Auburn's March Madness 2025 bracket considered the toughest by USA TODAY's Blake Toppmeyer
Auburn's March Madness 2025 bracket considered the toughest by USA TODAY's Blake Toppmeyer Blake Toppmeyer of USA TODAY Sports forecasts Auburn to have a challenging road to the Final Four.
Auburn basketball was awarded the overall No. 1 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament. However, the title has little merit when it comes to the difficulty of the draw.
Despite earning the top overall seed, Blake Toppmeyer of USA TODAY Sports says the South regional is the toughest of this year's NCAA Tournament. Toppmeyer predicts that Auburn will hit a roadblock in the second round.
Auburn earned the tournament's No. 1 overall seed. Its prize: A potential second-round game against No. 8 Louisville, in Lexington, Kentucky. That's not a prize. That's a boobytrap. I rate Louisville, which won 27 games, as the tournament's best No. 8 seed. Elsewhere in Auburn's South Region lurks No. 2 Michigan State, the Big Ten's regular-season champion, and No. 5 Michigan, the Big Ten Tournament champion. Also lurking in the South is No. 3 Iowa State, which lost to Auburn by just two points in November.
Auburn's potential second-round matchup with Louisville could be the most intriguing of the weekend. Sure, Auburn trumps the Cardinals in both ESPN's Basketball Power Index and KenPom, but Louisville's proximity to Rupp Arena in Lexington, where the game will be held, could create a disadvantage for the Tigers.
Outside of the first two rounds, Auburn could meet Big Ten tournament champion Michigan or SEC foe Texas A&M in the Sweet 16, with the possibility of facing Tom Izzo's Michigan State squad or a rematch with Iowa State in the Elite 8 on the table.
The draw could be challenging for the Tigers, but the possible revitalization of Auburn in the NCAA Tournament could lead to new heights for the program.
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