Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl had to make a desperate gesture to fans after the Tigers’ painful 93-91 loss to Alabama. The No. 1 team in the country had a back-and-forth affair against their sworn SEC rival on Senior Day. While the game eventually went into overtime, Alabama star point guard Mark Sears hit a buzzer-beater floater to give the No. 7 Crimson Tide another signature win. Auburn basketball has now lost two straight games for the first time all year as its historic regular season hit a disappointing end.
In a viral moment, Bruce Pearl had to run onto the court to stop Auburn fans from throwing debris at Alabama’s team after the game-winning play.
Bruce Pearl had to beg Auburn fans to stop throwing debris at Bama’s team after Mark Sears game winnerpic.twitter.com/aQ8c0PIqHa
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 8, 2025
Some of Auburn’s biggest weaknesses were exposed on Saturday
Auburn basketball has had the best regular season in program history. The Tigers finished the regular season 27-4 overall and 15-3 in SEC play. Bruce Pearl’s team was a staggering 15-3 against Quad 1 teams, which is at least four more wins against these quality opponents than any other squad. The Tigers could lose by 40 in their opening game of the SEC Tournament and still be a lock for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, Saturday’s loss did show some concerning flaws that could plague this group come March Madness.
In particular, Alabama used a similar defensive strategy to Florida’s when the Gators won on Auburn’s home floor earlier this season. The Crimson Tide rarely doubled Auburn superstar Johni Broome and instead held the supporting cast in check. Broome went off on Saturday, scoring 34 points and recording eight rebounds, three steals, and five blocks. However, the rest of the roster was largely inefficient in this in-state rival clash.
Overly relying on Broome to carry the offensive load can ultimately get the Tigers into precarious situations. While the star power forward was terrific on both ends, he was expending a ton of energy on offense, which gave the Crimson Tide more opportunities to score on the interior against Bruce Pearl’s team. In addition, there are times when Broome is not doubled, and other players on the Auburn roster struggle to create their own shots. And for a team that can waver on defense against elite competition, that is a significant concern.
Overall, elite guard play will be key for Auburn basketball if this group wants to make a deep run in March. Players like Chad Baker-Mazara, Denver Jones, and Miles Kelly will need to provide more on both ends than they did on Saturday for this team to win the program’s first national title. This trio, as well as others, know that now, and the Tigers just received a reality check on where they are right now. However, this group still has the talent to achieve all their goals over the next month.
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