Here's why Auburn has home-court advantage vs. No. 1 Houston

Reading this, it sounds like the committee didn't want to put Auburn in the West, because that would be an immediate rematch with Arkansas; in the South because that could be a second-round rematch with Alabama; or in the East with Kentucky and Tennessee.

Thus, they ended up in the Midwest (opposite Texas A&M), which happens to go through Birmingham.

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Only one school came into the 2023 NCAA Tournament as a higher overall seed than Houston.

But when the Cougars next take the court, they might be at a bit of a disadvantage. Beyond just the injury to star guard Marcus Sasser, Houston will come into its second-round game in a possible hostile environment against No. 9 Auburn when it takes the court at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, just 145 miles away from the Tigers.

In a statement the NCAA selection committee said it tries to make sure the top four seeds don't have a home-court disadvantage in the first round, but that it doesn't look at what could happen later.

"When assigning first- and second-round sites for all 16 lines, the committee assigns teams to their closest available site, and then uses principles tied to conference affiliation to ensure that rematches of regular-season games do not occur prior to when they are permitted. The committee does not adjust from its bracketing principles for the purpose of avoiding a potential homecourt disadvantage beyond the first round."

In other words, the committee can't be concerned by a hypothetical second-round matchup when it has to focus on making sure it considers all the necessary factors in a 68-team field.

When the draw initially was revealed, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson was clearly unhappy by the situation.



"So Auburn gets to play in Birmingham?" Sampson said on Sunday, per the Montgomery Advertiser. "Maybe we should've been a 9-seed."

"Auburn is really good," he added. "I think anybody that makes the NCAA Tournament would like to be in their situation right now, but you know, good for them. That's a good break, but we've got a lot more pressing matters to worry about than that. We have to go see how many healthy bodies we have right now."

One factor in Houston's favor in terms of the crowd -- Alabama plays Maryland in the other game in Birmingham. The Alabama fans who take in both games will surely be pulling for Houston rather than archrival Auburn.

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Sporting News: Why Auburn has 'home court advantage' over No. 1 seed Houston for March Madness Round 2 game