In just over 48 hours the Auburn Tigers will be back on the hardwood looking to erase the memory of their painful loss in the SEC Tournament.
The No. 1 seed was quickly bounced by the Texas A&M Aggies after the Tigers were ice cold from the floor in the first half. They made it interesting late thanks to the play of Wendell Green Jr and Jabari Smith, but it was all for not.
That game doesn’t matter now, but bad losses can linger into the next game. On Friday they will look to start their journey as they look for six-straight wins to secure the NCAA national championship. ESPN recently released their win probabilities for the March Madness tournament. Here is how it all shakes out for War Eagle.
Basketball Power Index Probability
| Round | 2nd Round | Sweet 16 | Elite Eight | Final Four | Champ Game | Champs |
| Probability | 93.5% | 76.5% | 51.3% | 26.7% | 11.7% | 4.9% |
| Ranking | No. 11 | No. 7 | No. 3 | No. 5 | No. 8 | No. 8 |
Based on the numbers from the BPI, it is basically a coin flip for the Auburn men’s basketball team to make it to the Elite Eight. Their path to the Final Four would likely include wins over USC in the Round of 32, Wisconsin in the Sweet 16, and Kansas in the Elite Eight. BPI has their chances at slightly better than a one in four shot.
With the third-best win probability, the computers clearly favor the Tigers to get past the likely matchup with the Badgers in the Sweet 16. To do so, they will need to find a way to limit the damage from Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis. He is averaging 19.7 points and 8.2 rebounds on a nightly basis.
Auburn will be back on the court on Friday as they look to take down in-state foe Jacksonville State in the Round of 64. Under Bruce Pearl, Auburn has made it out of the first round on both occasions. The Tigers could go three-for-three this year.
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