After beating Ole Miss in the Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinals, Auburn men’s basketball might have locked up the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.
That’s what ESPN’s latest bracketology would suggest, with bracket expert Joe Lunardi sounding confident in the Tigers’ chances.
“Auburn has locked up the No. 1 overall seed regardless of further results,” Lunardi said in his latest report.
Auburn currently ranks No. 2 in the NCAA NET rankings, but has 16 Quad I wins, three more than Michigan State, who has the next most. Duke, who is No. 1 in the NET, has eight Quad I wins.
Lunardi’s latest bracket prediction has Auburn in the south region, facing either Iona or St. Francis (PA), who he projects to play in the First Four.
St. Francis (PA) has already clinched its automatic bid to March Madness, but Iona needs a win over Mount St. Mary’s in the MAAC championship to make the tournament. Auburn’s first and second round games are projected to be at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
Before that, the Tigers are still looking to take home another SEC tournament championship, now set to face Tennessee in the semifinals. That game is scheduled for noon on Saturday and will be televised on ESPN.
The winner of that game will face either Florida or Alabama in the SEC tournament championship game.
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.com