Auburn’s Path to a National Championship

The NCAA Tournament for Men’s Basketball’s Selection Sunday came and went, and for the first time in their history, the Auburn Tigers were the No. 1 overall seed. 

The Tigers were naturally given the No. 1 seed of the South region. This news was likely a bit of relief as the Tigers have been in a bit of a rut, losing three of the last four games, all of which were against SEC opponents.

Their most recent loss came against the Tennessee Volunteers which knocked the Tigers out of the SEC Tournament. Regardless, the Tigers are still the No. 1 overall team. 

Heading into the bracket, the Tigers will be scouting one of the first games in the round of 68. Their first matchup is between the winner of Alabama State and St. Francis. Regardless of who wins, the Tigers’ talent should overwhelm either team and get them through to the second round.

In the second round, the opponents get significantly better. Louisville and Creighton are the eight and nine-seeds respectively.

Tigers’ head coach Bruce Pearl said both teams emphasized that both teams could be a challenge, particularly Creighton with their size and Blue Jays’ head coach Greg McDermott’s ability to run an offense. 

Should the Tigers get past either team, they could have another massive challenge in the Sweet 16 facing the five-seed Michigan or the four-seed Texas A&M barring upsets (which never happens).

The Wolverines won the Big Ten Tournament over the Wisconsin Badgers and the Aggies have a win against the Tigers that happened just a few weeks ago. If the Tigers get either of these two, the game will be close. Facing the Aggies could give the Tigers a chip on their shoulder to get revenge for the loss back in the regular season. However, both teams would have to get that far. 

Should the Tigers get to the Elite Eight, they will be playing to ‘win’ the region. Teams on the other half of the region that could be in contention could be the three-seed Iowa State, the seven-seed Marquette and the two-seed Michigan State.

The six-seed Ole Miss also is in that half, but the Tigers have had convincing wins against the Rebels all season long. The favorite to come from the bottom half of the South region is Michigan State, who is 27-6 and won eight of their last nine. 

If Auburn makes the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, they will face the winner of the West region. This region includes teams like Florida, UConn, Missouri, Kansas and St. John’s.

While it is a stacked region, the Gators are the favorites to come out as the winners and be in the Final Four. The Tigers were humiliated on their home floor earlier this season when they faced the Gators. If they get another shot at Florida, this game will be a must-watch. 

With that, they would be playing for the national championship. The Tigers have an uphill battle, despite the fact that they are a one-seed.

The issue about getting a one-seed is that it paints a target on your back for any team that you come up against. With the form that the Tigers are in, that target is extra large. Teams will be looking to pull off the upset and advance further in the Big Dance. 

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