ATLANTA — Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford and Michigan State’s Jase Richardson are high-scoring, left-handed freshman guards who have more in common than big games that helped to propel their teams to the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight.
The guards also share a rivalry that includes on-court matchups long before either began his college career. Even though Pettiford is from Jersey City, New Jersey, and Richardson is from Denver, they already have a history of playing against each other as rising top talents on the AAU circuit.
On Sunday, the rivalry between the young stars will rise to a new level when No. 1 seed Auburn faces No. 2 seed Michigan State in the South Region championship game with a Final Four spot on the line.
“When you get to play guys you’ve grown up with and play in AAU circuits and camps, it’s super fun,” Richardson said Saturday. “You get to play them at the highest level. So just to have that matchup in the Elite Eight is special.”
Each freshman played lead roles in his team’s second-half rally for Sweet 16 wins Friday night.