“Step up,” Bruce Pearl urged his Auburn Tigers after their brutal season finale loss against Alabama. The stakes were high once again as the Tigers went into their Sweet 16 matchup against Michigan. However, despite starting rough—turnovers, missed shots, and a sloppy game—the ‘hunt hungry’ Tigers were able to find a way through. They finally stepped up, keeping their tournament dreams alive. However, their performance highlighted bigger problems, grabbing the attention of the analysts and their rivals.

This has become a recurring theme with Auburn’s struggles in high-pressure games. Bruce Pearl’s team may rank 3rd in adjusted offensive efficiency, but they’ve been up and down in their shooting. The issue is highlighted by the fact that their effective field goal percentage is 55.2%, ranking them 29th nationally. In the first half against Michigan, Auburn managed just 32.4% from the field and only 3 of 16 from long range. Finally, they had the last laugh but didn’t find their rhythm until the second half.

Mark Titus, known for his sharp commentary, shared his concerns about Auburn; honestly, he wasn’t wrong. “I think my concerns with Auburn are that they play like they’re up 30 at all times. They make reckless passes and have insane shot selection,” he said. In the Sweet 16 game, these issues were thoroughly on display.

Auburn had 10 turnovers in the first half and couldn’t make shots. Miles Kelly, probably one of their better shooters, was really frustrating, taking some very questionable shots when the game was still somewhat close. “He(Kelly) starts out on a heat check almost, approaching every shot like he’s already hit nine out of ten from the three-point line. He had a couple of threes blocked because he’s getting challenged on these shots, and he’s like, “F— it, I’m going to fade away and hit this over him. I’m going to spray this guy’s face right now.” Titus said.

“I’m left wondering, what is going on with the shot selection, the turnovers, and the defense? This is insane. I feel like this has been a theme with Auburn for a little while now, and that’s what makes me concerned about them.” Titus continued. Even though they were guilty of early mistakes, Auburn got its act together. A good defensive effort in the final stretch tightened things up to get through. They held Michigan to 4 of 15 shooting in the final stretch, but it was nowhere near smooth sailing all night.

Auburn’s rebounding saves the day for Bruce Pearl

Interestingly, one of the bright spots was Auburn’s rebounding. They shot poorly, but their physicality was evident as they out-boarded the Wolverines by 15. Second-chance points were a big reason for their victory, outscoring Michigan 21-9 in that department.

Following the win over Michigan, Bruce Pearl took a chance to consider what really worked in his team’s favor. They rallied when it mattered. The turning point was the Tigers’ 31-8 run in the second half to overcome a 9-point deficit. The team’s “will to win” was praised by Pearl, and he credited a timeout he called, telling the players to “forget everything that’s happened” and focus on execution.

Pearl also emphasized that the players remain the prime movers in the whole process. “Players win championships. When those guys talk about getting stops or taking better care of the basketball, it means a lot more than when I say it,” he said. Some of the notable performances were from Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford, both notched 20 points and contributed to the second-half revival. Pettiford hit back-to-back threes that played a big role in the comeback. Whereas Broome made 22 points and 16 rebounds out of which there were nine offensively.

In the end, though, Auburn came through and stole the victory. However, the problems from the beginning of the game are still noticeable. As the tournament moves on to the Elite Eight, Bruce Pearl will have to get his team to reduce those errors and concentrate if they want to do well in March Madness.