Staying local: Auburn to open NCAA Tournament in Birmingham
The Auburn Tigers will open their run toward the NCAA Final Four with the closest thing to a home-court advantage they could ask for.
After finishing the regular season with a 20-12 record, Bruce Pearl and his squad learned their NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday. The Tigers earned the No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region and will compete just 112 miles from home at Legacy Arena in Birmingham for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Auburn’s first draw of the tournament is No. 8 Iowa, who finished the season with a 19-13 record and ended their run in the Big Ten Tournament with a second-round loss to Ohio State last Thursday. The Tigers and Hawkeyes will battle on Thursday in Birmingham at 5:45 p.m. CT for a chance to face the winner of No. 1 Houston/No. 16 Northern Kentucky on Saturday.
Auburn will head to the NCAA Tournament for just the 12th time in history this season, and for the fourth time under Pearl. Pearl has led the Tigers to a 6-3 record in NCAA Tournament games.
