Auburn just made a statement - and not a quiet one.
With their 76-67 win over No. 16 Florida in Gainesville on Saturday, the Tigers not only snapped a road losing streak against the Gators that dated all the way back to 1996 - they also gave their NCAA Tournament resume a serious boost. This was the kind of win that turns heads in late January, especially for a team trying to shake off a rocky start to SEC play.
And the selection committee is paying attention. In the latest NCAA Bracketology projections, Auburn has climbed to a No. 7 seed in the South Region.
That would put them in Oklahoma City for the opening rounds, with a first-round matchup against UCLA looming. Win that, and they’d likely face either No. 2 seed Nebraska - the feel-good story of the season - or No. 15 seed UT-Arlington.
The Cornhuskers are still chasing their first NCAA Tournament win in program history, but they’ve been turning heads all season.
Let’s rewind a bit. Auburn opened SEC play 0-2, and things looked shaky early.
But this team has flipped the script in a big way. The turning point came with a dominant 95-73 win over then-No.
15 Arkansas at Neville Arena. Keyshawn Hall went off for 32 points in that one, while KeShawn Murphy added 10 and Tahaad Pettiford dished out seven assists.
It was the kind of performance that reminded everyone what this team is capable of when it’s clicking.
Since then, Auburn has strung together three straight wins - a stretch that includes a solid home victory over South Carolina and back-to-back road triumphs at Ole Miss and Florida. Hall has been the engine behind this surge. He dropped 19 points on the Rebels, then followed it up with 24 more against the Gators - 22 of those coming in a scorching first half that set the tone early.
Now sitting at a No. 7 seed and riding a wave of momentum, Auburn’s upcoming schedule offers even more chances to climb. They’ll host Texas on Wednesday night before heading to Knoxville for a tough Saturday showdown with Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers.
After that, it doesn’t get any easier - matchups with No. 23 Alabama, No.
18 Vanderbilt, and a return trip to Fayetteville to face Arkansas again are all on deck.
The SEC is stacked this year - 10 teams are currently projected in the tournament field, including Auburn, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A&M, Texas, Florida, and Kentucky. That means every night is a chance to move up or slide back. And for Auburn, every game is another opportunity to prove they’re not just a tournament team - they’re a team no one wants to face in March.