It flew by for Austin Wiley.

Just yesterday, it feels, he was a 5-star center, eligible to play for the Tigers at 17 years old, ready to make his mark as a legacy player on the Plains.

A few short years later, and it's time for Senior Night.

"It went by fast," Wiley said Tuesday.

Wednesday before Auburn's final home game of the year against Texas A&M, the team's five seniors — Wiley, Anfernee McLemore, Danjel Purifoy, Samir Doughty and J'Von McCormick — will be recognized for their accomplishments during their time with the program.

It's the winningest senior class in Auburn history, with 98 victories over the past four seasons.

Not only do they have a chance to get to 100 this season with two games remaining, but the Tigers can also finish 17-0 for the year in Auburn Arena with a victory over the Aggies — possibly marking just the third time in program history (1975, 1999) Auburn did not lose a game at home.

Overall, the Tigers have won 19 straight at home — the eighth-longest streak in college basketball.

"To go out and possibly be an undefeated team at home this year, one of the few teams to do it, means a lot," Wiley said. "So we’re going to play our best.

"... The Auburn fans, they bring us so much energy and confidence. We just love to play in front of them because they’re just so passionate about the game. It’s just kind of a boost. I feel like we have the best fans in the world and I feel like we have the best home-court advantage in the world. There’s a lot of advantages.”

In actuality for Wiley, he'll end his Auburn career having played less than three full seasons. He joined the team a month and a half into the 2016-17 season after the NCAA cleared him and ruled him eligible, and he enrolled at Auburn in December 2016.

The following season, Wiley and Purifoy didn't suit up for a single game as Bruce Pearl sat them, hoping to avoid any repercussions for his program while the Chuck Person FBI investigation was ongoing.

Then last season, Wiley started just five games as he worked back into the rotation but often dealt with injuries.

If anything, the senior is thankful for the patience of Auburn fans over the years.

"We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs," Wiley said. "But at the end of it all, it just means a lot that all the fans have my back when times were hard. It was great winning here. So it just means a lot. I feel like I grew up a lot. A lot of things — I had to make to make a lot of adult decisions regarding coming back or leaving.

"Just a lot of different things off the court. But it made me a better man at the end of the day.”

Now, Wiley is having his best season as a Tiger, playing like an All-SEC big man with 10.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He's second in the conference with 13 double-doubles this season and second in overall rebounding.

While he won't capture an SEC regular-season championship this season, Wiley was a part of the team for two SEC titles and the program's first-ever Final Four appearance last season.

“Me personally, I take a lot of pride in it," Wiley said of how far Auburn has come in his time there. "That’s probably the reason why I came to Auburn. That was me and BP’s plan to jump start it all, like, ‘this is the turning point right now.’ So just to see how far we came means a lot.”

With a chance to win a third consecutive conference crown next week in Nashville, Auburn can secure the 2-seed in that tournament with wins in its final two games. Regardless of how they finish the regular season, however, the Tigers have locked up a top-4 seed and a double bye into the quarterfinals with Mississippi State's loss at South Carolina on Tuesday night.

The chase for higher seeding — both SEC and NCAA — begins with Texas A&M on Wednesday. Wiley be looking not to suffer the same fate Auburn's lone scholarship senior, Patrick Keim, did two seasons ago, when the Aggies won on Senior Night in Auburn Arena.

Overall, Texas A&M is 4-0 in Auburn Arena has won five straight on the Plains.

"They've got pieces," Pearl said of this year's Texas A&M team. "For us, obviously, there is a lot at stake."

Wiley said before the season began that he wanted "big things" out of his senior campaign. While he joked that he envisioned an undefeated season for the Tigers, there are still a few more things on his wishlist.

"We still have a chance to finish the season like I want to," Wiley said. "We just got to get a ring. Or a couple. I’ll be happy after that.”

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