Tahaad Pettiford’s reason for waving after floaters will have you rooting for Auburn

The Auburn Tigers withstood the storm and ousted No. 9 Creighton in the Round of 32, which puts the Tigers in the Sweet 16. Bruce Pearl has developed a troubling reputation for premature March Madness exits, but the No. 1 overall seed is looking to buck that trend.

Johni Broome naturally garners the majority of attention with this Auburn team. He's arguably the best player in the country, and it's his legacy on the line in the NCAA Tournament. That said, Auburn won't go on a deep run without more productive outings from Tahaad Pettiford, their talented freshman point guard.

Pettiford exploded against Creighton, dropping 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting off the bench, including two made 3s. Firmly on NBA Draft radars, Pettiford has been wildly impressive all season. He's everything pro teams want in a point guard — quick, twitchy, with a dynamite pull-up jumper and ample creativity. He's a bit short at 6-foot-0, but the skill level pops every time he's on the floor.

More than fun and productive, Pettiford is just a good dude. He plays the game with a joyful exuberance and seems to be in it for the right reasons. It's normally pretty easy to root against the top seed in March, but Pettiford might have you reconsidering your stance.

Auburn's Tahaad Pettiford has the best possible reason for his wave celebration

Pettiford has a beautiful floater. It's one of his best attributes, and it's an absolute necessity for a guard that small. He's not going to explode for dunks or finish with outlier strength; Pettiford needs a way to negate contests and score against towering shot-blockers. His floater tends to do the trick.

Better yet, he has developed a little celebration after his floaters. Here he is waving to the crowd in Saturday's dub.

The reason for Pettiford's wave is even better than the move itself. When asked to explain it postgame, Pettiford gave a very charming response. .

"My mom was at home watching so, ya know, just saying hi to her," said the 19-year-old.

More waving to mom, folks. This is how you curry favor with the basketball gods and keep the vibes strong.

Pettiford will remain absolutely essential for Auburn moving forward. The offense tends to run through Broome, but Pettiford is the Tigers' most explosive backcourt weapon. It's hard to keep track of how many NCAA Tournament games are won by the hot shooting hand of a small, ultraconfident guard.

As for his NBA future, how can Pettiford not win over scouts and front offices? He has a winning personality in addition to an impressive statistical profile. The size concerns are understandable, but he gets after it on defense and should at least be able to guard his position at a passable level. If Pettiford isn't a complete pushover on D, one has to think the shot-making and shifty, dynamic slashing will translate.

Auburn faces its toughest test yet in the Sweet 16 with the Big Ten champs, Michigan, on the docket. The Wolverines turn the ball over a lot, but also create unique mismatches with their skilled, do-it-all 7-footers. Danny Wolf was a huge reason Yale beat Auburn in last year's NCAA Tournament, so Pettiford and the Tigers will have a few demons to exorcise if they want to advance.