Auburn has had plenty of success on the gridiron, but when was the last time Auburn basketball won a national championship?
It looks like we have entered a potentially golden age for Auburn basketball. The men’s program has climbed to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in program history and is on track for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The women’s program is having a down year, going just 9-12 over its first 23 games while ranking last in the SEC with a 1-9 conference record. There is still a chance for Auburn’s women’s team to reach the NCAA Tournament by winning the SEC’s automatic bid in the conference tournament.
Now that we’ve checked in on the current state of the Tigers, let’s look back at the history of Auburn basketball to see how much success the program has had in the past.
Has Auburn basketball ever won a national championship?
Auburn’s men’s basketball team has yet to win a national championship, a drought that Bruce Pearl is hoping this team can break. Pearl was also the coach of the most successful Auburn team, guiding the Tigers to the Final Four back in 2019 before they lost to eventual champion Virginia by a point after Kyle Guy was controversially awarded two free throws with 0.6 seconds to go and nailed both to give the Cavaliers the win.
The women’s program has come far closer for Auburn, finishing as the national runner-up on three separate occasions. The most recent title game appearance for the Tigers came in 1990, which was the third consecutive year that Auburn fell in the championship game.
Auburn basketball’s NCAA Tournament history
March Madness hasn’t been a frequent stop for Auburn’s men’s program, which has made the NCAA Tournament just ten times. Those appearances are listed below.
- 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2018, 2019
The women’s basketball team has been far more of a tournament regular for Auburn, registering 21 trips to March Madness. Let’s take a look at the years that the Tigers have reached the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament below.
- 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2019
Auburn basketball’s NCAA Tournament Final Four Appearances
As we mentioned earlier, the only Final Four appearance for Auburn’s men’s basketball program came recently in 2019. The Tigers were able to blow up the Midwest Region, upsetting No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 2 Kentucky to get to the Final Four before falling to Virginia in a controversial fashion.
- 2019
The women’s basketball program has made quite a few Final Four runs for Auburn, reaching the NCAA Tournament’s final weekend in three straight years from 1988-1990. Led by terrific stars such as Vickie Orr and Carolyn Jones, the Tigers brought Auburn to national prominence even though they couldn’t finish off the season with a national championship.
- 1988, 1989, 1990
Auburn basketball’s all-time NCAA Tournament record
Auburn’s men’s basketball program has appeared in 27 NCAA Tournament games over the course of its 10 March Madness appearances. Their record in those games is 17-10.
On the women’s side, Auburn has appeared in 51 NCAA Tournament games over the course of their 21 March Madness appearances. The Tigers’ record over that stretch is 30-21.
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