Auburn’s historic season ends here—and not in the way fans hoped. Up by 8 in the second half, the Tigers had us all thinking they might just pull this off. But sadly they couldn’t. A string of costly turnovers and missed free throws cracked the door open for Florida, and the Gators went full throttle. Even Bruce Pearl’s star shooter, who shot a decent 59.3% this season, just couldn’t find the net when it mattered most. And when the buzzer sounded it was a 73-79 loss. 

As we speaking of not giving their best, Tahaad Pettiford—who’s usually a walking bucket—put up just 7 points, shooting 1-of-6. He shot just 28.0% on the three point line while the freshman is averaging a good 37.4. Hence, Coach Pearl didn’t hold back, saying, “He wasn’t elite tonight,” and even added Pettiford himself would admit that. Per him, he’s been ‘sensational’ all year, but this just wasn’t it.

Actually, not just him, the Tigers looked…off. Not like the squad we’ve watched dominate all year. Was it the Gators’ grit? Or something deeper? Well Bruce Pearl and one of his players think they know what was it. So what really happened? Fatigue. Yes. Denver Jones said in the post-game conference, “I just feel like we probably just felt fatigue a little bit.” Pearl agreed, “I thought fatigue was a factor.”

Let’s rewind for a sec. The Tigers bulldozed their way through the season—like, full-on domination mode. A 27-3 record, crushing a brutal schedule. Took down Kentucky, embarrassed Alabama on their home court, and snagged the SEC regular-season title. Sure, they slipped in the SEC tourney, but still locked in that No. 1 overall seed for March Madness. 

Sounded like a dream. But…the NCAA selection committee really pulled a fast one. It’s like they took notes from the College Football Playoff crew when building Auburn’s path. Yes, they got the No. 1 seed but also got tossed into the South Region. Played Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in Atlanta. Still fine, it’s 110 miles from campus. But Final Four in San Antonio? That’s a brutal 12-hour trek. And with the game schedule—playing every other day for survival—fatigue was bound to play its part.

Coach Bruce Pearl thinks it did and in a big way. And just like that, the Tigers’ run, despite predictions in their favor, came to a tired, tangled end. But you can’t deny that Florida was just built different. Especially Walter Clayton Jr. The hooper dropped 34 with five threes. 

That’s back-to-back 30-point games this deep in the tourney—the first since Larry Bird. And when the Gators needed a big moment, Clayton hit a driving layup, grabbed loose rebounds, and iced the game. 

Even Auburn’s legend Charles Barkley had to tip his hat. 

Charles Barkley was all in on Bruce Pearl & Co. but couldn’t deny Florida was better team

Charles Barkley been a Tiger for life. And while he’s never been shy about admitting he doesn’t actually watch that much college basketball, it never stops him from being fully invested the second Auburn makes a run. And this year, it hit different. 

Auburn wasn’t just in the dance, they were leading it. Barkley was in San Antonio on the CBS broadcast given the he is one of the tournament’s top analysts and broadcasters despite a reluctance to do any sort of prep.  In the game, Auburn had just dropped 46 in the first half, up by 8, and NBA legend was all smiles. But then… second half hit, and Auburn started slipping. Now normally, you’d expect Barkley to be hot. 

But he kept it classy. He even gave the Gators their flowers. When Ernie Johnson called Clayton “that guy,” Chuck didn’t even blink—just nodded and said, “Yes sir. Say less.” That’s when you know a performance hit different. And after the game, he didn’t sugarcoat it. “The best team won,” he said. “Our guys played valiantly. It was a heck of a game. I’m so proud of our team and Coach Pearl and those kids. I’m disappointed, but Florida was the better team.”

So, Barkley wasn’t bitter. Just proud and aware of the kind of opponent Gators were. Now, whole Tigers pack their bags, it’s not all bad for Barkley. He still gets to hang out in San Antonio for a few more days—and if you know him, you know he loves that city.