Auburn Basketball: 2018-19 Tigers season preview

SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 16: Bryce Brown #2 of the Auburn Tigers reacts as they take on the Charleston Cougars in the second half in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. The Auburn Tigers won 62-58. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 16: Aubie the Tiger, mascot for the Auburn Tigers, performs as they take on the Charleston Cougars in the first half in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

With several key returnees coming back to the Tigers this season, can Auburn Basketball improve upon its 28-6 record from last year?

Auburn basketball is by no means a dynasty. Before Bruce Pearl landed the head coaching position, the Tigers hadn’t had a winning season since 2008-09. Moreover, last year marked Auburn’s first NCAA Tournament bid in 15 years.

Over the last two seasons, however, the Tigers have totaled 44 victories, the most for the program over any two-year span this century. When he first took the job, Auburn lost 20 contests in each of his first two seasons but has since improved greatly. Auburn fans used to have no reason to follow any athletic programs outside of football; in the near future, Auburn basketball could be even better than the football program.

Auburn’s improvement isn’t coming at the best time. The preseason AP Top-25 featured five SEC programs, including No. 2 and No. 6 Kentucky who received 19 and one first-place vote, respectively. With Auburn at No. 11, the SEC owns more top-11 teams than the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East, all of which only house one top-11 program. Only the ACC has more teams represented in the Top 25 than the SEC.

There’s no doubt the SEC has emerged as a top-3 conference in the country after years of being perhaps the weakest Power-6 conference for quite some time. In such a competitive league, is Auburn able to compete for the SEC regular season title? I break down everything you need to know about the Tigers for this season:

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