Michigan’s post duo of Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf were the foundation of the Wolverines offense.

In Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup against Auburn basketball, the Tigers frontcourt accepted the challenge by outrebounding the Wolverines and holding Goldin to just 10 points.

“I thought Dylan Cardwell did an incredible job on Goldin. I thought Johni, Dylan, Chaney were physical with those guys and didn’t let them dominate the game with their size, which they do against most opponents,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said postgame.

Goldin shot 2-of-9 from the floor, scoring well below his season average of 16.8 points per game.

“I mean, they played physical defense. The shots didn’t fall in. Sometimes it happens,” Goldin said postgame. “It feels even worse that it happened in this kind of game, but it is what it is.”

The Tigers outrebounded Michigan 48-33, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds. Johni Broome led the way with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Dylan Cardwell added nine rebounds to his four points.

Broome credited the rebounding as a key factor in Friday’s victory as the Tigers shot 35.6% from the floor and 29.4% from beyond the arc.

“Just taking pride in owning the glass and crashing the glass, giving us extra opportunities. We missed a lot of shots,” Broome said.

“We have the best frontline in the country. Credit to all my front-line members, Ja’Heim Hudson, Chaney Johnson, Dylan Cardwell, obviously myself. We take pride in each matchup that we go against and we’re going to bring it every night.”

Wolf was Michigan’s leading scorer with 20 points, shooting 9-of-18 from the floor. However, he scored his final basket of the night at the 13:06 mark in the second half.

“Coming into this game, we knew we worry about matchups, we care about matchups. We treat this game personal,” Broome added. “That’s a great front line, but we wanted to challenge ourselves and see — to make it tough for him and Vlad Goldin.”

For Cardwell, he viewed this matchup as two of the best centers in their respective conferences battling for basketball supremacy.

“Be physical. Don’t allow him to get easy post touches. He’s one of the best scorers in the country, especially in the Big Ten — definitely the best player in the Big Ten, in my personal opinion,” Cardwell said.

“I showed him what that SEC strength is. I take pride in representing that SEC patch. I don’t take it for granted. There’s not a day when I take it for granted. Trying to drop down, anchor down and be more physical.”

Auburn advances to the Elite 8 round Sunday and will face Michigan State for a spot in the Final Four.

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3 or email him at [email protected].