Welp, here we are again.
Auburn fell on the road Tuesday night in Norman, OK to the Sooners of Oklahoma 91-79. Keyshawn Murphy made a layup with 18:41 left in the first half to take a 5-4 lead for the Tigers. It was Auburn’s last lead of the night.
“We didn’t represent Auburn well tonight, and that’s on me as their coach” first year Steven Pearl said in post-game following the ugly mid-week loss. With the loss Auburn falls to 15-13 and 6-9 in Southeastern Conference play good for 11th place in the conference.
Things in Auburn aren’t as sunshine and rainbows as they have been in years’ past. The Tigers could very well be unaware of their fate until the bracket releases on selection Sunday.
For now, the Tigers look like they would be in if the season ended today. Per ESPN and Joe Lunardi Auburn would be a member of the “Last Four Byes” safely slotted in as a 1o seed avoiding the “First Four” round in Dayton, OH. CBS Sports latest bracketology reflects much the same. With Auburn being in the tournament and avoiding the “First Four” as a 10 seed. ESPN’s latest update has Auburn matching up in a 10/7 game against Will Wade’s NC State Wolf Pack of the ACC, the winner of the matchup would play the winner of a 15/2 matchup between Merrimack College and Illinois. The latest update from CBS would slate Auburn in a 10/7 matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes of the BIG 10, with the winner playing the team to come out of a 15/2 between Wright State and Iowa State.
Auburn is now in “must-win” territory the rest of the way. Sitting on the bubble isn’t fun for anyone and with the potential of bid-stealers thanks to conference tournaments and the fact that Auburn’s resume isn’t the strongest in the world, the only thing the Tigers can do to help themselves is continue to win.
Auburn has 3 games remaining in the regular season: v. Ole Miss (2/28), v. LSU (3/3), and @ Alabama (3/7).
To enter Selection Sunday in a comfortable position, the Tigers likely need to go at least 2-1 in the remaining three games in the regular season and possibly have to win a game in Nashville at the conference tournament also.
For now, every Auburn game is must-see television because of the grim, high-stakes situation the Tigers find themselves in.
