LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Johni Broome and Ryan Kalkbrenner are big men with big-time experience on the March Madness stage.

Just not against each other, which makes Saturday night's NCAA Tournament second-round South Region showdown between overall top seed Auburn and No. 9 seed Creighton so compelling.

Plot lines abound thanks to the Tigers’ and Blue Jays’ multiple strengths, but the matchup of main men in the middle is the most intriguing.

Broome’s ability to collect double-doubles for Auburn (28-8) has made the 6-foot-10 Associated Press first team All-American and Southeastern Conference player of the year a favorite for several national awards, including the Naismith. The senior will square off in Rupp Arena against Kalkbrenner, a 7-1 shot eraser who has scored more than 2,300 points for Creighton (25-10) and matched Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing with four selections as the Big East's top defender — and has nine NCAA wins in 12 contests.

While both tried to deflect questions elsewhere on Friday, they’re mindful that their teams’ national title fortunes center around them and are eager to see how they measure up against each other.

“He’s a really good big, very skilled and really talented,” said Broome, a 2,500-point scorer who averages 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. “We know what he does on the inside. He’s going to be a big challenge, but I think it’s one me and my team are up for.”

Kalkbrenner is a third team AP All-American who averages 19.2 points and ranks fourth nationally with 2.74 blocks per game and has more than 375 career rejections. The senior, also a finalist for multiple honors, was similarly complimentary toward Broome because of the challenge he poses on both ends.

He understands the assignment.

“He’s got good touch around the rim and is a really good passer, which makes it really hard to guard him because if you double him, he will pass out of it,” Kalkbrenner said. “But as a competitor and basketball player, you want to go up against the best guys in the game, and I get an opportunity to play against him. So I’m excited and I’m looking forward to it.”

Though Kalkbrenner and Broome factored into first-round victories, it's risky to focus too much of a game plan on trying to stop them.

Creighton showed that in an 89-75 win over No. 8 seed Louisville, during which Blue Jays guard Steven Ashworth and forward Jackson McAndrew alternated four consecutive 3-pointers in a decisive first-half stretch to open a 15-point lead. That opened up the floor for guard Jamiya Neal to score 17 of his 29 points after halftime, while Kalkbrenner added 14 points and six rebounds in a game Creighton shot 57%.

“Game by game, it’s picking your poison,” Neal said.

Added Auburn forward Chaz Baker-Mazara: “You can’t really focus on one player. ... We have to make sure we take care of everybody and make sure we lock down everybody.”

Auburn stumbled at times in its 83-63 rout of No. 16 seed Alabama State, which hung close in the first half. The Tigers’ defense awoke in the second half to hold the Hornets to 33% shooting, while Miles Kelly scored 23 points to lead four players in double figures.

Broome added 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds but also drew eight fouls that helped Auburn shoot 32 free throws and win the glass 46-36. While he’s shooting just 60% at the line this season, his 182 attempts match a career best and demonstrate his will to make something happen.

“I think I’m playing at more of my own pace,” said Broome, who will make his sixth NCAA appearance including one with Morehead State. “I’m seeing a lot of different defenses and stuff, so just kind of doing whatever it takes to win.”

His approach is why Creighton coach Greg McDermott is stressing discipline at both ends against Broome and his teammates. Having his own formidable presence helps, creating a March must-see as both teams look to reach the Sweet 16.

“He’s one of the best offensive players in the country at his position, and I’ve got one of the best defensive players in the country in Ryan Kalkbrenner,” McDermott added. “We can’t let him beat us in multiple ways.”

Coach Bruce Pearl wants fans filling Rupp to help Auburn advance in March Madness

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Bruce Pearl sent a message to Auburn fans not to take the Tigers' second-round game in the NCAA Tournament for granted.

He even pitched them on turning Saturday night's game against Creighton into a two-for-one deal. Auburn is playing Kentucky in baseball, so Pearl urged fans to paint Lexington orange, especially the inside of Rupp Arena.

“I don’t want our fans to wait thinking that Atlanta is an automatic, because it’s not,” Pearl said, even though his Tigers are the No. 1 overall seed in this tournament.

Creighton is the No. 9 seed in the South Region but finished second in the Big East behind St. John's and lost to the Red Storm in that league's tournament championship. Pearl said the seeding gap is no reflection of a talent gap.

"Obviously Creighton is an outstanding team, and there are tickets available," Pearl said.

Experienced Creighton (25-10) is looking for a fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five years. The Bluejays are the reason Auburn has a chance to turn Rupp into a home court instead of a hostile environment because they ended Louisville's season with an 89-75 win in the first round.

“I’ve been really lucky to be a part of so many good teams at Creighton, and I’ve been lucky to be here at the time,” fifth-year center Ryan Kalkbrenner said. “I’ve been here. It’s not just me that’s done it. It’s been Mac (coach Greg McDermott), all my teammates. It’s been an awesome ride, and I don’t want it to end yet.”

Pearl noted only four of his Tigers had won an NCAA Tournament game before this year, with AP All-American Johni Broome, Chris Moore and Dylan Cardwell doing that at Auburn. The rest? Thursday's 83-63 win over Alabama State was the first.

“We got to the Final Four in 2019, but since that time we haven’t been to the second weekend," Pearl said. “So none of our guys have been past this moment right now. We have a huge obstacle in our way in Creighton.”

With Tennessee playing in the Midwest Region, the former Vols coach tugged on Southeastern Conference ties and said he thinks Vols fans will cheer for Auburn.

“But they won’t be able to rebound for us or put balls in the bucket from the stands,” Pearl said. “But I think SEC will be represented well.”

Down-to-the-wire wonders

If Michigan finds itself in another nailbiter against No. 4 seed Texas A&M in the South Region on Saturday, you can bet the tried-and-tested fifth-seeded Wolverines won’t flinch.

The Wolverines are 13-4 this season in games decided by four or fewer points. After starting out 2-4 in such close games this season, they’ve reeled off 11 wins in a row, including their 68-65 squeaker over UC San Diego Thursday night in Denver.

Bradley in 1985-86 is the only other Division I team to win 13 games by four or fewer points in a season. First-year Michigan coach Dusty May noted that all those close contests produce emotional fatigue but also cement a belief that everyone on the team has each other’s back.

“We need everyone to make an impact, whatever that impact may be, because there’s so many ways to make a difference in this game,” May said.

The Wolverines have a propensity for turning the ball over. They had 14 turnovers that led to 15 points in their NCAA Tournament opener.

“We plan to capitalize off that,” Aggies senior guard Manny Obaseki said.

Texas A&M also hopes to capitalize on fresher legs and a deeper bench — 10 Aggies average double-digit minutes — for this quick turnaround at elevation. This will be their second game in nine days compared to Michigan's fifth in nine.

“Everybody understands when you get to this point that if you don’t win, it’s over," Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “I think that the resiliency and the resolve, that’s why it’s March Madness.”