Auburn and Houston will face off Saturday in a battle of the top basketball programs, but it looks like one team got a little too rough early.
The pilot turned Auburn's plane around because of an altercation between players, according to reports.
WBRC in Birmingham reports that a plane believed to be carrying the Tigers men's basketball team from Auburn to Houston was diverted to Auburn minutes after departure because the pilot said there was a group of basketball players fighting. It was announced that the location had changed.
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Neville Arena before the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Auburn Tigers on February 14, 2024 in Auburn, Alabama. (Michael Chan/Getty Images)
The newspaper reported that staff requested an emergency landing in Montgomery, but the plane landed in Auburn 40 minutes after takeoff.
The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment or confirm the incident.
Another report said there was no punch. It was thrown, but “the men hit each other in the face.”
FlightAware is “Destination change” flight The last flight from Auburn to Houston on Friday departed at 6:55 p.m. and took an hour, according to the website. It was scheduled to land in 53 minutes.
Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl during a game against the Texas A&M Aggies. (Michael Chan/Getty Images)
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Three other flights using the same route earlier in the day operated as scheduled, FlightAware said.
Auburn is ranked 11th in the nation and the Cougars are ranked 4th.
As the fourth seed in the 2024 March Madness Tournament, the Tigers were eliminated in the first round by No. 13 Yale University. Houston was a No. 1 seed last year but fell in the Sweet 16 to No. 4 seed Duke.
Auburn Tigers logo on shorts during the second half of the Legends Classic against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Barclays Center on November 16, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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In 2023, the No. 1 seed Cougars defeated No. 9 seed Auburn in the second round.
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