Auburn eager to stick around March Madness more than just 1 game this time around

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - The Auburn Tigers are experienced and remember all too well the feeling of being one-and-done at the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

Watching Alabama State win literally on a last-second bucket to reach Thursday’s first round?

No better reminder of how quickly fortunes change during March Madness.

"Anybody can have that ' One Shining Moment,'" Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said Wednesday.

His Tigers (28-5) come in as the NCAA Tournament’s overall No. 1 seed and play 16th-seeded Alabama State on Thursday afternoon in the South Regional. Pearl said that seeding, which he lobbied for after his Tigers lost in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals, is in the "rear view mirror."

Auburn watched Alabama State’s thrilling win as it happened on TV.

Pearl also reminded his Tigers on Wednesday of their loss as a No. 4 seed to Yale a year ago. He noted Alabama State, which plays about 50 miles away in Montgomery, beat his Tigers by a point in the second half of an Auburn win in December 2023 with a lot of the same players on both teams.

Knowing Auburn is six wins from the program's first national championship in basketball is the goal. The Tigers have made one Final Four - back in 2019. They haven’t gotten past the second round in four of their last five tournaments.

AP All-American Johni Broome said the message is simple with so many seniors.

"It's win or go home," Broome said. "If you're not willing to step up and play your best basketball now, then why you playing it?"

Alabama State (20-15) won’t be awed by Auburn. Coach Tony Madlock spent four years as an assistant with the Tigers, and this season featured trips to LSU and Missouri.

Their bigger challenge is surviving the roller-coaster kicking off the NCAA Tournament with a last-second win, getting back to the hotel in Dayton, Ohio, at 1:15 a.m. and getting to Lexington, Kentucky, on Wednesday. They tip off Thursday around 2:50 p.m. EDT at Rupp Arena with little sleep.

Coming off the historically Black college and university’s first NCAA Tournament victory?

"Nothing’s going to dampen this moment for us," Alabama State coach Tony Madlock said.

Thursday’s other games in the South Region feature No. 8 seed Louisville playing ninth-seeded Creighton in Lexington with No. 5 seed Michigan meeting No. 12 seed UC San Diego and fourth-seeded Texas A&M meeting No. 13 seed Yale in Denver.

Time hasn’t quelled questions for the NCAA Tournament selection committee over seeding Louisville eighth in the South Region against No. 9 Creighton.

At first glance, the placement appeared to dismiss the No. 10 Cardinals' remarkable 19-game improvement and runner-up Atlantic Coast Conference finish, especially with Clemson seeded three spots higher in the Midwest despite losing to Louisville and finishing third in the ACC.

The Cardinals and first-year coach Pat Kelsey appeared unfazed despite several chances to speak up Wednesday. They see the bright spot of traveling just 75 miles east to Rupp Arena - where Louisville fell 93-85 to rival Kentucky in a turning-point game. They also get another opportunity to prove themselves.

"We were a little bit shocked that our name was called that early for sure," said guard J'Vonne Hadley, one of Louisville's 15 transfers. "But we're just grateful to be in this place and after that we got right to work. So we were determined right away."

Swingman Terrence Edwards Jr. noted Louisville's experience, especially in the Big Dance. The short trip is a big benefit.

"Our family is able to drive down to the game," Edwards said. "So, yeah, everything works out."

The South has two games being played Friday in Milwaukee with No. 3 seed Iowa State against 14th-seeded Lipscomb in its second ever berth and No. 6 seed Mississippi facing 11th-seeded North Carolina.