The Auburn Tigers received the great news on Sunday that they would play the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in nearby Birmingham as the No. 9 seed of the Midwest Region.
Auburn received an NCAA Tournament bid by finishing the regular season with a 20-11 record, with the deciding win coming on the final day of SEC play when Auburn knocked off Tennessee, 79-70 at Neville Arena.
The SEC Tournament was not kind to Auburn, as they could not erase a 15-point deficit to Arkansas on Thursday, falling 76-73. Despite the loss, the Tigers were able to get a favorable draw in the NCAA Tournament by getting the chance to play close to home.
The Tigers drew No. 1 Houston, No. 8 Iowa, and No. 16 Northern Kentucky in the first two rounds, and will open with Iowa on Thursday evening at 5:45 p.m. CT at Legacy Arena in downtown Birmingham.
What did Iowa’s road to the NCAA Tournament look like? Who is their key scorer? The answer to those questions, and more, can be found below. Here’s everything you need to know about Auburn’s first round opponent, Iowa.