Auburn gymnastics to host NCAA regional round

Auburn will face off against Kentucky, Georgia and Southern Utah in the first round.

The Auburn Tigers won’t have to travel far too start their gymnastics postseason run.

Auburn’s NCAA postseason bid has been confirmed, and it will host its own regional at the Neville Arena from March 30 to April 2. Uniquely, the Tigers will be the No. 2 seed when they compete in their own house — the No. 1 seed goes to the regular season and postseason-SEC champion Florida Gators.

In the first round, Auburn will see competition from SEC rivals Kentucky and Georgia along with the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. Florida, meanwhile, will face off against Denver, Ohio State and the winner of a play-in dual meet between Western Michigan and Iowa State.

The best two teams from those sessions will convene to gymnastics’ Sweet Sixteen round, and the top two teams from that session will then go on to the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, at the end of April.

Auburn should serve to be a formidable opponent in its initial regional bracket. The Tigers have defeated the Georgia Bulldogs three times this year and the Kentucky Wildcats twice. Auburn has yet to face off against the Denver Pioneers this year, but they finished second in the Big 12 Championships and have been a notable gymnastics program for some time.

The Tigers will kick off the action on March 30 at 1 p.m. CT.