Auburn, what are you doing? The SEC regular season champions were supposed to have a cakewalk in the conference quarter-final, but Ole Miss came ready for action. It ended up being a close game, with Ole Miss staging a valiant comeback in the second half. Still, Bruce Pearl’s team narrowly escaped the jaws of defeat, winning by a five-point margin. Even though they pulled through, the victory was a sign of bigger issues for the Auburn Tigers.

At Bridgestone Arena, the No. 1 seed Tigers squeaked out a 62-57 win over the No. 9 Rebels, per ESPN, exposing cracks after a 27-4 regular season that earned them a No. 1 AP ranking twice.

Johni Broome might have put on a masterclass, but his teammates nearly fumbled a ten-point lead in the last three minutes! The six-foot-ten forward put up 23 points and grabbed 14 boards in the nail-biting finish. However, it was a Rebels’ show tonight! Malik Dia showed up with some crucial plays for Ole Miss late in the game, with a dunk and two steals shifting the momentum to their side. Dia’s 17 points and 4 steals, per NCAA stats, fueled a 15-5 run that cut Auburn’s lead to 58-55 with 1:12 left, nearly toppling the Tigers despite their 15-3 SEC record

It seemed like Bruce Pearl’s team just couldn’t keep up with the Rebels in transition. Chris Beard’s team recorded 12 fast break points as compared to Auburn’s 2, showing that the Tigers haven’t fully shaken off the rust after their last two losses. Both teams were equally dominant in the paint, but it was Ole Miss’ defense that turned things around. Auburn’s recent skid—losses to Texas A&M (83-72) and Alabama (93-91 OT) from March 4-8, per ESPN—left them vulnerable, with Ole Miss’ 10 steals and 37-28 rebounding edge, per NCAA.com, highlighting a lack of cohesion despite Pearl’s SEC Coach of the Year nod

Ten steals aren’t something to scoff at, especially when two of them happen with less than three minutes left. Dia’s incredible defensive efforts, and his composure at the line,  created an opportunity for a Cinderella story. Even though it didn’t convert, the scare that it gave Auburn fans is something that the Rebels should cherish!

Ole Miss, a projected No. 7 NCAA seed per Bracket Matrix’s March 14 update, nearly derailed Auburn’s No. 1 seed lock, with ESPN’s Joe Lunardi noting post-game that ‘Auburn’s aura took a hit,’ amplifying community frustration as March Madness approaches.

Fans react to Bruce Pearl’s SEC scare

Social media was going wild during the SEC Tournament quarter-final, with fans not knowing what to make of the Tigers. Their defense collapsed at a crucial time, and they couldn’t cope with Ole Miss’ high tempo plays. However, the internet did not take kindly to Auburn’s offensive struggles either.

Mainly, there were many screens through which favorable mismatches were created. It was supposed to be easy-pickings, but Auburn was not able to capitalize properly. One fan on X lamented the Tigers’ strategic blunder. “Auburn’s inability to take ANY advantage of these Ole Miss guards switching onto bigs is dumbfounding.” While another fan called out the team for not showing proper intensity to start with, which led to a surge in confidence for Ole Miss.“I’ve seen this show a thousand times. Auburn gave Ole Miss way too much life by coming out with zero intensity here. Now it’s a crap shoot.”

Even though Bruce Pearl’s team won, their starters struggled quite a lot. Moore and Cardwell played the entire game without troubling the scorers, while Chad Baker-Mazara took on a more limited role in this game. “Outside Broome, Auburn was horrible in this game. However, Ole Miss said hold my beer.” It was Broome’s double-double that saved face for Auburn, but there are definitely flaws that they need to address.

Some fans were quite upset at the Tigers. For some, Auburn nearly messed up their bets and parlays. “Auburn really going to blow my parlay and not cover.” A fan tweeted, but for some, it goes deeper than that. One user on X called the team overrated, frustrated by a late Rebels comeback. “Auburn about to get its 3rd loss in a row and will get its 4th cause there getting bounced immediately in the tournament this team is overrated dogsh-t.” 

Bruce Pearl has a track record of doing well in the SEC Tournament, having won it last year, but his campaign is not off to a great start. It will be interesting to see how his team regains its momentum after a rough start to the postseason. Johni Broome’s efforts won them the game, but there are genuine issues in the Auburn locker room that need to be fixed.