The Auburn Basketball Tigers have fought their way to a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Can they avoid the 5-12 upset to New Mexico State?
Auburn Basketball’s season has been filled with tons of highs and lows. The lows came in the regular season when they lost to teams like South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss. If the Tigers were to be one of the best teams in the SEC, they were expected to avoid upsets like these.
After the team still wasn’t above .500 late into conference play, doubts began to swirl. People wondered if this team could make it work after losing Mustapha Heron this year. With the early struggles, that question wasn’t answered.
However, Auburn turned the corner late in the year. They won their last four games, including a road game over Alabama and a home win over Tennessee. These wins helped them clinch a 5-seed in the SEC Tournament, boosting their title odds by avoiding Tennessee and Kentucky’s half of the bracket.
Auburn’s half of the bracket included LSU, but they were lucky enough to avoid playing them. They’ve also needed some luck and swallowed whistles to beat Florida in the semifinal. However, they flexed in the final against Tennessee, now beating them twice this season.
These wins helped Auburn cement their spot on the 5-line. This can be a blessing and a curse. It gives them a path to the Elite Eight without playing any of the top 3 teams in your region, but it is also where a lot of upsets happen. That’s what New Mexico State will be trying to do to Auburn in the first round.
So, what will Auburn have to do in order to avoid an early end to their season? Here’s three things I would focus on.