Overview
- Auburn and Illinois State meet in the NIT semifinal at 8:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 2 on ESPN from Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
- ESPN's predictive model gives Auburn an 80.7% chance to advance.
- Local coverage pegs the matchup at 86-80 for Auburn, citing a thin seven-man rotation and uneven defense against Illinois State's deeper, defense-first group.
- Auburn reached this round after wins over South Alabama, Seattle U and Nevada, while Illinois State advanced by beating Wake Forest and then Dayton.
- The winner moves on to Sunday's NIT final to face Tulsa or New Mexico.