Auburn Basketball: How Tigers reached the 2019 Final Four

By Dakota Cox | Apr 2, 2019

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 17: Bryce Brown #2 of the Auburn Tigers and head coach Bruce Pearl celebrate after the 84-64 win against the Tennessee Volunteers during the final of the SEC Basketball Championships at Bridgestone Arena on March 17, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

5 of 9

AUBURN, ALABAMA – DECEMBER 22: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers attacks the basket against Austin Wiley #50 of the Auburn Tigers at Auburn Arena on December 22, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The lowest point of Auburn’s season

Auburn’s low point came early in the SEC schedule. They opened up to a disappointing loss against Ole Miss where they showed little effort. After two easy games to get them on track, they went on a three game losing streak against Kentucky, South Carolina, and Mississippi State. All of these games were going to be tough, but the picture painted early was still dim. South Carolina had a losing non-conference record and were practically eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention from the start, and very few expected them to go on the run that made them the 4-seed in the SEC Tournament.

So, six games into the SEC schedule and the Tigers were practically eliminated from the regular season title race. They were looked at as on-par with Tennessee, but these losses paired with Tennessee’s convincing wins pushed this gap into a gaping hole between the teams. Even Alabama managed to upset Kentucky early, so there were concerns within the state rivalry.

This pessimism was short-lived, however. They went on a three game winning streak to briefly earn a winning record midway through the conference schedule. South Carolina kept winning, justifying that loss, and Mississippi State proved that they were one of the better teams. This turned out to be just a wrong place at the wrong time scenario. They caught multiple teams on their rise early in the year before they got to prove that they were in that range as well.

Home/Auburn Tigers