What Are Auburn’s Chances to Make Back-to-Back NCAA Tournament Appearance?
USA TODAY Sports
The Vanderbilt basketball team is winless in SEC play yet Auburn’s 64-53 basketball victory Saturday may have been the most important game of the year for the Tigers. Reeling from an unexpected loss to Ole Miss at home made Auburn’s game in Memorial Gymnasium a must win.
And not because it was a road win or because it was the Tigers first win in Nashville in 20 years. No the reason the game was crucial was because the impact a loss would have been on Auburn’s post season resume. Had the Tigers dropped the contest, it would have seriously hurt their standing with the selection committee for the NCAA Tournament.
Although the victory was sweet it leaves us with some concerns about a recently sluggish offense. The Tigers shot only 34.7 for the game – the second-lowest offensive production of the season. Most see Auburn’s strength as shooting the three-shot. And when the three’s are falling they are a tough team to beat when they are not, they become average. But those 3-point shots don’t open up if they can’t score inside.
So how did they get the win? “We had great effort and energy defensively, and I thought that was a real key for us,” said coach Pearl. “The communication in the huddle was about winning. It was about getting stops. It was about executing. They came here to win, and we made some progress.
It was the Tigers second road win this season improving their record to 18-7 and 6-6 in SEC play and giving them momentum as they head down the final stretch.
It just goes to show what a good coach can do, when one area of a team’s game is off, to make adjustments and get a win. The real strength of Auburn’s basketball team is not the 3-shot, it’s the coach.
Pearl’s taken some heat lately for some of Auburn’s losses but after an up and down season he has this team in a good position to become only the third team in the last three decades to go to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. With six SEC games left in the regular season, my money is on Bruce Pearl.
Read Full Story →
Is it Panic Button Time for Auburn Basketball?
It was the year of high expectations. Auburn started out highly ranked, but after out-of-conference play, the Tigers looked less and less like a contender and more like a pretender. That paragraph could be applied to two different Auburn teams this year. While failing to meet expectations is something very familiar to Auburn foo... Read Full Story
Time For Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks at Plainsman Park
With chilly mornings and frost still on the ground, it’s hard to believe it’s that time of year again. It’s time for the game that has been called “America’s pasttime.” Some might want to debate that label today, but there’s no denying the sport is the nation’s oldest, having been played since 1839.On the college... Read Full Story
Uneven Opening Weekend for Auburn Softball
Coach Mickey Dean’s second Auburn squad came out crushing the ball in Gulf Shores on Friday afternoon. Readers may recall from last week’s season look ahead that situational hitting had to improve if Auburn wanted to succeed this season. Though hitting has declined over the last couple of years, improvements are expected t... Read Full Story
Monday Musings From the Plains
Auburn basketball swept through three SEC opponents at home last week but couldn’t quite push the momentum over to a road win Saturday. Despite a valiant effort the Tigers fell to LSU 83–78. Outmanned in height the Tigers fought hard in a see-saw battle that came down to a one-point game. With 20 seconds left Jared Harper an... Read Full Story
Post Signing Day Musings
A new crop of young men brings optimism (Photo by Acid Reign) War Eagle, everybody! National Signing Day has come and gone, and thanks to the new early signing period, it was a bit anti-climactic for Auburn fans. The Tigers acquired most of their new players way back in December but shored up a decent offensive line clas... Read Full Story
Auburn NSD 2019 Recap
NSD is mostly completed and this is the Auburn Recruiting Class for 2019 based on the information we currently have. There may be updates to this and, if so, we will update it here.Auburn, overall, did okay although there were a couple of misses/flips.Defense:Colby Wooden, 6-4/230, 4-star DE/Buck – Lawrenceville, GAJaylin ... Read Full Story
NSD—Live Thread
Without a doubt, the early signing period has taken some of the excitement away from national signing day. With an expected top-15 recruiting class already, there are still some high profile targets who have yet to announce and sign.Stay with us here for updates, be sure to interact and, by all means, if you hear news before we ... Read Full Story
Auburn Softball Season Starts Friday
Perhaps no Auburn sport has exploded in popularity quite like Auburn softball over the last few years. Last season was a bit of a down year for the Tigers as Coach Mickey Dean's first squad didn't make it out of regional play in Tallahassee. And the disappointment of not hosting a regional for the first time since Auburn's ascen... Read Full Story
Monday Musings From The Plains
From Auburn players in the Super Bowl to the Auburn Arena being the toughest venue in basketball to the No.17 softball team opening play this week and more in this edition of Monday Musings.
Read Full StoryA Must Win Game?
Bama looks awfully tough inside(Billy Hurst / USA Today Sports) War Eagle, everybody! This weekend, we have the Iron Bowl of basketball at Auburn Arena as the Alabama Crimson Tide visits. A month ago, I'd have given Alabama little chance in this game, but things change. Despite Auburn's big win over Missouri earlier this... Read Full Story
No Wiley, No Problem in Auburn’s Blowout of Mizzou
The win was the fourth game without Wiley and the Tigers didn’t need him to get the job done. But he will be needed when they hit the road again. Hopefully the victory brings back the confidence that Auburn had before Austin went down with the injury.
Read Full StoryGut Check Time for Tigers
It's been a rough stretch for Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers. Auburn dropped a 92–84 match to the 22nd ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, running the losing streak to three and losses in four of the last six games. The Tigers, who shared an SEC regular season title with Tennessee last season, are now 9th in th... Read Full Story
Early Look at 2019 Auburn Schedule and Special Teams Outlook
A strong group is expected in 2019 (Photo by Acid Reign) War Eagle, everybody! This week, we'll take a bit of a look at Auburn's special teams prospects for next season. Also, I'll take a very early look at the schedule for next fall. In 2018, Auburn improved dramatically on special teams, with the exception of being... Read Full Story
Breaking—Cadillac is Coming Home!
"Cadillac" Williams to join Auburn as running backs coach.
Read Full StoryAuburn Affected by Loss of Austin Wiley—Drops Second Heartbreaker in Three Days
Fresh off a heartbreaking last second loss to Kentucky, the Auburn Tigers dropped a second close SEC game Tuesday night. This time it was an 80–77 road loss to South Carolina. It was also the second game without starting center Austin Wiley and the second consecutive game the Tigers' other two big men Anfernee McLemore and H... Read Full Story
It’s a Good Year to be Watching Auburn Basketball—Both Men and Women
The Auburn Arena was rocking Saturday as the Auburn men’s basketball team made an intense push to rally against blue-blood program, Kentucky. Playing without their starting center, Austin Wiley, the defending SEC champs fell just short on a last second shot by Jared Harper that would have given Auburn the win. Still, it was an... Read Full Story
An Offensive Look Ahead
Who will be slinging it for the Tigers in 2019?(Photo by Acid Reign) War Eagle, everybody! College football has mercifully drawn to a close, and all we can do now is look to the future. However, basketball has really geared up the past week, with Auburn pulling away from Georgia in Auburn Arena last weekend and then bomb... Read Full Story
Tigers Get Critical Road Win Ahead of Kentucky
Perhaps the only major knock on Bruce Pearl’s Auburn basketball team has been itsr inability to show up on the road. There is no doubting they rank among the sport’s elite, but the one thing that has plagued the Tigers even before this year was poor road play.Typically, fans that haven’t followed the program in depth would... Read Full Story
Mr Alabama Football Wants to Help Auburn Win a National Championship
Prior to Malik Willis being named No. 2 last year, many expected Joey Gatewood to win that role as he drew comparisons to Cam Newton. That was before the rising sophomore was sideline by injury. However, Nix is ranked as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by 247 Sports, and he is coming in with a lot of confidence.
Read Full StoryUpon Further Review: Tigers Bounced Back Against UGA
The SEC is off to a strange start as Ole Miss took down No. 15 Mississippi State, and Bama took down Kentucky. There were upsets throughout the NCAA this weekend, and Auburn's bounce back against UGA likely will help keep the Tigers from dropping too far in the rankings. The Tigers beat down of the dogs was ...
Read Full StoryTrack ‘Em Tigers Store
Featured In
