NCAAB analyst Josh Pate reacts to No. 4 Auburn having to play on neutral court: "They're playing in Russia"

The Auburn Tigers recently defeated the Florida Gators 86-67 to win the Southeastern Conference tournament title and qualified for the Big Dance.

During Selection Sunday, the Auburn Tigers (27-7) were designated the No. 4 seed in the East region. They are paired up against the No. 13 seed, the Yale Bulldogs (22-9), who recently won the Ivy League championship.

The first-round matchup between the teams will be played 2,400 miles away from Alabama at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington. This news was not well received by outspoken Auburn coach Bruce Pearl.

College basketball analyst Josh Pate reacted on "Pate State Pulse" to the news that Auburn would have to play on a neutral court.

"I watched Auburn play those games, I watched them win the SEC tournament. They're playing in Russia for the first-round, they're playing in Spokane, Washington," Pate said. "So you have taught me as a sport that I don't really have to be paying attention in December or January or even early March.

"I can go upstairs right now, I can listen to Jerry Palm talk, I can listen to Matt Morelander, I can listen to those guys and I can crash course my way through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday when the tournament starts, I'm good."

Bruce Pearl rants against Auburn destination

Last year, the No. 9 Auburn Tigers were sent to Birmingham. There, they beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first round before losing to the Houston Cougars in the second round.

Tigers coach Bruce Pearl lamented the decision to send his team so far from home. He even hinted that the decision was made before the Sunday tournament finals and called it 'payback.'

"Well they’ve been talking about us being out in Spokane a lot for some reason,” Pearl said. “Maybe that’s because that’s where the 4s are. We were hoping that an SEC Tournament championship and wherever we are in the NET, maybe we’re 5 or so in the NET, would get us to the 3-line. But it obviously didn’t.

"Are we paying the price for getting Birmingham last year and having an incredible opportunity against Houston last year? Perhaps … This is the third time they’ve shipped us off a long way from our fans. You always wonder how much this thing is seeded before the Sunday final.”

Should the Tigers beat the Yale Bulldogs, they will face the No. 12 UAB Blazers or last year's finalist, the No. 5 San Diego Aztecs.