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.

It’s the Alabama State Hornets vs the Auburn Tigers in the March Madness bracket. Here’s our prediction, pick for the 2025 NCAA Tournament basketball game.

Auburn exited the SEC tournament in the semifinals and now goes into the NCAA tournament having lost three of its last four games

Alabama State kicked off the 2025 edition of March Madness with a thrilling 70-68 win over Saint Francis (PA) in the First Four of the men’s basketball tournament Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio.

Alabama State basketball got its March Madness miracle with a First Four win over Saint Francis in the NCAA Tournament. Here's how it went down.

NCAA Tournament kicked off in earnest Tuesday in epic fashion as Alabama State stunned Saint Francis in the first game of the First Four with a last-second shot to take down the Panthers, 70-68. The Hornets ran an inbounds play with 3.