The Auburn Tigers enter their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2023 seeking their first Finals Four appearance since 2019.
The Auburn Tigers are coming off a big win in the SEC Championship beating the Florida Gators to claim their third tournament title and eighth overall title. Shortly after cutting down the nets and clearing the confetti from their clothes, the Tigers sat down and waited to see what they would be and who they would play.
Auburn in my opinion got snubbed with the four seed but they drew a matchup with the Ivy League Champion Yale who needed a buzzer-beater shot to beat Brown in the title game. The Tigers are also in a very tough East region with three other conference champions.
The Tigers share the region with reigning National Champion and Big East Champion UConn, Big 12 Champion Iowa State, and Big Ten Champion Illinois. This in my opinion is the hardest region to play in and Auburn has their work cut out for them.
The good news for Tiger fans is that Auburn has never lost a first-round game in the round of 64 era and I forsee them keeping that streak alive, but I don't want to jinx it. However, they struggle to get out of the second round and have only won two Sweet Sixteen games. Will this be the year the Tigers make a run?
Auburn's all-time NCAA tournament record
Auburn has only made it to the NCAA Tournament 13 times, and only one of those times before 1985 before it expanded to 64 teams.
The Tigers have had a handful of Sweet Sixteen visits, but just two Elite Eight visits and one Final Four appearance. They have never made it to a National Championship. Auburn is coming in as a four seed this year and it is thier highest seeded since 2018 when they were also a four seed. The Tigers were awarded a one seed once in 1999 where they had one of their Sweet Sixteen appearances.
Here’s a breakdown of how the Tigers have fared in their 12 appearances since the tournament expanded in 1985.
- Round of 64: 11-0
- Round of 32: 5-6
- Sweet 16: 2-3
- Elite 8: 1-1
- Final Four: 0-1
- National Championship: 0-0
- Overall: 19-11
Let’s take a more in-depth look at how the Tigers have fared in some of the later rounds (since 1985).
What is Auburn's Sweet 16 record?
- 2019 5-seed: W to 1-seed North Carolina, 97-80
- 2003 10-seed: L to 3-seed Syracuse, 79-78
- 1999 1-seed: L to 4-seed Ohio State, 72-64
- 1986 8-seed: W to 4-seed UNLV, 70-63
- 1985 11-seed: L to 2-seed North Carolina, 62-56
What is the Auburn's Elite 8 record?
- 2019 5-seed: W to 2-seed Kentucky, 77-71 OT
- 1986 8-seed: L to 2-seed Louisville, 84-76
What is the Auburn's Final Four record?
- 2019 5-seed: L to 1-seed Virginia, 63-62
Prior to 1985, they competed in the tournament seven times. Here’s a breakdown of how they fared.
- Round of 48: 0-1
- Round of 32: 0-0
- Round of 24: 0-0
- Sweet 16: 0-0
- Elite 8: 0-0
- Regional third-place game: 0-0
- Overall: 0-1
This might be one of Auburn's best chances since 2019 to make a run at a National Title. This Bruce Pearl-led team is looking scary and getting hot at the right time.