Alabama State guard CJ Hines (3) shoots over Auburn forward Johni Broome (4) during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Senator Steve Daines, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, with warm exchanges in front of journalists on Saturday even as tensions between their countries spiked over trade tariffs and the handling of the illegal trade in fentanyl.
Daines, the first member of Congress to visit Beijing since Trump took office in January, will meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday and the nation's No. 2 official will give him an introduction to China's policies, according to He.
Daines, who previously worked for American consumer goods company Procter & Gamble in south China's economic hub of Guangzhou, said this trip marked his sixth visit to China and he had met Li in 2018 when he served as the party secretary of Shanghai.
He said this visit comes at a time when there are some important issues to discuss between China and the U.S.
“I’ve always believed in having constructive dialogue and that has been the nature of all my visits to China over the course of many years,” he said.
The U.S. Embassy in China posted on X later Saturday that Daines voiced Trump's ongoing call for Beijing to stop the flow of fentanyl precursors from China. Daines also expressed hopes that further high-level talks between the two countries will take place in the near future, the post added.
Ahead of the trip that began on Thursday, his office said he is coordinating closely with the White House and will be “carrying President Trump’s America First agenda.” Daines served as a go-between during the first Trump administration when tariffs were also a major issue.
Daines, a senator for Montana, said on X earlier this week that he would be talking with Chinese officials about curbing the production and distribution of fentanyl and “the need to reduce the trade deficit and ensure fair market access for our Montana farmers, ranchers and producers.”
Just months into Trump's second term, tensions between the world’s two largest economies have risen after the U.S. imposed 20% duties on Chinese goods and drew retaliatory tariffs of 15% on U.S. farm goods from China. Additionally, the U.S. accuses China of doing too little to stop the export of precursor materials for fentanyl, a highly potent opiate blamed for tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S.
In response, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier this month accused Washington of “meeting good with evil” and said China will continue to retaliate for the United States’ “arbitrary tariffs."
Beijing also responded with a report detailing its efforts to control the illegal trade in fentanyl, specifically the ingredients for the opioid that are made in China.
The report said that China and the U.S. have held multiple high-level meetings since early last year to promote cooperation, and that its Narcotics Control Bureau holds regular exchanges with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
China is committed to cooperation, the report said, “but firmly opposes the U.S. imposition of unlawful sanctions and unreasonable pressure on China on the pretext of responding to fentanyl-related issues.”
Daines arrived in Beijing on Thursday and exchanged views with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu on bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern on the second day. His trip to the Chinese capital followed a visit to Vietnam where he met top leaders.
U.S. Senator Steve Daines, center, looks at Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, left before their meeting held in the Xinjiang Room at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, Pool)
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, second right, holds talks with U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, second from left, before a meeting held at the Xinjiang Room at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, Pool)
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, right, shows the way for U.S. Sen. Steve Daines before a meeting held in the Xinjiang Room at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, Pool)
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, right, shakes hands with U.S. Senator Steve Daines before a meeting held in the Xinjiang Room at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, Pool)
