The No. 1-seeded Auburn Tigers are set to play for another championship this week.
Steven Pearl and company sit just one win away from an NIT championship berth, and it all starts on Thursday night against the Illinois State Redbirds at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Auburn enters the semifinal round of the tournament fresh off a 75-69 win over Nevada last Wednesday, which came after the Tigers took down South Alabama and Seattle U in the first and second rounds, respectively.
They posted an average margin of victory of just 7.7 points per game, despite facing three mid-major opponents on their home floor at Neville Arena.
In fact, Auburn is the only high-major squad remaining in the NIT field, as the only other teams still standing include Illinois State, Tulsa and New Mexico. In addition to Auburn, just three high-major programs earned a bid – Oklahoma State, California and Wake Forest — but all were eliminated within the first two rounds of action.
Auburn struggled heavily down the stretch of the regular season, falling in nine of its last 12 games, which ultimately knocked the Tigers out of the NCAA Tournament.
They finished as one of the “First Four Out” largely due to their 16 total losses, but elected to participate in the NIT for a chance to win a postseason championship, even though it’s not exactly the title Auburn was aiming for at the beginning of the season.
Junior guard Kevin Overton has led the way for a majority of March and postseason action as a whole. The Texas Tech transfer led Auburn in scoring in two of its three NIT wins, including his 21-point performance against South Alabama, during which he drained seven triples, and he recorded at least 20 points in five games in the month of March.
However, freshman forward Filip Jović headlined Auburn’s latest victory over Nevada, scoring 18 points on 9-for-12 from the field and nearly notching a double-double with nine rebounds.
Filip Jovic dunks over a defender against Seattle on March. 22, 2026.
Jović will likely play a huge factor for the Tigers in Indianapolis, as he has transformed into Auburn’s starting center in the absence of KeShawn Murphy. Murphy stepped away from the team before the NIT began.
Illinois State marks the fourth mid-major opponent Auburn will face in the NIT thus far, and it won’t get any easier for Pearl and the Tigers.
The Redbirds most recently defeated Kent State, Wake Forest and Dayton to clinch a spot in the semifinal round, and they currently hold a 23-12 overall record after finishing the league slate at 12-8 – good for third in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Illinois State is led by fourth-year head coach Ryan Pedon, and the program has seen steady progress since the former Ohio State assistant was hired in 2022.
The Redbirds hold multiple quality wins, all of which came fairly recently, including three Quad 1 victories over Northern Iowa, Wake Forest and Dayton. In comparison, Auburn possesses just one more Quad 1 win than Illinois State with four.
Pedon’s group is headlined by junior forward Chase Walker, who leads the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game and rebounding with 5.4 boards per contest. Walker is coming off his third double-double of the year in Illinois State’s win over Dayton, tallying 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Walker, standing at 6-foot-9, and 7-foot-1 center Brandon Lieb will present a great challenge for Jović and Sebastian Williams-Adams in the frontcourt. Without Murphy, who was Auburn’s tallest paint presence, 6-foot-8 Jović and 6-foot-8 Williams-Adams will certainly have their hands full down low.
Sebastian Williams-Adams rises up towards the hoop against Seattle on March. 22, 2026.
Additionally, the Redbirds also present a significant 3-point threat, as they boast four players who shoot 39.0% or better from downtown. Ty’Reek Coleman, Boden Skunberg and Landon Wolf are some names to watch from the outside, but Auburn undoubtedly needs to emphasize slowing down Illinois State’s sharpshooters.
The Tigers rank last in the SEC in 3-point defense, and it has haunted them numerous times over the course of the season.
Auburn and Illinois State will tip off at 8:30 p.m. CDT inside Hinkle Fieldhouse on Thursday night with a trip to the NIT title championship on the line. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
The winner will face the winner of New Mexico and Tulsa at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers, on Sunday night.
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Gunner is a sophomore majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @norene_gunner10
