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The Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represents Auburn University and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Tigers have had 20 head coaches since the program began in 1906, and have won six conference regular-season championships and three SEC tournament championships. Auburn's basketball program has produced 36 NBA draft picks, including 10 first-round selections. The team plays its home games at Neville Arena, which has a capacity of 9,121, making it the smallest men's basketball arena in the SEC.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the basketball team | Auburn Tigers |
| University | Auburn University |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference (SEC) |
| Division | Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) |
| Home games venue | Neville Arena |
| Location | Auburn, Alabama |
| Seating capacity | 9,121 |
| Current coach | Bruce Pearl |
| Number of conference regular season championships | 6 |
| Number of SEC tournament championships | 3 |
| Number of appearances in the NCAA tournament | 14 |
| Number of NBA draft picks | 36 |
| Number of first-round picks in the NBA draft | 10 |
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What You'll Learn
Auburn Tigers men's basketball history
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represents Auburn University and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Tigers have a rich basketball history dating back to the early 20th century.
The program began in 1906 with Mike "Iron Mike" Donahue as the first head coach. Donahue held the position for 16 seasons, the longest tenure in the program's history. In the early years, Auburn played in the Southern Conference, winning a championship in 1928.
Over the years, Auburn has had notable success in men's basketball, appearing in the NCAA tournament 14 times and advancing to the Final Four in 2019 and 2025. They have won six conference regular-season championships and three SEC tournament championships. Auburn's home court, the Neville Arena, has been witness to many of these triumphs, with the Tigers boasting a strong home-court advantage.
Auburn has produced 36 NBA draft picks, including 10 first-round selections. The most notable draft pick in recent years is Jabari Smith, who was selected third overall in 2022, the highest in Auburn's history.
The current head coach, Bruce Pearl, has been at the helm since 2014. Pearl has guided Auburn to three SEC regular-season championships and two SEC tournament championships. In 2025, Pearl surpassed Joel Eaves to become the winningest coach in Auburn basketball history, with over 200 wins.
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Auburn Tigers head coaches
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represents Auburn University and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Auburn Tigers basketball program began in 1906 and has had 20 head coaches so far. The current head coach is Bruce Pearl, who joined in 2014. He is the school's all-time leader in wins and has led the Tigers to their first-ever number one spot. Pearl previously served as the head coach for Tennessee, Milwaukee, and Southern Indiana, where he won a Division II national championship in 1995 and was named Division II Coach of the Year.
Joel Eaves was Auburn's 12th head coach, coaching from 1949 to 1963. He was a former Auburn football and basketball player and led the team to its first SEC championship in 1960. Sonny Smith was the 15th head coach, serving from 1978 to 1989. During his tenure, Smith guided Auburn to the NCAA tournament in five consecutive seasons, including a run to the Elite Eight in 1986.
Mike "Iron Mike" Donahue was Auburn's first head coach, starting the program in 1906 and coaching for 16 seasons—the longest tenure in the program's history. In addition to basketball, Donahue also coached football, baseball, track, and soccer at Auburn. Ralph "Shug" Jordan, who coached from 1933 to 1942, was another early head coach for the Auburn Tigers. He also had a background in football, serving as an assistant coach and later as the head football coach at Auburn.
Under Bruce Pearl's leadership, the Auburn Tigers have experienced success, including appearances in the NCAA tournament and advancing to the Final Four in 2019 and 2025. Pearl has achieved a winning record at Auburn and surpassed Joel Eaves to become the winningest coach in the program's history.
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Auburn Tigers in the NCAA tournament
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represents Auburn University and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Auburn Tigers basketball program began in 1906 and has had 20 head coaches, including the current coach, Bruce Pearl.
The Tigers have had success in the NCAA tournament, appearing 14 times and reaching the Final Four in 2019 and 2025. In 1984, Sonny Smith led Auburn to its first-ever NCAA tournament, and in 1985, the team won its first SEC tournament championship. The Tigers have won the SEC tournament three times, with the most recent victory in 2024 under Bruce Pearl. They have also won six conference regular-season championships, including the SEC championship in 1960 under coach Joel Eaves and four additional SEC championships in 1999, 2018, 2022, and 2025.
Auburn has produced 36 NBA draft picks, including 10 first-round selections. The highest draft pick in Auburn's history was Jabari Smith, selected third overall in the 2022 draft. The Tigers play their home games at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, which has a seating capacity of 9,121, making it the smallest men's basketball arena in the SEC.
In 2025, the Auburn Tigers were chosen as the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA tournament by the selection committee. This was a historic achievement for the team, as they received one of a league-record 14 bids from the SEC. Auburn faced the Alabama State-St. Francis winner in the first round in Lexington, Kentucky, on their path to the Final Four.
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Auburn Tigers NBA draft picks
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represents Auburn University and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Tigers have a rich history in the sport, with their programme beginning in 1906 under their first head coach, Mike "Iron Mike" Donahue.
Over the years, Auburn has produced numerous talented basketball players who have gone on to be selected in the NBA draft. In total, the Tigers have had 36 players drafted into the NBA, including 10 first-round picks. One of the most notable Auburn players to be drafted in recent years is Jabari Smith, who was selected with the third overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, the highest pick in Auburn's history. Other first-round picks include Isaac Okoro, who was selected in the 2020 draft, and Chuma Okeke, who was drafted 16th overall by the Orlando Magic in 2019.
The Tigers have also had success in the NCAA tournament, appearing 14 times and reaching the Final Four in 2019 and 2025. They have won six regular-season conference championships, including four SEC championships, and three SEC tournament championships. Auburn's home games are played at Neville Arena, which has a seating capacity of 9,121, making it the smallest men's basketball arena in the SEC.
The current head coach of the Auburn Tigers is Bruce Pearl, who surpassed Joel Eaves to become the winningest coach in Auburn basketball history in 2025. Under Pearl's leadership, the Tigers have won three SEC tournament championships and two SEC regular-season championships.
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Auburn Tigers home games
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represents Auburn University and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Tigers play their home games at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, on the university campus. The arena was initially named Auburn Arena but was renamed in 2022. It has a seating capacity of 9,121, making it the smallest men's basketball arena in the SEC. Aside from the main court, the arena also contains two practice courts, a weight room, coaches' offices, and the Lovelace Athletic Museum.
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball program began in 1906 and has had 20 head coaches throughout its history. The current coach is Bruce Pearl, who became the winningest coach in Auburn basketball history in 2025. The team has won six conference regular-season championships, including one Southern Conference championship in 1928 and four SEC championships in 1960, 1999, 2018, and 2022. They have also appeared in the NCAA tournament 14 times, reaching the Final Four in 2019 and 2025.
Auburn's first game in the newly renamed Neville Arena was played on November 12, 2010, against UNC Asheville, resulting in a loss for Auburn in overtime. Their first win at the arena came shortly after on November 21, 2010, when they defeated Middle Tennessee 68-66. Auburn has a strong basketball rivalry with the Alabama team, dating back to 1924 when the two teams first met in the Southern Conference Tournament.
Looking ahead to the 2025-26 season, the Auburn Tigers have several home games scheduled at Neville Arena. These include matches against Bethune-Cookman, Merrimack, Wofford, Jackson State, and NC State.
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Frequently asked questions
Auburn Tigers men's basketball team plays in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The SEC was formed in 1932 when its members left the Southern Conference. Auburn won its first SEC championship in 1960.
Auburn has won six conference regular season championships and three SEC tournament championships.
Auburn play their home games at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, which has a seating capacity of 9,121, making it the smallest men's basketball arena in the SEC.
