The Auburn Tigers are at a bit of a crossroads as we head into the heart of SEC play. Their season so far has been a mixed bag - flashes of promise, but also some glaring issues that could hold them back when it matters most.
Let’s start with the high points. Auburn’s best moments came in an 85-74 win over St.
John’s on the night before Thanksgiving and a gritty 73-72 loss to then-No. 1 Houston in Birmingham.
Those two games showed what this team can be when it’s locked in: competitive, physical, and capable of hanging with top-tier programs. But outside of those performances, the Tigers have struggled - especially against ranked opponents.
Losses to Michigan, Arizona, and most recently, a lopsided 88-60 defeat at the hands of Purdue, have exposed some real cracks in Auburn’s armor. That Purdue game marked the third time this season the Tigers have lost to a ranked team by more than 28 points. That’s not just a bad day at the office - that’s a pattern, and it’s one that raises serious questions about this team’s ability to compete on the national stage.
Right now, Auburn sits in the middle of the SEC pack - seventh in the conference rankings through Christmas. They’re slotted behind Kentucky but ahead of Georgia, which feels about right given the current landscape of the league. The SEC as a whole hasn’t been as dominant this year, which makes Auburn’s inconsistency stand out even more.
One of the biggest concerns? Defense.
Auburn has built its identity in recent years on toughness, rim protection, and physicality. Think about the names: Walker Kessler, Jabari Smith, Dylan Cardwell, Johni Broome.
That frontcourt lineage was no joke. But this year’s squad just hasn’t had the same bite on the defensive end.
Whether it’s scheme, personnel, or a combination of both, something’s missing - and unless that gets fixed, it’s hard to see this team making a deep run come March.
The injury to Emeka Opurum hasn’t helped. Losing a player with his size and presence only deepened Auburn’s issues in the paint. And when you look at what Baylor just pulled off - adding James Nnaji, the No. 31 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, during winter break - it’s hard not to wonder what might’ve been if Auburn had landed a big like that.
Nnaji never played an NBA game, so he retained college eligibility, and Baylor swooped in. That’s the kind of move that shifts the balance of power, especially for a program that knows how to use a dominant interior presence. Auburn, meanwhile, has been left trying to patch together a frontcourt rotation without its usual depth and muscle.
For head coach Steven Pearl, the challenge now is clear: find a way to shore up the defense and get more production out of a roster that hasn’t quite lived up to its potential. That might mean tweaking the rotation, adjusting the scheme, or getting creative with NIL and transfer opportunities - whatever it takes to raise the Tigers’ ceiling before it’s too late.
Because right now, Auburn has shown it can hang with the best - but only for a game or two at a time. If they want to be more than just a middle-of-the-pack SEC team, they’ll need to find consistency, toughness, and a defensive identity that’s been missing so far this season.