'Berman-ham': March Madness homecoming for Auburn's Lior Berman

AUBURN, Ala. – Lior Berman had a hometown hunch, a perimeter premonition.

“I had a special feeling it was going to happen,” the Auburn senior guard said.

Gathered with his teammates at Neville Arena Sunday to watch the NCAA Tournament pairings, Berman’s prophetic feeling proved accurate when Auburn learned it would be playing Iowa on his 22nd birthday Thursday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, the same venue in which Lior won three high school state championships.

“Really cool,” he said. “I was hoping for that and luckily it happened. Growing up in Birmingham, playing at Mountain Brook High School. To have this one be in Birmingham, it’s like a full circle. It brings back memories. Excited it’s there so my family can come and support. Looking forward to it.”

After Auburn’s postseason destination flashed on the screen on Selection Sunday, Berman casually texted his family group chat: “Well, that’s good.”

“They were super excited because they’re able to come now,” said Berman, who anticipates seeing family members, friends and former teammates in attendance when the ninth-seeded Tigers take on the eighth-seeded Hawkeyes at 5:50 p.m. CT. “Really cool to be able to have them com

Berman has played double digit minutes in five of Auburn’s past seven games, averaging 9.3 minutes per game for the season while shooting 40.7 percent on 3-pointers, second best on the team behind Chris Moore’s 40.9 percent.

His rotations help allow Allen Flanigan to rest so he’ll be fresh for the final minutes, a factor that could be pivotal against an opponent that averages 80.2 points per game, best in the Big Ten.

“They’re a great scoring team,” Berman said. “If we can disrupt them, we’ll be all right.”

When Auburn made its historic Final Four run in 2019, Berman helped his Spartans complete a three-peat, scoring 19 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the 7A championship game before walking on at Auburn, where his role has grown throughout each of his four seasons.

“Each year was equally special,” Berman reminisced. “Being able to compete at that high level and cutting down the nets every year.”

Berman concluded his high school career with a two-handed dunk in the fourth quarter of the 7A championship game, a shining moment he reprised four years later in Auburn’s 79-70 Senior Day win over No. 12 Tennessee on March 4.

“It took me all the way until Senior Night to finally get it done,” he joked. 

n the same way Berman called Auburn’s NCAA Tournament destination, he forecasted his highlight-reel moment.

“Before the game I was talking with my parents, I said, ‘I’ve got to get a dunk in this game somehow,’” he said. “And it actually happens. It was cool to see the Auburn Jungle fully erupt. That was one of the loudest I’ve ever heard them. It just kept getting louder. It was great.

“K.D. (Johnson) made a superstar pass to J-Will (Jaylin Williams), and J-Will right away found me. I was just there to clean it up. I got the pass and got the dunk. A special feeling and a special win.”

“Lior is one of our hardest workers,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “He’s a great teammate. He’s grateful for the opportunity that he’s been given at Auburn, and he goes to work every day trying to reward Auburn for giving him the chance. He’s truly grateful for the opportunity and wants to make the most of it.”

Lior Berman correctly predicted Auburn’s March Madness destination and foreshadowed his dynamic Senior Day dunk. He’s not making any promises about Thursday’s Magic City matchup, but he’s grateful for it.

“To be able to have one more game where we can prove that we can finish the job and get the job done is really special,” he said. “Not everyone gets that opportunity. We’re looking to give it our all.”

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