LEXINGTON, Ky. – Returning to the site of his greatest game at Auburn, Miles Kelly prepared for a Rupp reprise Wednesday during the Tigers’ open practice on the eve of the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m super excited to be back here,” said Kelly, who made a career-high nine 3-pointers on March 1 to lead Auburn over Kentucky, the Tigers’ first win at Rupp since 1988. “When they said we were coming back to Rupp and Lexington, my eyes lit up. I can’t wait to get out there and do it again.”
After going 28-5 and winning the SEC regular season championship, Auburn’s 10 seniors hope to prolong their college careers for three more weekends in Lexington, Atlanta and San Antonio.
“We know the job we have to do,” said Denver Jones, whose 41.6% 3-point percentage leads the team. “We’ve all got the same mindset as far as making it to the championship game. That will be the best way to go out.”
Auburn faces a familiar opponent in Thursday’s first round in Alabama State. The Hornets scored on a last-second layup to beat Saint Francis Tuesday in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.
“They’re going to bring it,” said Auburn senior Chaney Johnson. “A lot of those guys probably believe they could be at Auburn, so they’ll be playing with a chip on their shoulder. We’re trying to regain that chip on our shoulder and trying to get hot so we can make a deep run.”
“They’re a really good team,” freshman Tahaad Pettiford said. “They have some good guards. If we play our game and do what we have to do, we’ll be good.”
Last season, Auburn beat Alabama State, coached by former Auburn assistant Tony Madlock, by 20 points at Neville Arena on Dec. 22, 2023.
“We are very familiar with them,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “We played them last year, and they actually outplayed us in the second half. We know we have our hands full with a very quick, deep, athletic, well-coached basketball team.”
For All-American Johni Broome, who played his first two college basketball seasons 65 miles east of Lexington at Morehead State, Auburn’s opening-rounds venue presents the opportunity for a homecoming.
“I’ve got some people coming from Kentucky, my old friends,” said Broome, Auburn’s leading scorer and rebounder. “it’ll be a fun experience to play at Rupp Arena in Kentucky again.”
The No.1 overall seed, Auburn (28-5) plays 16th-seeded Alabama State (20-15) Thursday at 1:50 p.m. CT on CBS and the Auburn Sports Network. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will provide play-by-play and analysis.
“This team is prepared. This team is confident,” Pearl said. “The biggest thing that we've got to do is we've got to defend and rebound. Defense and rebounding every night, every possession, will carry you through this tournament. You have to bring that.
“We are six wins away from achieving what our real goal is, which is to win the national championship. We recognize that at any stop, including tomorrow, we could lose. We're going to do everything we possibly can to not.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer