Despite some recent troubles, ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi has projected Auburn to be a No. 3 seed in his latest NCAA Tournament bracket.
Lunardi has the Tigers in the East Region of the bracket, which would land them in Pittsburgh for the first and second rounds.
If [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s team advances to the second weekend they’d travel to T.D Garden in Boston for the East Regional. The projected draw would be favorable for an Auburn team built on defensive efficiency and post-play inside.
A first-round matchup against hypothetical American East champion Vermont would be a massive size mismatch, while a second-round tilt with Oklahoma or “Cinderella” candidate Indiana State would provide much of the same.
Auburn is joined by eight other SEC teams in Lunardi’s projected field. The nine-bid projection is tied with the Big 12 for the most among any conference. Tennessee (2), Alabama (3), South Carolina (5), Kentucky (6), Texas A&M, (7), Florida (8), Mississippi State (9), and Ole Miss (Last Four In), all join Auburn as SEC teams in the projected field.
Men's Bracketology: 2024 NCAA Tournament https://t.co/raCbQfMrSF. 🏀🏀 North Carolina's chase for a No. 1 seed has even more implications than usual this season. For the first two decades of this century, the ACC averaged at least one top seed per year.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 13, 2024
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