The Auburn Tigers have had a special and historic season on the basketball court, one which ended in a regular season title within the best conference in college basketball.
Bruce Pearl was named the SEC Coach of the Year and deservingly so, but when it comes to how a team is remembered, it all comes down to what happens in March and the NCAA Tournament. For as successful as Pearl has been during the regular season and SEC Tournament in the last five years, his teams have not made it out of the first weekend in the big dance since they made the school’s first Final Four run in 2019.
The Tigers earned the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament after maintaining the top spot in the AP Poll for eight consecutive weeks during the regular season and boasting by far the best resume of any team in the country.
It’s a new season now however, and in March Madness anything can happen. Auburn being the best team in the nation for the last four months doesn’t mean anything when it’s a one-game season and you need to be at your absolute best for six straight games in order to win a national title.
In order to do that, the Tigers will first have to conquer the South region – the upper left quadrant of the bracket – by getting through some talented teams. While they should be able to handle the No. 16 seed they face in the first round with ease, things immediately get tough in the second round.
Slated to take on the winner of Creighton against Louisville, neither result is ideal. With the game being played in Lexington, KY, a matchup against the Cardinals would effectively mean a road game against one of the best teams in the ACC.
Creighton on the other hand presents matchup difficulties of their own and it should be a dogfight in either scenario.
Should Auburn be fortunate enough to advance to the second weekend for the first time in six years and the Sweet Sixteen, there’s a few potential teams who could give them trouble.
If things play out the way they should, it could be No. 5 seed Michigan or No. 4 seed Texas A&M who defeated the Tigers handily just a couple of weeks ago.
The bottom half of the region gets even tougher should Auburn advance all the way to the Elite Eight and there’s a number of teams who could give them trouble.
If all of the higher seeds win, the No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans and head coach Tom Izzo – one of the greatest of all time – will be a brutal draw. Other teams to lookout for include No. 3 seed Iowa State, No. 6 seed Ole Miss, and No. 7 seed Marquette.
It all gets started for the Tigers on Thursday with the winner of Alabama State and Saint Francis at 1:50 p.m. CST that afternoon.
Fans who want to get a scouting report on the potential first round opponents can tune into the First Four matchup this evening at 5:40 p.m. CST.
