Two hours from Auburn, the Tigers beat Iowa 83-75 in Birmingham

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Most games in the NCAA Tournament are played in a neutral environment, this is not one of them. Auburn’s fanbase far outnumbered Iowa’s as the Tigers beat the Hawkeyes 83-75 in Birmingham, Alabama.

“They were loud and rowdy the whole game,” Auburn guard Allen Flanigan said. “It felt like a home game for us.”

“It cannot be an excuse nor would we want to make it one, we were right there, you have to give credit to your opponent,” said Iowa Head Coach Fran McCaffrey.

“We’re used to playing in hostile environments,” Connor McCaffery said. “Obviously if we had our choice we would have preferred it to be a little more neutral, but that’s not why we lost at all.

Auburn has now won ten straight opening-round games in the NCAA Tournament. After trailing by 17 points the Hawkeyes twice cut it to a four-point difference. Payton Sandfort led Iowa with 21 points. Kris Murray added 15 points but struggled shooting only connecting on 5-of-18.

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