Since taking over the program in 2014, Bruce Pearl has led Auburn men’s basketball to its most successful stretch in program history with six appearances over the past seven NCAA Tournaments, and now after last Sunday’s 70-64 win over Michigan State in the Elite Eight, two Final Four appearances.
Prior to Pearl’s arrival, Auburn had made just one Regional Final, back in the 1986 NCAA Tournament under head coach Sonny Smith. That March, the eighth-seeded Tigers knocked off Arizona, upset No. 4 St. John’s, and took down UNLV en route to the Elite Eight, but fell short to Louisville, 84-76, with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Aside from the 1986 season, Auburn had only advanced to the Sweet 16 three other times. Now, Pearl has led a program that had only appeared in the NCAA Tournament eight times in its history before he first took them there in his fourth season in 2018, to multiple Final Fours.
Auburn’s last Final Four appearance
Auburn’s first and only previous Final Four appearance came in 2019 when the Tigers entered the Big Dance as a No. 5 seed and ultimately played their way to a 30-win season. That dream run nearly ended in the first round, but Pearl’s team escaped New Mexico State 78-77 on a missed free throw in the final seconds and a missed three-pointer at the buzzer after the Aggies secured an unlikely offensive rebound.
Following its first-round victory, Auburn pounded Kansas in the second round, winning by 14, then rolled No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16. The Tigers then met two-seeded Kentucky in the Regional Final and needed overtime to overcome their SEC foes. Jared Harper had 26 points in the 77-71 win.
Finally, in the Final Four, Pearl’s group found itself on the wrong side of a nail-biter, falling to the eventual national champion Virginia Cavaliers on three Kyle Guy free-throws with one second left. Ty Jerome had 21 points, nine rebounds, and six assists for Tony Bennett’s team.
Auburn Final Four record: 0-1 (63-62 loss to Virginia in 2019)