Auburn Basketball Faces Cinderella Illinois State in NIT Semifinals

Top-seeded Tigers take on Redbirds with trip to NIT championship on the line

Apr. 3, 2026 at 1:05am

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting the dynamic movements and energy of a college basketball game, with the players' forms fractured into overlapping planes of color and shape.The Redbirds of Illinois State look to continue their Cinderella run in the NIT by upsetting the favored Auburn Tigers in the semifinal matchup.Indianapolis Today

Auburn men's basketball team is back in action after an eight-day break, facing the surprise Cinderella team of this year's NIT tournament, Illinois State, in the semifinals. The Tigers, the top seed in their region, will take on the Redbirds, who have already knocked off the top two seeds in their region to advance this far. Neither team has ever made the NIT championship game before, so a trip to the finals is on the line in this matchup at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Why it matters

Auburn is looking to cap off a strong season with a championship in the NIT, the second-tier postseason tournament, after missing out on the NCAA Tournament. Illinois State, on the other hand, has been the surprise team of the NIT, upsetting higher-seeded opponents on the road to make an unexpected run to the semifinals.

The details

The Tigers, led by head coach Bruce Pearl, breezed through their first three NIT games at home, defeating South Alabama, Seattle, and Nevada. Meanwhile, the Redbirds, coached by Dan Muller, pulled off road upsets of Wake Forest and Dayton to reach this point. Tipoff for the semifinal matchup is set for approximately 8:30 p.m. CST on ESPN.

  • Auburn last played on March 26, an eight-day break before this semifinal game.
  • Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 8:30 p.m. CST on April 3, 2026.

The players

Bruce Pearl

Head coach of the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team.

Dan Muller

Head coach of the Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“We've had a great season, but we're not done yet. We want to finish it off by winning the NIT championship.”

— Bruce Pearl, Head Coach, Auburn Tigers

“Nobody expected us to be here, but we've proven we can compete with anyone. We're excited for the challenge of facing Auburn.”

— Dan Muller, Head Coach, Illinois State Redbirds

What’s next

The winner of the Auburn-Illinois State semifinal will advance to the NIT championship game, which is scheduled for April 5, 2026.

The takeaway

This NIT semifinal matchup features two teams looking to make history by reaching their first-ever NIT championship game. Auburn is the heavy favorite, but Illinois State has proven to be a Cinderella story in this tournament, and the Redbirds will look to pull off another upset to continue their surprising run.