The Auburn Tigers have now lost five straight games for the first time since the 2015–2016 season after falling to the Mississippi State Bulldogs 85–91 on Wednesday night. The Tigers rallied when it seemed the game would spiral out of control, but it wasn’t enough.
There are now only five more chances for Auburn to set its record and prove that it is still deserving of a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Auburn needs to be nearly perfect in the final stretch if it wants to make it to the tournament.
As the regular season draws to a close, the Tigers still have games against Kentucky, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU, and Alabama. As of right now, Auburn is 5-8 in the conference and 14-12 overall. Interestingly, Auburn has a 2–6 record when playing away from home. There is a huge difference between that and the previous season. When Auburn is not at Neville Arena, they have not been successful.
Nevertheless, Auburn’s second meeting with the Crimson Tide still requires them to travel to Tuscaloosa and Norman to play the Oklahoma Sooners. Although the Tigers have historically played in unfriendly surroundings, Auburn must change that this season if it hopes to qualify for the postseason.
Auburn’s last home games will be against Kentucky, Ole Miss, and LSU—three very good teams with respectable overall records who, like Auburn, have had difficulty in conference play.
After Auburn’s defeat over Mississippi State, head coach Steven Pearl declared, “Your season is on the line Saturday.”
“You’re probably firmly on the bubble and out of the tournament if you don’t win on Saturday.”
Auburn will be in a game of life or death when the Kentucky Wildcats visit town on Saturday. If the Tigers want to be called on Selection Sunday, they can only afford to lose (maybe) one more game.
With a 15-3 conference record and only losses to Florida (during the regular season), Texas A&M, and Alabama, Auburn created enemies with almost every team in the SEC last season. For the most part, Auburn dominated conference play the previous season.
The record demonstrates that numerous teams are exacting retribution on the Tigers after Auburn’s dominating performance the previous season and appearance in the Final Four. The Tigers have suffered from their inability to capitalize in games that they most likely could have won.
Going forward, Auburn will adopt a “win or go home” approach. A postseason run is unlikely given Auburn basketball’s present trend. However, Auburn can only focus on the next game, which is against the Kentucky Wildcats. ESPN will broadcast that matchup, with a tipoff time of 7:30 p.m. CST.
