LEXINGTON, Ky. | If they are outward about it or keep it in, the memory of walking off the floor after the upset loss to Yale last March in Spokane, Wash., has to be on the mind of the Auburn players who were there.

And if it weren't on their minds, their head coach would not let the moment pass without mentioning it.

"We talked about our exit from the tournament last year in the 4-13 game against Yale," Bruce Pearl said. "We talked about it this morning. Yale outplayed us. We shot 50% in the game. Typically, that's good enough to win. We fouled them too much. We turned the ball over late, crucial moments, and we didn't make free throws at the end. And as a result, we lost the game."

It was one of the biggest stunners of the first weekend last year as the Ivy League Bulldogs fought off the SEC tournament champions, outlasting a fury ending to get their one shining moment in the tournament.

Dylan Cardwell, one of several Tigers who walked off the floor upset, knows precisely how he and Auburn must play in the first-round game against Alabama State on Thursday.

"I was telling him, being pissed off," he said. "Definitely pissed off."

Miles Kelly, making his NCAA Tournament debut, doesn't want to suffer the same fate his teammates did last season and knows that there is still business for him and the Tigers to take care of.

"Them losing to Yale last year in the first round is definitely fueling them, lighting a fire under them to come out Thursday and really turn it on," he said.

Veteran forward Chaney Johnson was even more straightforward when asked if there was still a bad taste in his mouth from the loss a year ago.

"We don't want this happening again," he said. "We came out and -- it was a close game from start to finish. I feel like we lost that game instead of Yale beating us."