'It's here': Auburn seniors recall journey to March Madness

'It's here': Auburn seniors recall journey to March Madness'It's here': Auburn seniors recall journey to March Madness
Cat Wofford/Auburn Athletics

Horace Spencer and Bryce Brown

SALT LAKE CITY – Remembering the tough times from their freshman season makes four-year scholarship seniors Bryce Brown and Horace Spencer savor Auburn's accomplishments that much more.

They remember what it's like not to win SEC Tournament and regular season championships and make back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.

"I feel like we accomplished something two years in a row being SEC champs and be able to be part of March Madness," Spencer said. "My first two years, it was never an opportunity to be here, experiencing this, so I feel like it's a pretty good place for the program, how far the program has come."

"I was saying the other day to Horace, it's just amazing how far the program has come," said Brown, the MVP of the SEC Tournament. "When we got here, it was a struggle just to win an SEC game. I think we won one SEC road game my freshman year. Now, we're able to knock them off and roll them off like that. We're on a win streak right now. That was such a hard thing to do then."

When the Tigers tip off Thursday at 12:30 p.m. CT on TNT against New Mexico State, Brown and Spencer will be in "survive and advance" mode. The day before, prior to practicing at Vivint Smart Home Arena, they reflected on their contributions to Auburn's program.

"I feel like we put Auburn on the map again," Spencer said. "It's more attractive to other basketball players coming into college. I feel like me and Bryce have made the culture here, we changed it around big-time, making Auburn a better place for basketball, changing the culture, making Auburn more positive."

From going 5-13 in the SEC as freshmen to 13-5 two years later, the seniors will leave Auburn in considerably better shape than when they arrived.

Fresh off last week's magical run to the conference crown, Spencer and Brown still have the hunger that helped them ascend from the near the bottom of the SEC to the top during their time on the Plains.

"We were the underdogs all four years of my college career," Spencer said. "Being able to utilize that and find the strength in that and make us a better team and a better program."

It seemed improbable three years ago. But here they are, back in the Big Dance, endearing themselves to Auburn fans coast-to-coast.

"How we're rolling now, it wasn't something we could have seen then when we were in our freshman and sophomore years," said Brown, Auburn's season and career record holder for 3-pointers. "It just wasn't something that we were able to see. An SEC championship, March Madness. We didn't know it was that close in the future, and it's here. It speaks volumes to how much work we've put in and the work ethic we have."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer