AUBURN, Ala. – It didn't matter if you were at the Sprint Center in Kansas City or if you were in Auburn watching from your home, what the men's basketball team was able to accomplish over the weekend was remarkable.
North Carolina? Check. Kentucky? Check. Earning a trip to the Final Four? Check.
Gus Malzahn has certainly been impressed. The Auburn head football coach, who has been a part of one national championship at Auburn and nearly led the Tigers to another three years later, took a break from spring practice to fly up to Kansas City to be there for Sunday's game and support Bruce Pearl and the basketball team.
"I thought it was unbelievable," Malzahn said. "I've been here nine years and been blessed to be part of two national championship runs, and being there yesterday, it feels the same way. They're doing something special. Just how fired up they have the whole Auburn family and the school – this whole school is on cloud nine with what they're doing and the way they're doing it. It was really special (Sunday)."
Though the football players couldn't make it to Kansas City, they have been following the tournament run from campus and showing support at every stop along the way. Every time Toomer's Corner gets rolled, they're out there celebrating with the masses and tossing rolls of toilet paper into the trees.
For some, it's their first time taking part in the iconic tradition.
"It's actually fun," junior T.D. Moultry said. "It's different. I felt like a big kid throwing the tissue and just being with everybody and just being proud of Auburn. I'm an Auburn man. Anything Auburn you've got going on, I'm with it."
"It's amazing to see the passion our fan base has and not just for football," added fellow junior Chandler Wooten. "People want to consider us a football school, but I feel like we're an everything school – basketball team, softball, baseball, whatever it may be. I try to get out to support everybody. I just love my school. I'm very happy for (basketball) right now, and I just hope they keep it going."
The season opener for football is still 151 days away, but this run that the basketball is on has inspired the football team this spring. The players were fired up when Pearl, who has gone from interview to interview following Sunday's victory, stopped by the defensive meeting room after doing the Paul Finebaum Show to talk with them before going to practice.
Even simply just watching Pearl's team play and overcome adversity like they have, it's given the football team a lift. If basketball can do it, why not us?
"It's a big-time inspiration," Wooten said. "They're not the biggest team out there. Everybody wants to count them out. They're the underdog. It's kind of the same thing that we have. A lot of people want to count us out, and we just use that as motivation. You can tell they play with a chip on their shoulder. What they're doing right now is very inspiring. We just want to feed off that."
"There's doubters," running back JaTarvious Whitlow said. "They sleep on Auburn. But this year, it's time to wake up for sure. Basketball and football – there's no more sleeping. There's no more doubting. You're going to know who we are after this year."
The football team returns to practice Wednesday with A-Day less than two weeks away, but when Auburn tips off at 5:09 CT from Minneapolis on Saturday night, the focus shifts. It's back to cheering on the basketball team.
Two hours later, if all goes as planned, it's another trip to Toomer's Corner to roll the trees.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greg_ostendorf