'We have a bunch of basketball players fighting,' the pilot reportedly told air traffic control
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Auburn and Houston will face off in a battle of top basketball programs Saturday, but one team apparently got a little too rowdy a little too early.
Reports say a pilot turned Auburn's plane around due to an altercation between players.
WBRC in Birmingham said a plane that appeared to be carrying the Tigers' men's basketball team, traveling from Auburn to Houston, was diverted to Auburn several minutes into the flight after the pilot said there were "a bunch of basketball players fighting."
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Neville Arena prior to a game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Auburn Tigers Feb. 14, 2024, in Auburn, Ala. (Michael Chang/Getty Images)
The outlet reported that staff requested an emergency landing in Montgomery, but the plane instead landed in Auburn 40 minutes after takeoff.
The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did it confirm the incident.
Another report said no punches were thrown, but "guys got in each other's faces."
FlightAware shows a "diverted" flight left the Auburn airport at 2:50 p.m. local time and landed at 3:30 p.m. The site says the final flight from Auburn to Houston Friday was scheduled to leave at 6:55 p.m and land one hour and 53 minutes later.
Head coach Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers during a game against the Texas A&M Aggies. (Michael Chang/Getty Images)
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Three other flights with the same route earlier in the day went on as planned, according to FlightAware.
Auburn is ranked 11th in the country, and the Cougars are No. 4.
The Tigers were knocked out of the first round of the 2024 March Madness tournament as a No. 4 seed by No. 13 Yale. Houston was a No. 1 seed last year and fell to No. 4 Duke in the Sweet 16.
An Auburn Tigers logo on a pair of shorts during the second half of the Legends Classic against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Nov. 16, 2023, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
In 2023, the Cougars, a No. 1 seed, knocked off No. 9 Auburn in the second round.
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