The top-seeded Tigers will face No. 16 seed Alabama State on Thursday at 1:50 p.m. CT in Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The Hornets earned the right to face Auburn by defeating St. Francis on Tuesday, 70-68. Alabama State secured the win thanks to an Amarr Knight layup with 0:01 remaining in the game.

Now facing the Hornets for the seventh time in program history, this will be biggest game in this lopsided rivalry. Auburn is 6-0 in the all-time series with Alabama State.

March Madness is off to a sour start for the Auburn Tigers. Bruce Pearl's squad fell in the SEC Tournament semifinals on Saturday to Tennessee for its third loss over its last four games since the calendar flipped to March. Now, the Tigers must work to improve their recent struggles and focus on winning the NCAA Tournament crown.