AUBURN, Ala. – The SEC regular-season champion Auburn men's basketball team earned a No. 2 seed in the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship as the field of 68 was announced on Selection Sunday.
It was the second-highest tournament seed for the Tigers (27-5), who won the regular-season title outright for the first time since 1999. They were previously seeded a program-best No. 1 in 1999.
Auburn received an at-large bid – its 11th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance next to 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2018 and 2019.
The Tigers are 17-10 (.630) all-time in NCAA Tournament games including 5-2 under Coach Pearl. They are the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region and will play No. 15 seed Jacksonville State (21-10) on Friday, March 18 at a time to be determined in Greenville, S.C. The winner will face either No. 7 USC (26-7) or No. 12 Miami, Fla. (23-10) in the second round on Sunday, March 20.
AU is 13-0 all-time versus JSU having last met in 2013 (W, 78-54). The Gamecocks reached the NCAA Tournament as the regular-season champion of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN Tournament champion Bellarmine was not eligible as a provisional NCAA Division I member).
Auburn went 7-3 this season against NCAA Tournament teams including UConn, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU, Loyola Chicago, Yale and Murray State.
The Tigers were also one of only three No. 1 or No. 2 seeds not picked as the preseason favorite to win their league: No. 1 Gonzaga (1st), No. 1 Arizona (Tied for 4th), No. 1 Kansas (1st), No. 1 Baylor (3rd), No. 2 Duke (1st), No. 2 Villanova (1st), No. 2 Auburn (5th) and No. 2 Kentucky (1st).
No. 2 Seed Auburn To Face No. 15 Seed Jacksonville State In NCAA First Round
