Alabama State will seek to keep its March Madness magic alive when the No. 16 seeded HBCU hoops champions face No.1 seed Auburn (28-5) on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament South Region first-round game at Rupp Arena.
The Hornets earned a first-round appearance against their in-state SEC foe after defeating Saint Francis 70-68 on Tuesday in First Four action in Dayton, Ohio. With the ball out of bounds and seconds to play in the contest, Hornets 6-foot-2 junior guard Micah Simpson lobbed a hail-mary pass down the court to his teammate, and 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Amarr Knox converted on a game-winning layup to lift ASU to its first NCAA tournament victory in program history.
Tuesday’s win marked Alabama State’s first NCAA tournament victory. The HBCU lost its previous NCAA tourney matchups that included Michigan State (2001), Duke (2004), Morehead State (2009), and UTSA (2011).
Auburn enters Thursday’s game as the top overall seed in this year’s men’s tournament. The Tigers lost to Tennessee 70-65 on Saturday in the semifinals of the SEC tournament. Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl led Auburn to its third SEC regular season title this season and the sixth in program history.
Series history between Alabama State, Auburn
Now, Alabama State head coach Tony Madlock will strive to guide his Hornets’ squad to a victory against the top team in the country in an Alabama showdown. Thursday’s contest marks the 10th meeting between the two teams, with the Tigers winning all previous contests against the in-state HBCU.
The last meeting between the Hornets and the Tigers took place on Dec. 3, 2015, when Auburn defeated Alabama State 80-78 in Montgomery, Alabama.
Key players for Auburn
The Tigers are led by Associated Press first-team All-American and 6-foot-10 fifth-year center Johni Broome, 6-foot-7 senior guard/forward Chad Baker-Mazara, 6-foot-6 senior guard Miles Kelly, 6-foot-1 freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford and 6-foot-4 senior guard Denver Jones.
Statistically, Broome averages a double-double, registering 18.9 points, a team-high 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game. Baker Mazaras serves as Auburn’s second-leading scorer, averaging 12.6 points, followed by Kelly with 11.5 points, Pettiford with 11 points and Jones with 10.7 points per contest.
Other key contributors for the Tigers include 6-foot-7 senior forward Chaney Johnson, 6-foot-11 fifth-year center Dylan Cardwell and 6-foot-6 fifth-year forward Chris Moore. As a team, Auburn sits No. 10 nationally in points per game (83.8) and 24th in field goal percentage (48.3%).
Key players for Alabama State
The Hornets are led by first-team All-SWAC tournament selections in 6-foot-2 senior guard CJ Hines and 6-foot-3 senior guard TJ Madlock, along with Knox, 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Jasteven Walker and 6-foot-5 senior guard Micah Octave.
Currently, Knox leads the Hornets in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game. In the Hornets’ win against the Red Flash, Knox finished with 16 points and two steals. Hines, the team’s second-leading contributor, averages 14.3 points per contest. Madlock, the son of Hornets’ head coach, averages 12.6 per game, followed by Walker with 5.3 and Octave with 5.1 points per game.
The game will tip off at 2:50 p.m. (ET) in Lexington, Kentucky and will be televised on CBS.
