Auburn Tigers Projected for High Seed in Latest Bracketology Update

With their strong start to the season, the Tigers are in one of the most ideal spots in the latest bracketology update

Auburn is in a stellar spot for March Madness / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The No. 2 Auburn Tigers are off to a fiery start this season. They stand at 14-1 on the season and are coming on the road to No. 9 Texas on the road at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Following their 87-82 road win over Texas on Tuesday night, the Tigers have seven wins over Quad 1 opponents, placing them at the top of the NCAA’s Net Rankings and No. 2 in KenPom behind Duke. 

The hot start Auburn has gotten off to this season has impressed ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi, reflected by his placement of the Tigers as the No. 1 overall seed in his latest bracketology projections.

“The Tigers have the nation's top-ranked offense and have been our No. 1 overall seed since Maui,” Lunardi said.

Lunardi projects Auburn to be the No. 1 seed in the South Region come NCAA Tournament time. He believes the Tigers’ road to the Final Four would start at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. where they would take on either Southern or Southeast Missouri State as the No. 16 seed. After that, Auburn would take on the winner of No. 8 seed Clemson or No. 9 seed Ohio State, a team that already had a convincing win over this season.

If the Tigers made it past the first weekend, they would have the privilege of playing their Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games close to home in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. According to Lunardi’s projections, Auburn could come across teams such as Gonzaga, Kansas and Florida as it tries to secure the South Region title.

If Auburn survives that, it would have the opportunity to compete in the Final Four for the second time in program history, this time at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. This would be the Tigers’ only chance of playing teams such as Alabama, Duke, Iowa State, Kentucky, Tennessee or UCLA in the tournament according to Lunardi’s projections.

The Tigers have a long way to go, but continuing at this pace could set them up with a favorable position on Selection Sunday.