Andrew Pace
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball team has been chasing its first national basketball championship, led by Wooden Award candidate Johni Broome. The team has had 20 head coaches since the program began in 1906, and is currently coached by Bruce Pearl, who is credited with turning Auburn into a basketball school. Auburn has won six conference regular season championships and three SEC tournament championships, and has appeared in the NCAA tournament 14 times, making it as far as the Final Four in 2019 and 2025.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year the program began | 1906 |
| Current coach | Bruce Pearl |
| First head coach | Mike "Iron Mike" Donahue |
| Longest-serving head coach | Mike "Iron Mike" Donahue (16 seasons) |
| First on-campus basketball facility | Alumni Gymnasium |
| Year of the first SEC tournament championship | 1985 |
| Number of conference regular season championships | 6 |
| Number of SEC tournament championships | 3 |
| Number of appearances in the NCAA tournament | 14 |
| Best NCAA tournament result | Final Four (2019, 2025) |
| Number of All-American players | 14 |
| Number of All-SEC selections | 102 |
| Number of NBA draft picks | 36 |
| Highest NBA draft pick | Jabari Smith (3rd overall, 2022) |
| SEC Players of the Year | Charles Barkley (1984), Chris Porter (1999), Johni Broome (2025) |
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What You'll Learn
Bruce Pearl's coaching
Bruce Pearl is the current head coach of the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team. He has had a long and successful career as a basketball coach, with his teams making 16 NCAA Tournament appearances and achieving 26 NCAA Tournament wins. Pearl has garnered six National Coach of the Year awards and his teams have set school records for wins at two different universities.
Pearl's coaching career began at his alma mater, Boston College, as a student assistant coach to Tom Davis. He then moved to Stanford in 1982, where he helped end a streak of 20 consecutive losing seasons. Pearl got his first head-coaching job at Southern Indiana in 1992, where he led the Screaming Eagles to nine consecutive NCAA D-II tournaments and won four Great Lakes Valley Conference titles. In 1995, Pearl won the Division II national championship and was named Division II Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Pearl has also served as the head coach at Milwaukee, Tennessee, and Auburn. At Milwaukee, he led the Panthers to two Horizon League regular-season titles and two Horizon League Tournament championships. During his time at Tennessee, Pearl guided the Vols to the Elite Eight for the first time in the program's history and won the 2008 regular-season SEC championship.
Pearl's coaching style is characterised by his ability to lead his teams to success. He has a strong record of achieving wins and making NCAA Tournament appearances. Pearl has also been involved in some controversies during his career, including a recruiting scandal while he was an assistant coach at Iowa. However, he has overall had a positive impact on the teams he has coached.
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Auburn's first on-campus basketball facility
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball programme represents Auburn University and competes in the Southeastern Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The team has had 20 head coaches since the programme began in 1906, with Mike "Iron Mike" Donahue serving as the first coach.
In 1969, the Auburn Sports Arena was replaced by the Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, a 10,500-seat multi-purpose arena. The original coliseum was named Memorial Coliseum, but it was renamed in 1987 after former player and coach Joel Eaves. In 1993, it was renamed again to include the name of former Auburn athletic director Jeff Beard.
In 2007, Auburn announced plans to build a new basketball arena and practice facilities, which were completed for the 2010-2011 season. The new arena, initially named Auburn Arena, cost $92.5 million to build. The arena was renamed Neville Arena in 2022 and has a capacity of 9,121 seats. It is located on the west side of the Auburn campus and is home to the Auburn Tigers men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the women's gymnastics and volleyball teams.
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Auburn's first NCAA tournament
Auburn first participated in the NCAA Tournament in 1984 under head coach Sonny Smith, who led the team to the NCAA tournament for five consecutive seasons from 1984 to 1988. In 1985, Smith also coached Auburn to its first SEC tournament championship.
In 1999, under head coach Cliff Ellis, Auburn achieved its first-ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. That year, the Tigers won the SEC regular-season championship and reached the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament.
Auburn has since appeared in the NCAA tournament numerous times, including in 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. In 2019, head coach Bruce Pearl led Auburn to its first-ever Final Four. In 2025, Pearl became the winningest coach in Auburn basketball history, surpassing Joel Eaves. That year, Auburn earned a historic No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
Overall, Auburn has appeared in the NCAA tournament 14 times, with a combined record of 23-14. The Tigers have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) six times, with a combined record of 4-6.
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Auburn's Final Four run
Auburn Tigers men's basketball team has had a successful few years, reaching the Final Four in 2019 and 2025. The team has a long history, with the program beginning in 1906, and has had 20 head coaches in that time, including the current coach, Bruce Pearl.
The 2019 run was an important moment in the team's history, with the Tigers making their first-ever Final Four appearance. They beat Michigan State in the South Regional final, committing only six turnovers, just one off their tournament record. This was an impressive achievement, with Pearl leading the team to the Elite Eight, improving their NCAA Division I Tournament record.
The 2025 run saw the Tigers reach the Final Four for the second time. Again, they overcame Michigan State in the South Regional final, this time by a score of 70-64. This win was thanks in part to a strong start and a valiant effort from Broome, who scored the final four points to give Auburn a halftime lead. The Tigers then faced Florida in the Final Four, with the Gators' ability to turn games around in a matter of minutes being a key challenge for Auburn to overcome.
The team's success has been built on a strong foundation, with Auburn having won six conference regular-season championships and three SEC tournament championships. The Tigers have also appeared in the NCAA tournament 14 times and have produced 36 NBA draft picks, including the highest in the team's history, Jabari Smith, selected third overall in 2022.
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Auburn's basketball players
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball team has a long and illustrious history, with the program beginning in 1906 under the guidance of head coach Mike "Iron Mike" Donahue. Since then, Auburn has had 20 different head coaches, with the current coach being Bruce Pearl.
Some notable achievements of Auburn's basketball team include appearing in the NCAA tournament 14 times, reaching the Final Four in 2019 and 2025, and winning six conference regular-season championships and three SEC tournament championships. Auburn's first head coach, Mike Donahue, laid the foundation for the program's success, coaching for 16 seasons—the longest tenure of any men's basketball coach at Auburn. He also served as the athletic director and coached other sports teams at the university.
One of the most iconic names in Auburn basketball history is Charles Barkley, who was named SEC Player of the Year in 1984. Other notable players include Chris Porter, the SEC Player of the Year in 1999, and Johni Broome, who received the same honour in 2025. Auburn has produced 36 NBA draft picks, with Jabari Smith being selected third overall in 2022—the highest pick in the university's history.
The team has played in several arenas over the years, starting with the Alumni Gymnasium in 1916 and moving to the Auburn Sports Arena in 1946, affectionately nicknamed "The Barn." The current home of the Auburn Tigers is the Neville Arena, a 10,500-seat multipurpose venue on the university campus.
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Frequently asked questions
The Auburn Tigers.
Bruce Pearl.
The Auburn Tigers have won six conference regular-season championships and three SEC tournament championships. They have appeared in the NCAA tournament 14 times, making it as far as the Final Four in 2019 and 2025. 14 Auburn players have been named All-Americans, and Auburn has had 102 All-SEC selections.
