Auburn's NCAA Tournament begins Friday with NC State

March 16, 2017

Opening Tip

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn returns to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and 20th time overall, traveling to Austin, Texas for the first and second rounds. The Tigers, seeded 11th in the Lexington Region, will face 6th-seeded North Carolina State at 11 a.m. Friday, March 17, at the Frank Erwin Center.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers enter Friday's game at 17-14 overall, 7-9 in SEC play, looking to win an NCAA Tourrnament game for the second straight year. Auburn was an at-large selection, one of eight teams picked from the SEC.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º NC State is 22-8 overall, went 12-4 in ACC play, and ranked No. 17 in both the AP and Coaches' polls. This is the fourth all-time meeting between Auburn and NC State, the first since 2012 and the second in the NCAA Tournament.

Auburn Quick Hitters

- Auburn is making its 20th NCAA Tournament apperance and second straight
- This is the fifth NCAA Tournament appearance for Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy; her second at Auburn
- Auburn is 30-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and has been national runner-up three times (1988, 1989, 1990)
- This is Auburn's second time as a No. 11 seed; the Tigers lost to George Washington as an 11-seed in 2008
- This will be Auburn's fourth NCAA Tournament game in the state of Texas (third straight)
- Auburn's only previous trip to Austin came in the 1986 NCAA Tournament when the Tigers lost to Ole Miss in the regional semifinal
- This is the fourth all-time meeting between Auburn and NC State; second in the NCAA Tournament
- Auburn is 2-1 all-time against NC State and won the previous postseason meeting in 2004
- NC State won the last meeting between the teams in 2012 in Raleigh
- Auburn and Texas have met once, in the 1999 NCAA First Round in Blacksburg, Va. (Auburn won 69-61)
- Auburn and Central Arkansas have never met
- Auburn has won 17 of its last 18 opening round games and is 17-2 all-time in first-round NCAA games
- Auburn is 43-22 all-time against current members of the ACC (0-1 this season)
- Auburn is 4-7 all-time against current members of the Big 12 Conference (0-2 this season)
- Auburn is 23-1 all-time against current members of the Southland Conference (last: def. SE Louisiana in 2015-16)
- Auburn is 9-7 all-time in the state of Texas, 0-1 this year; this is Auburn's second-straight NCAA trip to Texas
- Thru the end of the regular season, Auburn ranks second in the nation in turnovers forced (22.2/game), is 7th in the nation in steals (11.6/game), and second in turnover margin (+8.5)
- Senior Katie Frerking was named as SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, All-SEC Second Team and All-Defensive Team
- Frerking was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team last week and the SEC Community Service Team this week
- Frerking scored a career-high 32 points at Texas A&M (2/5), her second 30-point game this year
- Frerking leads Auburn in scoring (15.9/game), rebounding (6.4/game), steals (2.6/game) and blocks (1.0/game)
- The Tigers snapped a 6-game losing streak with their win over LSU on Feb. 23, finishing the game on an 11-1 run over the final 1:29 for a 54-49 win
- Auburn is 8-0 this season and 36-6 under Coach Flo when forcing 25+ turnovers; Auburn forced 38 vs. Troy, 27 at North Carolina A&T, 30 at East Carolina, 27 vs. Ball State, 30 vs. Marist; 28 vs. Savannah State; 26 at Florida; 29 vs. LSU
- 21 of 31 Auburn opponents have committed at least 20 turnovers; Auburn is 15-6 in those games
- Auburn averages 24.0 points per game off opponent turnovers; the Tigers are 12-2 when scoring at least 25
- Four of Auburn's opponents have been held to a season-low scoring total
- Senior Khady Dieng made her second start of the season as part of Senior Night, then started the next two
- Junior Tiffany Lewis made her first Auburn start against Ole Miss on Feb. 16; her last collegiate start came March 5, 2015, vs. Georgia Tech while playing at Clemson
- Sophomore Erica Sanders and senior Khady Dieng made their first starts of the season vs. Alabama on Jan. 29 while Jazmine and Jessica Jones came off the bench due to illness; it was Sanders' first career start
- In the Jan. 22 game vs. Kentucky, Brandy Montgomery passed Tyrese Tanner for 10th all-time in scoring at Auburn; she now has 1,635 points and ranks seventh in program history
- Auburn has three comeback wins from 17-point deficits this season: vs. Indiana (11/27), at Vanderbilt (1/12) and vs. Tennessee (1/19)
- Auburn's win over Tennessee on Jan. 19 was its first over the Lady Vols since 2009 and the largest margin of victory in a regular-season game for Auburn against UT
- Auburn's 83-60 win over Ole Miss (1/8) was its largest margin of victory and highest scoring total in SEC play under head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy
- Auburn scored 62 points in the second half vs. Drake; the most in a half since 2008 and two points shy of a school record for points in a half
- Auburn's 32 fourth-quarter points vs. Indiana were the Tigers' most in a single period since women's basketball went to a four-quarter game in 2015-16

Auburn in the NCAA Tournament

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is making its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its second straight.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are 30-19 (.612) all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Auburn has advanced to three Final Fours, finishing as national runner-up each time (1988, 1989, 1990).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn's last time advancing to the regional round came in 1996, when the Tigers defeated Hawaii and Colorado in the first two rounds to advance to the West Regional in Seattle. The Tigers then defeated Penn State before falling to Stanford in the regional final.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn's last appearance in the NCAA Tournament came in 2016, when the Tigers were a No. 9 seed in the Dallas Region. Auburn went to Waco, Texas for the first two rounds, defeating No. 8 St. John's 68-57 in the first round before falling to top-seeded Baylor 84-52 in the second round.

Noteworthy

A WIN OVER NC STATE WOULD...
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Give Auburn its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance with at least one win, dating back to 2009.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Improve Auburn to 3-1 all-time against NC State and 2-0 in the NCAA Tournament.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be the 900th win in Auburn women's basketball history.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's first NCAA Tournament win as a No. 11 seed.

AUBURN-NC STATE SERIES
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn and NC State have met three times previously, all since 2004.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn won the first two meetings, including a 79-59 win in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament in Bridgeport, Conn. NC State won the last meeting, 85-71, in 2012 in Raleigh.

LAST MEETING: NC STATE 85, AUBURN 71 (11/10/12)
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn dropped an 85-71 decision to host North Carolina State in the Sheraton Raleigh Wolfpack Invitational Championship Game. Junior Tyrese Tanner scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Tigers.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn took an early nine-point lead, but could not keep up with the 1-2 punch of Marissa Kastanek and Kody Burke. Kastanek scored 15 of her 24 points in the first half while Burke scored 20 of her 26 in the second.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn finished the game with four players in double figures, led by Tanner's 26. Blanche Alverson and Hasina Muhammad scored 12 points each while Najat Ouardad scored 11. Alverson hit two 3-pointers in the game, moving her into fifth place all-time at Auburn in career 3-pointers with 150.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Defensively, Auburn forced 20 Wolfpack turnovers, scoring 22 points off them. It marked the second game in a for the Tigers to eclipse the 20-plateau in both categories. Tanner and Alverson had three steals each to lead Auburn. Alverson also blocked three shots with seven rebounds.

COACH FLO IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy is making her second appearance in the NCAA Tournament as Auburn's head coach and her fifth overall as a head coach. She is 5-4 as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Coach Flo led Georgetown to the Big Dance in each of her last three seasons with the Hoyas from 2010-12.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º In 2011, Georgetown advanced to the Sweet 16 as a No. 5 seed. The Hoyas defated Princeton 65-49 in the first round, then upset No. 4 seed Maryland on its home floor in the second round, 79-57. The Hoyas would lose a close game to No. 1 UConn in the regional semifinal, 68-63.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Georgetown made it to the second round in 2012. Again as a No. 5 seed, the Hoyas defeated Fresno State 61-56 in the first round in Chapel Hill, N.C., before falling to fourth-seeded Georgia Tech 76-64 in the second round.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Coach Flo helped take nine teams to the NCAA Tournament as an assistant coach: Georgetown (1993), Georgia (1997-2002) and Southwest Missouri State (2003, 2004). Her 1999 Georgia team advanced to the Final Four.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º As a player, she competed in the NCAA Tournament three out of her four years at Penn State. The Nittany Lions advanced to the second round in 1988, 1990 and 1991.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 17-14 for the season and finished 7-9 in SEC play. Nine of Auburn's losses have come to teams either ranked or receiving votes in the national polls, and 10 losses have been by six points or less.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are one of the nation's top teams in forcing turnovers with 22.2 per game (2nd in NCAA). Auburn is 7th in the nation in steals per game (11.5) and 11th nationwide in total steals (357). The Tigers lead the SEC and rank 2nd in the nation in turnover margin (+8.5).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Katie Frerking is Auburn's leading scorer with 15.9 points/game. She also leads the Tigers in rebounds (6.4) and steals (2.6). Her 2.6 steals per game are second in the SEC and rank 36th in the nation. Frerking has posted six double-doubles this season and had a career-high 32 points at Texas A&M on Feb. 5. She scored her 1,000th career point at Florida on Jan. 1 while picking up her fifth double-double of the year.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Brandy Montgomery is Auburn's second-leading scorer with 13.7 points/game. She was named to the preseason All-SEC Second Team by the league's coaches. She has three games with 25+ points this season: a season-high 28 (including 16 in the 4th quarter) to lead a comeback win over Indiana (11/27), 26 in a win at Florida that included a career-high seven 3-pointers (1/1), and 25 in a home victory over Ole Miss where she was 10-of-15 from the floor (1/8).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior forward Jessica Jones has been a force defensively for the Tigers, posting a career-high four blocks twice this year and pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds vs. Drake. She also had five steals in the opener vs. Troy, and she scored a career-high 15 points on her 21st birthday in Auburn's 53-41 win over Jacksonville on Dec. 28.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sophomore point guard Janiah McKay and junior forward Jazmine Jones are the Tigers' other two returning starters. McKay leads the Tigers in assists (3.5/game) and scored a career-high 29 points to lead Auburn's comeback victory over Tennessee on Jan. 19. She earned her first career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds vs. Ole Miss on Jan. 8, and she scored her 500th career point vs. South Carolina on Jan. 5.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Jones started all 33 games as a sophomore and had one of the best shooting percentages on the team, shooting 52.6% from the floor. She scored a season-high 10 points and had a career-high five steals vs. Drake on Dec. 21, then matched her season-high with 10 points vs. Georgia in the SEC Tournament.

Looking Ahead

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º With a win, Auburn would face the winner of #3 Texas and #14 Central Arkansas on Sunday, March 19. Game time is TBD.