ESPN's Peter Burns: Auburn basketball's Neville Arena 'best home court advantage in the SEC'

What was supposed to be a highly anticipated, top-15 ranked SEC matchup between Auburn basketball and South Carolina on Wednesday turned into a Tigers romp.

The No. 13 Tigers (20-5, 9-3 SEC) defeated No. 11 South Carolina (21-4, 9-3) 101-61 at home on Wednesday. It was the Tigers' biggest margin of victory over a top-25 opponent in program history, sparking ESPN's Peter Burns to give high praise to the impact Auburn's Neville Arena had in the outcome.

"Neville Arena is the best home court advantage in the SEC," Burns said on College Sports on SiriusXM on Thursday. "I'm not talking basketball. I'm talking about in any single sport."

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Burns backed up his claim by saying Neville was better than several notoriously difficult SEC venues, including Ole Miss' Swayze Field, Mississippi State's Dudy Noble Field and LSU's Alex Box Stadium in baseball. He also said it not only was better than Kentucky's Big Blue Nation and Arkansas' Bud Walton Arena, but also compared favorably to South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium and LSU's Tiger Stadium in football.

"It's even better than Jordan-Hare Stadium in football. ... There is something about that venue, in how small it is," Burns said. "And the acoustics, and the fans being able to sit down, and the students being able to sit down ... that's second to none. And I'd put it with anything in college sports."

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Neville Arena capacity

Indeed, part of Auburn's dominance in Neville likely has to do with the way the arena is built. The venue, which replaced the Tigers' Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum for the 2010-11 basketball season, has a listed capacity of 9,121. Moreover, Auburn claims the furthest seat from the court is just 43 feet away, with more than two thirds of the seating less than 27 feet in elevation from courtside.

Auburn basketball record at Neville Arena

While Burns' opinion is certainly up for debate, there's no argument about Auburn's success at home. The Tigers are 13-0 in Neville Arena in 2023-24, and an outstanding 45-2 in their last 47 home games — including a current 16-game win streak — beginning with a Feb. 27, 2021 win vs. Tennessee.

With Auburn's win over the Gamecocks on Wednesday, it now stands tied for second in the SEC standings, behind first place Alabama (whom the Tigers beat 99-81 on Feb. 7 at home).

"What Bruce Pearl has built at Auburn," Burns said, "is second to none."

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball's Neville Arena 'best home court advantage in SEC'