Auburn, the No. 1 general seed, now has an opponent for its first-round sport within the South Area of the NCAA Event on Thursday in Lexington, Ky.
It’ll be in-state foe Alabama State, a 70-68 winner Tuesday evening towards St. Francis (Pa.) within the First 4 in Dayton, Ohio. The Hornets authored a dramatic finishing as Amarr Knox transformed a last-second layup off a deflected length-of-the-floor cross for a 70-68 win.
It used to be the 7th instantly win for Alabama State (20-15), which is 11-1 in its final 12 video games and has the danger to be the 3rd sixteenth seed to overcome a No. 1 seed. UMBC used to be the primary, surprising Virginia in 2018, and Fairleigh Dickinson stunned Purdue in 2023.
“I do know we are going to revel in this this night,” Hornets trainer Tony Madlock mentioned. “We are going to have this bus trip, I suppose a few hours down the street to play in Lexington at Rupp Enviornment. How are you able to beat that for a faculty within the SWAC that has numerous nice custom for us to head play at Rupp Enviornment?”
For Alabama State to have any roughly probability at pulling off a big dissatisfied, it is most certainly going to want to get off to a faster get started than it did on Tuesday whilst enjoying the similar roughly sticky protection that helped it conquer a digital game-long deficit.
It will use extra heroics from Knox, a 6-foot-3 guard who’s moment at the Hornets in scoring at 14.3 issues in line with sport. They will additionally need to play to their energy – taking good care of the ball. Their 8.7 turnovers in line with sport rank 7th in Department I.
The Tigers (28-5) no doubt have the revel in, intensity and quickness to check Alabama State’s talent to price the ball, amongst different sides. Even though Auburn has misplaced 3 of its final 4 video games, together with a 70-65 choice Saturday towards Tennessee within the Southeastern Convention event semifinals, it nonetheless did greater than sufficient to earn the NCAA Event’s most sensible seed.
Trainer Bruce Pearl introduced a heated reaction when a questioner requested after the sport if he used to be pushing the panic button. His son, assistant trainer Stephen Pearl, introduced a extra measured reaction on Tuesday.
“I glance again at our final 10,” he mentioned. “We are 7-3 in our final 10 video games. You’ll be able to’t push the panic button while you lose to 3 most sensible (25) groups within the nation.”
Auburn will probably be led by way of nationwide Participant of the 12 months candidate Johni Broome, a 6-10 senior averaging 18.9 issues, 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a pair of.3 blocked pictures. Broome cannot be blamed for the hot effects, averaging 26.7 ppg within the final 3 video games, together with 23 issues on 9-of-13 capturing from the ground towards Tennessee.
4 of Broome’s teammates moderate in double figures, despite the fact that their scoring has dropped off all through this stretch. Handiest two others had been in additional digits Saturday and simply six gamers scored, a rarity for a group that normally performs 9 males.
The winner advances to the second one around towards both No. 8 seed Louisville or No. 9 seed Creighton.
–Box Stage Media
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