Auburn vs Alabama State prediction for March Madness first round

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Will Auburn prevail against the red-hot Hornets on Thursday?

After two days of waiting, Auburn basketball finally learned who it would face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Auburn, the top overall seed of the NCAA Tournament, draws Alabama State from nearby Montgomery after the Hornets stunned St. Francis on Tuesday during the NCAA First Four. Despite being outplayed offensively, Alabama State outscored the Red Flash, 36-29 in the second half to secure the 70-68 win. Sophomore Guard Amarr Knox sealed the win with a layup with 0:01 remaining in the second half. He finished the game with a team-leading 16 points and two steals.

How does Auburn stack up with Alabama State? Here is a full breakdown of the matchup ahead of Thursday’s tipoff.

How the Alabama State Hornets got here

The Hornets upset Jackson State in the SWAC Championship Game to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. In Tuesday’s First Four game with St. Francis, the Hornets shot 43% from the field, 31% from three-point land, and an abysmal 25% from the free-throw stripe. Alabama State trailed for more than 30 minutes of game time and was behind by as many as nine points. However, they connected on four of their final five field goals including the last-second layup to earn the win.

Auburn wrapped up the SEC regular season championship on March 1 with a win over Kentucky in the very building they will play their NCAA first round game, Rupp Arena. The Tigers won 15 of their first 16 SEC games before dropping three of its final four games, including its most recent loss to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament semifinals. Auburn grabbed the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament by boasting a 16-5 record against Quad-1 competition, two wins more than Houston, the No. 2 team in the category.

Players to watch

Auburn’s player to watch is forward Johni Broome. Broome has first-team honors from several outlets and is in the running to win a few more after ending the regular season averaging 18.9 points and 10.9 rebounds…

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Publish date : 2025-03-19 17:30:00

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