Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers have rocketed into the top tier of college basketball, playing before sold-out, orange-and-blue crowds at Neville Arena. Under Bruce Pearl, Auburn basketball has become known for its athleticism, depth, and NBA-level talent, a stark change from its long-quiet history in football-obsessed Auburn. The program's rise has made Neville Arena one of the toughest environments in the SEC. Auburn now enters seasons as a legitimate national title contender.

Auburn has never won a national championship, but the program reached its first Final Four in 2019 under coach Bruce Pearl, upsetting Kentucky and North Carolina along the way. The Tigers have also won multiple SEC regular-season titles in the 2020s and produced top NBA draft picks. The Bruce Pearl era, beginning in 2014, has been by far the most successful stretch in the program's history.