In fact, in his first year as the Tigers’ head coach, Steven Pearl has been candid about Auburn’s difficulties this season. Auburn finished 17-16, including 7-11 in the SEC, and was one of the first four teams eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, missing it for the first time since 2021.
The Tigers chose to compete in the NIT despite the fact that several teams might have elected to end their season. Auburn advanced to the tournament quarterfinals against Nevada on Sunday night after defeating Seattle 91-85. However, Pearl wasn’t entirely pleased with his team’s defense, which has been a major factor in some of the Tigers’ issues this season.
Pearl remarked, “Obviously, we aren’t a good defensive team.” We need to work on that throughout the off-season. All we need to do is figure out how to prevent teams from scoring more points.
Auburn continues to struggle on defense
Even the casual viewer has seen these defensive issues throughout the season as the Tigers have had difficulty preventing opponents from scoring large numbers. With 79.2 points per game, Auburn is a pitiful 313th in college basketball, a long cry from where the Tigers were the previous season when they advanced to the Final Four under Steven’s father, Bruce.
Even the casual viewer has seen these defensive issues throughout the season as the Tigers have had difficulty preventing opponents from scoring large numbers. With 79.2 points per game, Auburn is a pitiful 313th in college basketball, a long cry from where the Tigers were the previous season when they advanced to the Final Four under Steven’s father, Bruce.Auburn gave up 89.8 points per game during a four-game losing run in February, a statistic that is challenging to match on the offensive end. The nation’s top scoring team, the Crimson Tide, scored 96 points per game in both defeats to rival Alabama.
Additionally, despite the Tigers’ strong offensive output (averaging 82.8 points per game), their defense has let them down at crucial moments, costing them a position in the NCAA Tournament.
The good news? Nevada, the Tigers’ next opponent, has a scoring offense that scores 76.2 points per game, ranking 167th. Auburn must defeat the Wolfpack on Wednesday night if it hopes to finish the season.
