The Auburn Tigers have their opponent for the NCAA Tournament.
Auburn will face 15-seed Jacksonville State as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region once the NCAA Tournament kicks off. The game, which will be played in Greenville, South Carolina, will be the Tigers’ return to action after getting bounced from the SEC Tournament by tournament runner-ups Texas A&M.
The Tigers will enter the tournament coming off a very successful season where the team went 27-5 overall and 15-3 in conference play, topping it off with a regular-season SEC Championship. Freshman Jabari Smith and sophomore transfer Walker Kessler helped lead the charge for Auburn, and even with a disappointing exit in the SEC Tournament, the Tigers enter March Madness as a No. 2 seed and one of the best teams in the country.
Jacksonville State, meanwhile, had an impressive season of its own. The Gamecocks went 21-10 overall and 13-3 in conference play and were ASUN conference champions. Jacksonville State isn’t to be underestimated — it came close to upsetting then-No. 6 Alabama, holding multiple leads during the game and keeping it within five points with a minute left in the game.
Despite that, the matchup should be a comfortable one for the Tigers, and they’ll look to use the matchup to start the NCAA Tournament off strong and leave their woes from the SEC Tournament behind them. Auburn and Jacksonville State will tip-off on Friday, March 18.
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