Auburn to play in 2016 Under Armour Reunion in Madison Square Garden
Auburn has been selected to play in the inaugural Under Armour “Reunion” in New York City’s Madison Square Garden against Boston College of the ACC on December 12, it was announced on Thursday. South Carolina vs. Seton Hall is the other matchup in the basketball doubleheader.
AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn has been selected to play in the inaugural Under Armour “Reunion” in New York City’s Madison Square Garden against Boston College of the ACC on December 12, it was announced on Thursday. South Carolina vs. Seton Hall is the other matchup in the basketball doubleheader.
“There are a handful of buildings that you walk into around the country and you stop and you have to say to yourself, am I really coaching on the floor where Red Holzman of the Knicks and Red Auerbach with the Celtics led those great teams?” asked Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.
“To coach there having been there with BC in the early days of Big East and what Madison Square Garden meant to the Big East Conference where it went from ECAC to the Big East is special.
“With Under Armour having four teams in the event, and Under Armour teams making good runs in the postseason is exciting. Auburn and South Carolina along with Frank (Martin) and myself feel the same way … to play for Under Armour and to represent the SEC.”
This will be Auburn’s first game in Madison Square Garden and the first in New York City. The Tigers have played in the Empire State twice, at Iona in 1977 and against eventual national champion Syracuse in the 2003 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in Albany.
Pearl has played four games in the Garden … all in the NIT Season Tip-Off with Tennessee … winning the 2010 title over No. 7 Villanova in the championship and VCU in the semifinal. His Vols also played No. 2 North Carolina and Butler in 2006.
Pearl is 2-2 in New York City and 3-2 in the state of New York, also defeating Manhattan in Riverdale, in 2004 while coaching Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Auburn is 2-1 all-time against Boston College. The teams split a two-game series with the Tigers winning in Auburn in 2013 while losing in Boston in 2012, and the Tigers defeated the Eagles in the 1985 Red Lobster Classic championship.
Pearl, whose coaching career began at his alma mater, Boston College, as a student assistant coach to the legendary Dr. Tom Davis, is 1-0 against the Eagles. He reached the 2005 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 by leading Wisconsin-Milwaukee to wins over Alabama and then Boston College in the second round.
“Playing Boston College will also give me an opportunity to once again talk about the great Dr. Tom Davis and what amazing job he did at BC to get that program to national prominence and win the Big East Conference in 1981,” said Pearl. “I never thought he got the recognition he was do. I’m going to do everything to remind everybody of the great years he had during the late 70s and early 80s.”
It was also announced on March 2 that Auburn will play in the 2016 Cancun Challenge along with No. 15/13 Purdue, Texas Tech and Utah State.
Times for the Under Armour “Reunion” will be announced at a later date.
