CBS Sports breaks down Auburn's March Madness 2025 bracket draw

[ASFN Admin]

The Auburn Tigers have claimed the overall No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history this season and will be a No. 1 seed for just the second time ever, its first since the 1998-99 season.

How will the Tigers be rewarded? CBS Sports believes the Tigers can make a run to the Final Four despite a challenging March Madness draw. Issac Trotter of CBS Sports tabbed Auburn as a "winner" on Selection Sunday due to the matchups that the Tigers received.

Defensively, Trotter expects Auburn to be a problem with their lockdown three-point defense in its first two games, especially in the second round.

(Louisville and Creighton) rank in the top-20 in 3-point rate. They need 3s to win. Auburn is one of the elite 3-point defenses in the sport. Pearl has this team blanketing the 3-point stripe left and right: No high-major team allowed less treys than the Tigers.

Strong defensive play over the first two games could lead to strong offensive performances in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. Auburn, who enters the NCAA Tournament with the second-highest efficient offense in the country, will not face many high-powered offenses before the Final Four.

Since Feb. 1, there is just one other top-20 offense in this region: No. 6 seed Ole Miss. Fourth-seeded Texas A&M is 45th. Fifth-seeded Michigan is 102nd. Second-seeded Michigan State is 57th. No. 3 seed Iowa State is 40th, and starting guard Keshon Gilbert is sidelined for the not-so-distant future. That's the batch of top contenders that has to outlast an Auburn team that built one of the highest-rated offenses of the modern era.

Auburn basketball will face either Alabama State or St. Francis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. The battle of the No. 16 seeds will take place Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio.

This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: CBS Sports examines Auburn's 'tough' March Madness draw

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