Having lost only twice this season till February, Auburn was hopeful of a joyous ride. Instead, they are now clutching the safety bar with white knuckles after a shaky end to the SEC tournament. A three-losses-in-four-games stretch has left Tiger Nation feeling queasy, and head coach Bruce Pearl? Well, he’s not exactly handing out warm, fuzzy reassurances either.

Auburn’s season had been going so well that fans were already practicing their victory speeches for March. The Tigers were projected to be the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, setting a school record with eight road wins in conference play. They also led the nation in Quad 1 victories (16)—a fancy way of saying they beat a lot of really good teams as they were playing the program’s toughest non-conference schedule. But just when Auburn needed to run, they stumbled. Losses to Alabama, Texas A&M, and finally Tennessee in the SEC semifinals raised pretty unwelcome questions.

Against Tennessee, Auburn did put up a fight. The first half saw the Tigers leading by a single point at halftime (33-32), giving fans hope that they could grind out a win. But then, the Volunteers did what they do best—playing suffocating defense and frustrating their opponents. Tennessee built a 12-point lead late in the game, making Auburn sweat. Then came the Tigers’ desperate attempt at a comeback. They clawed their way back with a 10-0 run, setting up Chad Baker-Mazara with a last-gasp three-point attempt that would’ve tied the game. However, he missed. The ball clanked off the rim. Game over.

After the loss, Pearl faced the media, and a reporter cut straight to the chase, asking, “Three losses in four games—do you just flush it and move forward, or is there a bit of panic setting in?”

Coach Pearl had time. “Man, I’m really glad you asked me that question. We lost to Alabama, Tennessee, and at Texas A&M. Yeah, we’re panicked. That’s a real softball. We lost to some great teams. Yeah, we’re panicked,” he said with a heavy voice. For those unfamiliar with Pearl’s brand of humor, this was his way of signaling the anxiety within the program, without outrightly admitting that Auburn is currently holding emergency meetings in a dark room somewhere.

And well, they must be panicked! 

Bruce Pearl also pointed out how Tennessee got 37% of their points from free throws—a number that suggests Auburn’s defense was a bit too generous. “We have to do a better job defensively,” he acknowledged. “The last time we played them, they scored 51 points. Tonight they scored 70“.

The point guard Denver Jones didn’t sugarcoat it either. “Tennessee is one of the best defensive teams in the country, and they disrupted us a little bit, but we just have to be better on offense and defense.” And Miles Kelly tried to forget it all and be optimistic. On being asked if Auburn deserves the No.1 overall seed, he said, “I think we did enough in the regular season to deserve the No. 1 seed. We put forth a great resume this season, and I think, in order to get the No. 1 seed you have to be special. And we were special this year“.

That’s a nice sentiment, but Auburn has to prove it can hang with the best, or this “special” season could end in disappointment. That said, Pearl has been here before. He’s taken Auburn deep into March before, and he knows how to rally his team. If he can get his players to tighten up defensively, execute offensively, and, for the love of all things holy, stop sending opponents to the free-throw line every other possession, Auburn can still be dangerous.

Bruce Pearl can’t wait for the postseason to begin

Yes, Auburn has lost three of its last four, but Pearl isn’t letting that shake his confidence. With Selection Sunday coming, he’s still making the case that his team deserves the No. 1 overall seed. Why? Because, in his words, Auburn has a “historically strong” resume. Five losses, sure. But three of them just came against elite teams.

“We lost at the buzzer against Alabama,” Pearl said. “We had possessions here. I can hardly wait till next weekend to start playing again. Let’s get to Sunday, find out where we’re going, find out who we’re playing, and let’s get back to work. I’m looking forward, not back.”

And he’s not wrong to fight for it. Last year, Auburn won this very tournament only to get slapped with a No. 4 seed when the NCAA bracket was announced. They ended up losing to Yale in the first round. This year is a different story. The SEC is stacked, possibly getting 14 teams into the tournament, and Auburn has some serious receipts.

So, does losing to Tennessee knock Auburn out of the No. 1 conversation? Likely not. The Tigers’ resume is strong enough that the loss to Tennessee doesn’t immediately bump them from the top line. The key factor is that Auburn lost to a high-quality opponent in Tennessee, a team also vying for a No. 1 seed spot.

Another thing to note is the SEC’s overall dominance this season. For the first time in modern tournament history, the SEC is projected to land multiple No. 1 seeds. This means that even though Auburn lost in the conference tournament, they may not be displaced from a No. 1 spot entirely.

So, are you all pumped up? The Mad March is here.