1. UH VS. 9. AUBURN

When/where: 6:10 p.m. Saturday at Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Ala.

TV/radio: TBS; 950 AM. Series: Houston leads 6-1. HOUSTON COUGARS (32-3) Conference: American Athletic. Coach: Kelvin Sampson (231-73 in nine seasons at Houston; 731-343 in 34 seasons overall).

NCAA appearances: 24.

How UH got here: Beat Northern Kentucky 63-52 in first round.

About the Cougars: A win would be the 33rd of the season for Houston, matching the school record set in 2018-19 season. … Cougars are seeking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight time. … Won the AAC regular season for the fourth time in a five-year span. … Winners of 14 of the past 15 games overall. … Forward J’Wan Roberts is averaging 16 rebounds in the last two games. … UH is 16-1 in road and neutral site games this season.

AUBURN TIGERS (21-12)

Conference: Southeastern.

Coach: Bruce Pearl (173-110 in 13 seasons at Auburn; 635-255 in 28 seasons overall). NCAA Tournament appearances: 12. How Auburn got here: Beat Iowa 83-75 in the first round.

About the Tigers: Finished seventh in the SEC during the regular season. … Eight of the Tigers’ past 13 games have been decided by single digits. … Auburn has five 20-win seasons in the past six years, including back-to-back under coach Bruce Pearl. … Auburn lost a pair of NBA first-round picks from last year’s team, including forward Jabari Smith Jr., who was taken third overall by the Rockets. … Allen Flanigan was an All-SEC pick two years ago before a torn ACL. He has picked up his scoring load with 58 points in the last four games.