After playing the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Lexington, Kentucky’s Rupp Arena, a venue that has been friendly to it this season, No. 1 overall seed Auburn will not have to go far for the Sweet 16 either.

As the tournament’s top overall seed, the Tigers were placed in the South Region — giving the Tigers the chance to play their regional games in Atlanta, just a 1.5-hour drive from campus.

While “The A” is like a second home for the Tigers, it is the primary home of guard Miles Kelly.

“It's a blessing to go back to my hometown and be able to play the Sweet 16 there,” Kelly said. “We've just got to keep being locked in like how we were today, and we'll get it done.”

Guard Denver Jones knows State Farm Arena will be packed to the brim with Auburn fans when the Tigers take the floor. Having another opportunity to play in front of what will resemble a home crowd means a lot to him and his teammates.

“It means a lot, especially for the Auburn family,” Jones said. I feel like it’s just bigger than basketball when it’s Auburn. We have a lot of the best fans in the country to me and just seeing them just come out and show their support just means a lot.”

Playing the second weekend of the tournament in Atlanta has been a goal for the Tigers all season. Achieving tastes pretty sweet for the team who beat 16 Quad 1 opponents this season.

“It feels amazing. We all wanted to get to Atlanta,” Pettiford said. “That’s like home for us. Now, we’ve just got to get back in the gym and get ready for next week.”

In addition to playing close to home, Auburn will be facing off against Tre Donaldson, a Michigan guard who previously spent two seasons with the Tigers.

“Shoutout Tre, man, but I’m really excited for the matchup,” Jones said. “Just going against a brother. We’ll be bumping heads, it’ll be a challenging night. We’ll go out there and compete and have fun.”

The Tigers take on No. 5 seed Michigan in the Sweet 16 on Friday at Statefarm Arena in Atlanta. Tip-off time and television information is TBA.