Bruce Alan Pearl is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team. He previously served in the same position for Tennessee, Milwaukee, and Southern Indiana. Pearl led Southern Indiana to a Division II national championship in 1995, during which he was named Division II Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Neville Arena, formerly Auburn Arena, is a 9,121-seat multi-purpose arena in Auburn, Alabama, on the campus of Auburn University. Built in 2010 to replace Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum, the $86 million facility is the home of the Auburn Tigers men's and women's basketball, women's gymnastics, and women's volleyball teams. It is located on the west side of the Auburn campus, near Wire Road between Thach Avenue and Heisman Drive. Aside from the main court, the arena also contains two practice courts, a weight room, 12 suites, coaches offices, the Auburn Ticket Office, and the Lovelace Athletic Museum. The outside of the arena features a large monument to the Auburn Creed and a statue of former Auburn men's basketball player Charles Barkley.
The Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in NCAA Division I's Southeastern Conference (SEC). Home games are played in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.
Charles H. "Sonny" Smith is a retired American college basketball coach. Originally from Roan Mountain, Tennessee, Smith served as a head coach for 22 seasons. Best known as the head coach at Auburn from 1978 to 1989, he also coached at East Tennessee State (1976–1978) and VCU (1989–1998). Smith won the 1985 SEC tournament championship while at Auburn, and won both the CAA regular season and tournament titles in 1996 while at VCU. He made six NCAA tournament appearances as a head coach, five at Auburn and one at VCU. Smith was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball team that represents Auburn University. The school competes in the Southeastern Conference 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 program began in 1906, and is currently coached by Bruce Pearl.
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball program is the men's college basketball team of the University of Kentucky. It has eight NCAA championships, the best all-time winning percentage, and the most all-time victories. The Wildcats compete in the Southeastern Conference and are coached by Mark Pope.
The Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team is the collegiate men's basketball program for the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Volunteers play their home games in Thompson–Boling Arena, on a court nicknamed "the Summitt", after former Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt. With a current capacity of 21,678, Tennessee has consistently ranked in the top 15 in the nation in terms of volume of attendance, averaging 14,817 attendance from 1988 through 2006, and averaging 17,194 attendance from 2007 through 2018 after reducing seating capacity prior to the 2007 season. Historically, Tennessee ranks third in the SEC in all-time wins. Many notable players have played collegiately at Tennessee—players such as Bernard King, Dale Ellis, Allan Houston, Tobias Harris, and Grant Williams who all play(ed) in the NBA. Chris Lofton, Ron Slay, Tyler Smith, and John Fulkerson are also notable players who later played professionally in other leagues.
The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. WVU has won 13 conference tournament championships, and has 31 appearances in the NCAA tournament, including two Final Fours, most recently in 2010. The Mountaineers have also appeared in 16 National Invitation Tournaments (NIT), and have won the tournament twice, in 1942 and 2007. The 1942 NIT Championship is claimed by West Virginia as a National Championship.
The Alabama–Auburn men's basketball rivalry is a men's college basketball rivalry between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Though both schools are best known for their prestigious football programs, the deeply rooted rivalry between the two extends to basketball as well.
The 2014–15 LSU Tigers basketball team represented Louisiana State University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Johnny Jones, who was in his third season at LSU. They played their home games at Pete Maravich Assembly Center as members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 22–11, 11–7 in SEC play to finish in a four-way tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Auburn. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the second round to NC State.
The 1998–99 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University in the 1998–99 college basketball season. The team's head coach was Cliff Ellis, who was in his fifth season at Auburn. The team played their home games at Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 29–4, 14–2 in SEC play to win the SEC regular season championship. They defeated Alabama to advance to the semifinals of the SEC tournament where they lost to Kentucky. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Winthrop and Oklahoma State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to Ohio State.
The 1999–2000 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University in the 1999–2000 college basketball season. The team's head coach was Cliff Ellis, who was in his sixth season at Auburn. The team played their home games at Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 24–10, 9–7 in SEC play. They defeated Florida and South Carolina to advance to the SEC tournament championship game where they lost to Arkansas. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Creighton to advance to the Second Round where they lost to Iowa State.
The 1987–88 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University in the 1987–88 college basketball season. The team's head coach was Sonny Smith, who was in his tenth season at Auburn. The team played their home games at Joel H. Eaves Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 19–11, 11–7 in SEC play. They lost to Georgia in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Bradley to advance to the Second Round where they lost to Oklahoma.
The 1986–87 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University in the 1986–87 college basketball season. The team's head coach was Sonny Smith, who was in his ninth season at Auburn. The team played their home games at Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 18–13, 9–9 in SEC play. They defeated Kentucky to advance to the semifinals of the SEC tournament where they lost to Alabama. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated San Diego to advance to the Second Round where they lost to Indiana.
The 2017–18 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by third-year head coach Avery Johnson and played its home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 20–16, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They defeated Texas A&M and Auburn in the SEC tournament before losing in the semifinals to Kentucky. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Virginia Tech in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Villanova.
The 2018–19 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The team's head coach was Bruce Pearl in his 5th season at Auburn. The team played their home games at the Auburn Arena in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 30–10, 11–7 in SEC play. They defeated Missouri, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee to win the SEC tournament. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated New Mexico State, Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky to advance to their first Final Four in school history where they lost to Virginia.
The 2021–22 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The team's head coach was Bruce Pearl in his eighth season at Auburn. The team played their home games at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 28–6, 15–3 in SEC play to finish as regular season champions. As the No. 1 seed, they were defeated by No. 8 seed Texas A&M in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region, where they defeated Jacksonville State in the First Round before being upset by Miami in the Second Round.
The 1984-85 LSU Tigers men's basketball team represented Louisiana State University during the 1984–85 NCAA men's college basketball season. The head coach was Dale Brown. The team was a member of the Southeastern Conference and played their home games at LSU Assembly Center.
The 1983–84 Richmond Spiders men's basketball team represented the University of Richmond in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball during the 1983–84 season. Richmond competed as a member of the ECAC South under head basketball coach Dick Tarrant and played its home games at the Robins Center.
The 2022–23 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The team's head coach was Bruce Pearl in his ninth season at Auburn. The team played their home games at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 20–11, 10–8 in SEC play to finish in seventh. As the No. 7 seed, they were defeated by No. 10 seed Arkansas in the second round. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region, where they defeated Iowa in the First Round before falling to Houston in the Second Round.
