SALT LAKE CITY – The last time Auburn fans saw Bruce Pearl and the Tigers, they were cutting down the nets in Nashville and returning triumphantly to Toomer's Corner Sunday after winning the SEC Tournament.
Two days later, the Tigers are nearly 2,000 miles from home after flying Tuesday to Salt Lake City.
After winning four games in four days to claim Auburn's first conference tournament title in 34 years, the players enjoyed a well-deserved day off Monday while the coaches pored over video of New Mexico State, Kansas and Northeastern.
After the cross-country flight and a student-athlete study table, the Tigers practiced Tuesday night at the University of Utah, preparing for Thursday's matinee with New Mexico State.
"I just hope that tomorrow we wake up and feel a little more normal," Pearl said. "Sunday was our fourth game. Monday was a blur with the kids back in class. We met, watched some film and then spent all day today traveling, had a good practice here."
There's a lot of information to process and not much time to absorb and implement.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll start to really study New Mexico State," Pearl said. "They're really good."
Winners of eight straight, Auburn (26-9), the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region, plays New Mexico State (30-4), the No. 12 seed, Thursday at 12:30 p.m. CT on TNT. The winner will play the Kansas-Northeastern winner on Saturday.
"It feels good experiencing the tournament once again," said Bryce Brown, Most Valuable Player of the SEC Tournament. "Practice was pretty good today, went a little hard. The air is kind of thin so it was kind of hard breathing for the first few minutes of practice. Trying to push through that and get used to the climate out here."
The four-games-in-four days grind, and the 4,780 elevation at the University of Utah's practice gym, provide the ultimate endurance test.
"Due to my training, my body recovers really well, and a lot of my teammates as well," said Brown, who continued his custom of shooting extra 3-pointers after practice. "The offseason training has helped me become better with recovery. I'm ready for another four in a row if I had to."
The Tigers will get their first look at the tournament venue, Vivint Smart Home Arena, Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. CT during a 40-minute open practice.
"Excited about being here," Pearl said. "And I hope we can continue to play beautiful basketball."
The scene from Reverse Tiger Walk @AuburnMBB 🚎 Montgomery ➡️ ✈️ SLC for @marchmadness pic.twitter.com/pr6ctwusXt
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) March 19, 2019
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer