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ESPN analyst explains why Auburn is the 1-seed with the toughest path to the Final Four
By Paul Harvey
Published:
ESPN analyst Sean Farnham is not high on the chances for Auburn to reach the Final Four, in spite of Bruce Pearl and the Tigers locking up the No. 1 overall seed on Sunday.
Auburn was historically strong this season, rolling to an outright SEC basketball title and a 16-5 record in Quad 1 games. However, the Tigers are not entering March Madness on the right foot.
Auburn ended the regular season with back-to-back losses to Texas A&M and Alabama before heading to the SEC Tournament. After scraping past Ole Miss in Nashville, the Tigers were upended by Tennessee, and now Farnham sees a particularly tough draw in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers will begin their journey in the South Region and await their 16-seed opponent. The rest of the bracket, however, features some heavy hitters, including the A&M team that recently beat Auburn and Michigan State as a 2-seed led by legendary head coach Tom Izzo. Louisville, one of the top teams from the ACC, is also included as a probable 2nd-round matchup.
“I think it’s the Auburn Tigers,” said Farnham on Monday’s “Get Up” broadcast about the 1-seed with the toughest path to the national semifinals. “You look at the fact that they’ve got to play Louisville, an 18-win team in the ACC, potentially in their second-round matchup. Their Sweet 16 game could be against Texas A&M, a team that had 24 offensive rebounds and beat them in College Station earlier this month. And then add on top of that a potential matchup in the Elite Eight against Michigan State.
“I think this path is very difficult for the Auburn Tigers.”
The other 1-seeds this year went to Florida (West), Houston (Midwest) and Duke (East). As it relates to Auburn, DraftKings still has the Tigers with the best odds to win the South Region, checking in at -160 in the Final Four odds. Michigan State (+550) is next closest with Iowa State (+750) and Michigan (+1600) well behind.
We’ll see how it shakes out, but there is plenty for Auburn to address heading into the Big Dance.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
