SEC Basketball Preview: Auburn Tigers

When Bruce Pearl announced his retirement in a dimly lit video from what looked like a recreation of his office on a sound stage, it threw the SEC and greater College Basketball community into a tizzy. After all, Pearl had been at the helm on the plains for 11 years and breathed a level of life into Auburn Basketball the school had never seen before.

For 8 years starting with the 2017-18 season, Auburn averaged over 25 wins, including averaging 12 wins in the SEC each year and finished the run with an average of 22nd in KenPom. All of those numbers improve if you give a mulligan for the COVID season in 2020-21.

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So the train was on the tracks and humming. Auburn had just spent most of the year as a national title contender, they rebuilt the roster through the transfer portal, and then in September he handed to keys over to his son, Steven.

The roster wasn’t bad, but wasn’t as elite as it was the year before. So a drop off was expected regardless of the coach. And the schedule did them no favors. The Tigers were competent, but struggled to win and close out games in conference play. The offense was rarely the problem, but the defense slumped to the worst since 2017, and Auburn failed to make the NCAA Tournament.

There were teams pitching their inclusion, but blowout losses to Michigan, Arizona and Purdue in the non-conference slate, and 8 losses in their final 10 SEC games sealed their fate. In an attempt to salvage the season, Pearl accepted an invitation to the NIT and won the tournament. Now we’ll see if he is able to turn that run into some momentum for the 2026-27 season.

Previous SEC Previews:

Auburn Tigers

Last season: 22 – 16 (7-11 in conference) #36 overall

The Masses Prediction: 9th in conference

SEC Media Pick: 9th in conference

Analytics Average: 8th in conference, 26th overall

Auburn Tigers head coach Steven Pearl talks with his team as Auburn Tigers take on Kentucky Wildcats at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. Auburn Tigers…

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Publish date : 2026-10-14 17:00:00

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