Auburn's Miles Kelly after Big Night in NCAA Tournament: 'Everything I Dreamed Of'

The Auburn Tigers have several players who have stepped up and played hero through the season. It was Miles Kelly's turn on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament.

Scott Kennedy | Mar 21, 2025

Auburn Tigers guard Miles Kelly started 4 for 4 from 3-pointers in Auburn's first-round win over Alabama State in the NCAA Tournament. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The Auburn Tigers dispatched Alabama State 83-63 on Thursday afternoon. The margin of score seemed relatively comfortable, but the Hornets pushed the Tigers at times, and guard Miles Kelly helped keep Alabama State at bay.

His 23 points led the Tigers, but it was his hot hand at the start of the game that set the tone. Kelly started 4 for 4 from 3-pointers as Auburn built up a quick first-half lead and made Alabama State chase the rest of the way.

Kelly spent three years at Georgia Tech before transferring to Auburn this season, and he took advantage of his opportunity in Rupp Arena.

"It's everything I dreamed of," said Kelly after the game. "It's great. My teammates did a great job of finding me, and all I had to do was knock it down. Just credit to my teammates for giving me open looks."

Kelly's energy was as infectious as his shots were timely. With Alabama State battling back in the first half, Kelly canned a three with just over one minute left giving the Tigers a six-point lead.

"It was huge for us and for our energy," Kelly said. "At that point in the game, our energy was kind of low. Alabama State just came off a run, so we needed to make plays in order to get back on our run. I just seen the ball going, and I was close to the 3-point line, and I stepped back and made the shot."

Got hot. Stayed hot. 🥵 pic.twitter.com/JmbrFOGDBQ
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) March 21, 2025

Forward Johni Broome is Auburn's best overall player, but he's not the only one capable of giving the Tigers a push. This is a mature team, and Kelly stepped up as a leader when his team needed him.

"This is win or go home time," said Kelly. "So we've got to do whatever it takes to win. At that moment in the game, we needed some energy. People we rely on throughout the team for energy, they weren't there, so I had to bring another level of energy to get us going."

The Auburn Tigers have shown during the course of the year that they can win games in a variety of ways from a variety of players. It's one of the big reasons they're the No. 1 overall seed and SEC Champion.

On Thursday night, it was Kelly who stepped up with the hot hand.