Why Maryland's Kevin Willard is rooting for Auburn basketball in NCAA Tournament

AUBURN — Auburn basketball caught a break on Selection Sunday.

The Tigers, who earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, were placed in Birmingham for the first two rounds of March Madness. In front of a favorable crowd Thursday, Auburn picked up an eight-point win over Iowa.

And now, the Tigers (21-12) will take on No. 1-seed Houston (32-3) in Legacy Arena on Saturday (6:10 p.m. CT, TBS). Following that matchup will be No. 1 Alabama versus No. 8 Maryland. Terrapins coach Kevin Willard knows who he's rooting for in the early matchup.

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"I'm hoping Auburn wins because then their fans will stick around," Willard said at a news conference Friday. "I'm afraid if Auburn loses then at 9:40 at night, knowing Auburn fans, they're probably going to the bar."

Willard, who is hoping the Tigers fans that stay will be rooting against the Crimson Tide, gave a message to the Auburn faithful.

"Stick around," he said. "Should be a good game. And it's 9:40 at night. What else is there to do in Birmingham? It's like come watch a great game and chill out. I think the NCAA sells beer now. I'm not sure. Do they?

"Yeah, it's a great place to be. It's going to be a good game. They've got a great game. Why not?"

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball: Kevin Willard rooting for Tigers in March Madness