SAN ANTONIO | Auburn is just over 24 hours away from competing in the Final Four for the second time in program history.

When head coach Bruce Pearl arrived on the Plains in 2013, competing in the Final Four was the furthest thing from anyone’s mind, as the Tigers had finished 9-23 and managed only three wins in SEC play the previous season.

12 seasons later, the Tigers are competing on college basketball’s biggest stage for the second time in six years.

The 2019 trip to the Final Four is still paying off, as Auburn’s coaching staff had a better idea of what to expect this time.

“I think we had a little more idea of what this week is going to look like, which I think was valuable because we talked to our guys about it and kind of told them what the expectations were,” associate head coach Steven Pearl said. In 2019, it was just incredibly overwhelming because we didn’t know it was going to be like this every single day in the locker room.”

Making it to the Final Four is incredibly difficult, winning once you’re there is not any easier. Auburn understands what it will take to bring home a trophy.

“We recognize that we got to have something special tomorrow,” Pearl said. “We talk about it a lot. If you're going to win. Especially with the way the field is right now. These are the best four teams in college basketball. I don't care who your fifth team is. I don't care. They don't belong here.

“These four teams have earned it all year long. It's not a knock on anybody else. It's a compliment to all these team, all these coaches and programs.”

With all the extra factors surrounding the Final Four, Pearl and company understand what they are here to do.

“We got a game. We got to lock in and focus,” Pearl said. “Having been there before, it was so good to go through a few things yesterday and watch them forget everything. They went, Oh, my gosh. It was good, because now I think today they're going to be more locked in, just be ready to try to play this basketball game.”

The extra obligations surrounding the Final Four add a lot to the competing team’s plate. The Tigers are navigating the balance of enjoying the moment while preparing to take on Florida to the best of their ability.

“The incredible number of obligations prior to the game with media and things like that,” Pearl said. “One of the things we went through yesterday in practice was we had put in a couple of looks that we hadn't run for a while. It was amazing how everybody forgot them yesterday.

“The reason is they got a lot going on. Like, their minds are going. The social media is going. The obligations that we have. The gifts.”

Unlike 2019, this will not be Pearl’s first time on this stage. He likes the environment more this time, however.

“I like being in the warm weather of San Antonio versus the freezing cold of Minneapolis,” Pearl said. “That's one thing I've learned.”