Auburn Daily

How Much Auburn's Latest Slump Actually Matters

The Auburn Tigers haven't looked like their usual selves over their last few games, and the early rounds of the tournament will decide how much it matters in the end

Austin Walls

It might not even matter that they're slumping
It might not even matter that they're slumping / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
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The Auburn Tigers enter the NCAA Tournament having lost three of their last four games. This dates back to the last two regular-season games against the Texas A&M Aggies and the rival Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Despite the losses, the Tigers’ track record earned them the top seed for the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

There has to be a bit of concern as the Tigers haven’t been able to compete with the teams inside the top-15 since mid-Febraury when they were able to beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa. 

The Tigers will face the winner of Alabama State or St. Francis (Pa.) in the round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament. Those two teams will face off in the first round, the round of 68, to start the tournament. 

While the Tigers are likely to win that matchup, the Tigers will face the winner of Louisville and Creighton in the second round. Both teams made it to their respective conference’s championship games before losing. For Creighton, it was St. John’s who was in the top 10, and for Louisville, they lost to Duke, the No. 1 team in the country. If the Tigers’ struggles continue, they may not find a Creighton or Louisville team easy to get by. 

In his press conference post Selection Show, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl acknowledged some of the stiff competition ahead. 

“What an incredible turnaround Pat Kelsey [has had at Louisville] One of the best young coaches in our game.,” Pearl mentioned. 


“Greg McDermott, of course, has been at Creighton for a long time, and is an offensive guru. They run really great stuff, really hard-to-guard stuff. They have tremendous size on their front line. The eight, nine teams are always as difficult as what we will see in Atlanta.” 

A year ago, the Tigers lost in the first round with a loss to 13-seed Yale coming off the SEC tournament title. If Creighton or Louisville will be as difficult as he suggests, it's up for debate if a slumping Tigers team is much of a threat. 

The Tigers’ game in the round of 64 could be very crucial. Coach Pearl could use the game as a game to get the Tigers back on track after four games. There will be a massive advantage favoring the Tigers, regardless of who they face in the first round. If they can take that momentum into the rest of the tournament, the Tigers could get their mojo back. With Coach Pearl and one of the best college players in the country in Johni Broome, the Tigers have the ability to turn things around quickly. 

If the Tigers are able to get to the Sweet 16, we could be looking at the Tigers of the midseason. However, it can still be argued that winning the national championship might be the only standard at this point. Regardless, the first two games will ultimately tell us what type of Tigers team has shown up for the NCAA Tournament.  

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Austin Walls
AUSTIN WALLS

Austin Walls is a University of Florida Sports Journalism graduate. He has covered different sports, from motorsport, professional and college football, professional and college basketball, women's basketball and hockey among others. He has spent most of his time focusing on the SEC Conference, but has spent time covering the AAC, MWC and ACC.

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