After picking up an 83-63 win over No. 16 seed Alabama State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, No. 1 seed Auburn’s dance continues. Freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford bounced back after two underwhelming performances in the SEC Tournament to help the Tigers get the job done.

Pettiford scored 16 points, making him Auburn’s second-leading scorer behind Miles Kelly, who had 23. He also had five rebounds, five assists and shot 5-of-9 from the field as well as 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.

“It was great to see him bounce back, great to see him -- even after he missed his first couple shots, and you're like, oh, this is going to continue, he just obviously lit up,” AU coach Bruce Pearl said. “The thing I liked about his game tonight, he was better defensively. He got 50-50 balls and rebounds. He used his speed and his quickness and his athleticism. Alabama State is a very quick, very athletic team, and Tahaad Pettiford is as quick as any of them out there.

“I thought his presence was a huge spark for us coming off the bench. Both he and Chaney Johnson, if you look at Tahaad was plus 22, Chaney (Johnson) was plus 19. Those two guys played great for us coming off the bench.”

Pettiford was relieved to see shots falling after he was kept off the board in Auburn’s SEC Tournament semifinals loss to Tennessee.

“Just getting back to my normal game, it feels good,” Pettiford said.

Although Auburn ended up with the win, Pettiford knows the Tigers have work to do before they return to action.

“I think we played well, well enough to obviously get the win, but definitely some things that we can pick up on and fix in practice and film,” Pettiford said. “So we’re going to get back to that and work on it.”

Now having his first NCAA Tournament game under his belt, Pettiford will not forget the experience.

“Amazing being in this atmosphere,” Pettiford said. “The crowd, the intensity, the energy. Just being able to play in one of these games is a blessing.”

Pettiford and the Tigers take on No. 9 seed Creighton at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky in the Round of 32 on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 7:10 p.m. ET/6:10 p.m. CT, and TBS will carry the broadcast.