Michigan’s second game in Las Vegas is a Sweet Sixteen rematch against the Auburn Tigers. More importantly, it’s a chance to make it to the “top four” games at the Players Era Festival, where an extra $2 million in name, image, and likeness is on the line to be shared among finalists.
Nimari Burnett is the only returner among the nine starters from that NCAA Tournament game last year, and Bruce Pearl will be in the bleachers (or microphone) while his son sits at the end of the bench. It’s far from a rematch, but it’s a high-level matchup with a bit of extra juice between two teams who hope to advance deep into the NCAA Tournament again this year.
Auburn beat Oregon, 84-73, on Monday night to move to 5-1 on the season to set up what could serve as a play-in game for the final round of the event. Michigan is one of two teams to win their opener by 20+ points, so it should be in terrific shape to advance with any win.
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