Auburn placed in Baton Rouge Regional: Three reasons why this draw is a fortuitous one for Auburn going to LSU
At the end of a bumpy regular season, Auburn is headed to NCAA Regionals after all. And, after all, the draw could've been a lot worse for Auburn. Here's an explainer.
Call Baton Rouge.
The Auburn gymnastics team is headed back to LSU’s Pete Maravich Center for NCAA Regionals — and the draw could’ve been a lot worse for the Tigers.
Auburn heard word of its postseason positioning like everyone else during the NCAA’s selection show Monday morning on ESPNU.
The Tigers were seen jumping for joy in the locker room on the broadcast when they saw their name on the big screen.
Auburn in the regional semifinal will be grouped with second-seeded LSU, 15th-seeded Clemson, and the winner of the play-in between Nebraska and Air Force.
Auburn’s regional semifinal is set for 7 p.m. April 2 and is scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+.
If the Tigers advance to the regional final, the regional final is scheduled for 5 p.m. April 4 on ESPN+.
The opposite regional semifinal in Baton Rouge features seventh-seeded Stanford, 10th-seeded Michigan, North Carolina and Utah State.
Auburn entered the selection at No. 17 in National Qualifying Score. Auburn’s late fall from No. 16 to No. 17 may well have played to Auburn’s favor: In the NCAA postseason, the top 1-16 teams are given national seeds and paired together fairly. Teams 17-36 fill out the bracket by being placed geographically. The geographic component is what put Auburn in Baton Rouge. If Auburn were a No. 16 seed, it would’ve been sent to compete with the No. 1, No. 7 and No. 8 seeds no matter where they were.
Here are three reasons why the Baton Rouge Regional was the best spot for Auburn to land after all: