“The NCAA Tournament isn’t about who the best team’s been all season. It’s about who’s playing their best right now!” Truer words have never been spoken, John Fanta! We’ve just witnessed a collapse for the ages, and we don’t know what else to say other than… Auburn, what are you doing? After months of dominating college basketball, the Tigers seem to have lost a step. Bruce Pearl is falling back into old patterns with his team come playoff season, but no one expected such an early exit from the SEC Tournament. But what exactly happened?

To put it simply, Tennessee happened. They’re a tough matchup for any team. The Volunteers are gritty; they put in effort on both sides of the court, and their defense is world-class. Tennessee’s victory was no fluke—it was a masterclass in defensive tenacity under Rick Barnes. The Volunteers, who led the SEC in scoring defense during conference play, suffocated Auburn’s high-octane attack.

However, Auburn was the best team in college basketball for the last couple of months. Their offense was nigh-unstoppable, and their defense seemed impenetrable for weeks on end. The Johni Broome-led Tigers were responsible for the downfall of many teams, but tonight? Tennessee got the best of them.

Rick Barnes and his team toppled over the regular season champions, beating them 70-65. However, the final score doesn’t tell the whole story. With seven minutes left on the clock, and the score skewed heavily towards the Volunteers, Johni Broome, and Chad Baker-Mazara got to work. In the next three minutes, they brought the gap down to just 2 points.

But Tennessee’s defense won in the end. They got a few crucial stops on Broome and CBM, and that was enough to earn them a clean victory. The thing is, we’ve seen this happen so many times with Bruce Pearl. His team dominates the regular season but in the postseason? They fold like a house of cards. And Auburn fans don’t have much tolerance left for the head coach, losing their faith in the process.

Bruce Pearl’s postseason woes are not a new phenomenon. Since arriving at Auburn in 2014, he has led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament six times in the last nine eligible seasons (excluding the canceled 2020 tournament). While the 2019 Final Four run remains a high point—the only time Pearl has reached that stage in his 20-year head coaching career—the Tigers have struggled to replicate that success. In the last four NCAA Tournaments (2021-2024), Auburn has not advanced past the second round, with notable upsets like the 2024 first-round loss to No. 13 Yale as a No. 4 seed still stinging in fans’ memories.

Fans react to Bruce Pearl’s SEC breakdown

Social media went wild after Auburn’s SECT exit. Bruce Pearl’s team was hoping to in the entire tournament, but it wasn’t to be. Don’t get it twisted, they’re still going to be a top seed for March Madness. Their regular season dominance wasn’t for nothing, obviously, but such an upset is bound to hurt.

Not only that, the Tigers’ performance isn’t instilling much hope in fans. After a disastrous beginning to March, one user on X seemed to have given up on a deep playoff run from Auburn. “I’m not quite sure about auburn’s final four chances given their recent performances. Maybe they’re a final four team but knowing the history of Bruce pearl, I’m not so sure about that.” The fan said, uncertain of where the team might end up.

And it wasn’t just one fan either. X was filled with criticism for Bruce Pearl and the pattern that he has cultivated over the last few years. “Auburn is about to lose 3 of their last 4. Bruce Pearl in March, everyone!” One user said, while another agreed with the sentiment. “Auburn getting the Bruce Pearl special.”

The seasoned head coach has only been to the Final Four once in his career, and his last few years have been quite disappointing. Auburn hasn’t gotten past the first weekend of March Madness for the last four years, and fans have their limits as well.

At Tennessee from 2005-2011, Pearl took the Volunteers to six straight NCAA Tournaments, but only once reached the Elite Eight (2010), falling short of deeper runs despite consistent regular-season success. This pattern of peaking early and faltering late has fueled the narrative that Pearl’s teams crumble under playoff pressure.

Another fan took to X to provide an interesting comparison between the past season’s Auburn, and the current Tigers. “Auburn has came out today have been a carbon copy of what that Auburn team looked like last year Vs Yale in the tournament Maybe it’s just Bruce Pearl in big spots?” Chad Baker-Mazara’s flagrant foul in that matchup is something Auburn fans just can’t put out of their minds.

And while some fans were upset at the outcome, others viewed the situation through a different lens. “Tennessee beating Auburn and Bruce Pearl is certainly a storyline.” A user on X said, drawing attention to how unexpected the win was.

Needless to say, the public isn’t happy with Bruce Pearl right now. His inability to convert wins in March is something that’s concerning every Auburn supporter right now. However, the bigger picture lies ahead, with Selection Sunday hanging over our heads like an axe. It will be interesting to see how the NCAA Tournament plays out, and whether Auburn can redeem itself on the big stage.