LEXINGTON, Ky. — To Bruce Pearl, Auburn basketball feels as prepared as it ever has for the NCAA Tournament.

“Our goals might be higher, because of that,” he said Wednesday. “Like, I would like to win the South Region and get to the Final Four. That’s what the No. 1 seed should do.”

None of that, however, means it’ll be easy. That starts Thursday (1:50 p.m. CT, CBS), when the Tigers square off with 16-seed Alabama State, playing a team 55 miles from them while two states over.

The two faced off last season, and Auburn won easily, by a 20-point margin. But the Hornets won for 20 minutes, out-scoring the Tigers in the second half.

“We recognize that (difficulty),” Pearl said. “And we’re good enough to accomplish it.”

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If you’re looking to tune into the start of Auburn’s March Madness run, here’s everything you need to know for how to watch.

What time do Auburn basketball and Alabama State play today?

• Start time: 1:50 p.m. CT
• Date: Thursday, March 20
• Location: Rupp Arena (Lexington, Ky.)

What channel is Auburn basketball vs. Alabama State on today?

• TV channel: CBS
• Streaming:Paramount+

It’ll be Brian Anderson doing play-by-play alongside color commentator Jim Jackson. Allie LaForce will serve as the game’s sideline reporter.

Listen live: Auburn basketball vs. Alabama State on the radio

Thursday’s game will be broadcast live on WLWI FM (92.3) in Montgomery and WGZZ FM (94.3) in Auburn. The radio call can also be streamed online. Here are the announcers:

• Play-by-play: Andy Burcham
• Analysis/Color: Randall Dickey

Auburn basketball schedule for 2024-25 season

PRICES, HOW TO BUY: Tickets for Auburn basketball’s NCAA Tournament games in Lexington

Record: 28-5, 15-3 SEC

• Nov. 6: No. 11 Auburn 94, Vermont 43
• Nov. 9: No. 11 Auburn 74, No. 4 Houston 69*
• Nov. 13: No. 5 Auburn 79, Kent State 56
• Nov. 18: No. 4 Auburn 102, North Alabama 69
• Nov. 25: No. 4 Auburn 83, No. 5 Iowa State 81*
• Nov. 26: No. 4 Auburn 85, No. 13 North Carolina 72*
• Nov. 27: No. 4 Auburn 90, Memphis 76*
• Dec. 4: No. 9 Duke 84, No. 2 Auburn 78
• Dec. 8: No. 2 Auburn 98, Richmond 54
• Dec. 14: No. 2 Auburn 91, Ohio State 53*
• Dec. 17: No. 2 Auburn 100, Georgia State 59
• Dec. 21: No. 2 Auburn 87, No. 16 Purdue 69*
• Dec. 30: No. 2 Auburn 87, Monmouth 58
• Jan. 4: No. 2 Auburn 84, Missouri 68
• Jan. 7: No. 2 Auburn 87, Texas 82
• Jan. 11: No. 2 Auburn 66, South Carolina 63
• Jan. 14: No. 1 Auburn 88, No. 15 Mississippi State 66
• Jan. 18: No. 1 Auburn 70, No. 23 Georgia 68
• Jan. 25: No. 1 Auburn 53, No. 6 Tennessee 51
• Jan. 29: No. 1 Auburn 87, LSU 74
• Feb. 1: No. 1 Auburn 92 No. 23 Ole Miss 82
• Feb. 4: No. 1 Auburn 98, Oklahoma 70
• Feb. 8: No. 6 Florida 90, No. 1 Auburn 81
• Feb. 11: No. 1 Auburn 80, Vanderbilt 68
• Feb. 15: No. 1 Auburn 94, No. 2 Alabama 85
• Feb. 19: No. 1 Auburn 67, Arkansas 60
• Feb. 22: No. 1 Auburn 82, Georgia 70
• Feb. 26: No. 1 Auburn 106, Ole Miss 76
• March 1: No. 1 Auburn 94, No. 17 Kentucky 78
• March 4: No. 22 Texas A&M 83, No. 1 Auburn 72
• March 8: No. 7 Alabama 93, No. 1 Auburn 91 (OT)
• March 14: 1-seed Auburn 62, 8-seed Ole Miss 57*
• March 15: 4-seed Tennessee 70, 1-seed Auburn 65*
• March 20: 1-seed Auburn vs. 16-seed TEAM (1:50 p.m. CT, CBS)

* — Asterisks denote neutral site game.

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at[email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter,@colereporter.

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