Auburn slumping at wrong time after SEC Tournament exit

Auburn has picked a bad time to play its worst basketball.

On Saturday, the Tigers fell to Associated Press No. 8 Tennessee (27-6, 12-6 in SEC) in the SEC Tournament semifinals, 70-65. It was their third loss in their past four games after posting a 27-2 record through March 1.

No. 3 Auburn (28-5, 15-3 in SEC) also lost to No. 14 Texas A&M (22-10, 11-7 in SEC) and No. 5 Alabama (25-7, 13-5 in SEC) in its final two regular-season games.

The Tigers were limited to 62 points in their SEC Tournament quarterfinals win against Ole Miss (22-11, 10-8 in SEC). Their 63.5 points per game in the conference tourney were far below their regular-season average (85.2 points per game).

Auburn's recent downward skid is even more concerning based on the program's disappointing 2023-24 finish.

A season ago, Auburn, a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, lost in the Round of 64 to No. 13 seed Yale, 78-76. The Tigers entered the game as a 14-point favorite, riding the high of an SEC Tournament championship.

That could be the only way head coach Bruce Pearl can spin Auburn's recent malaise in his team's favor. Last year, Auburn was a on a six-game winning streak before losing on the opening Friday of March Madness. If being hot didn't help the Tigers last year, then perhaps being ice-cold entering this year's tournament will have no bearing on future performances, either.

Following a run to the Final Four in 2019, Auburn has reached three NCAA Tournaments and has failed to move past the first weekend each time. Unless the Tigers shake off the bad vibes they've accumulated in recent weeks, this season could have an eerily familiar ending.