Auburn Hits the Reset Button at the Perfect Time Ahead of Rivalry Clash with Alabama
In the grind of SEC basketball, timing can be everything - and for Auburn, the timing of this week's break couldn't be better.
Coming off a tough road loss to Tennessee that snapped a four-game winning streak, the Tigers now get a full week to regroup before heading into one of the most anticipated matchups of their season: a rivalry showdown with Alabama. It’s their first meeting of the year, and it’s coming with stakes that go beyond bragging rights.
“We’ve got to learn from it, because we can't change our approach now that we've lost a game,” assistant coach Steven Pearl said after the loss in Knoxville. “It’s easy to be good when you’re winning.
Winners are the ones that are good when you’re losing. Losers are the guys that are only good when things are going their way.”
That message speaks volumes about where this Auburn team is mentally. They’re not panicking, and they’re not pressing the reset button on their identity. Instead, they’re sticking to what got them here - a resilient group that’s already weathered early-season adversity and climbed back into the SEC mix.
A Well-Timed Break, a Well-Tested Team
While Alabama has to turn around quickly for a Wednesday night battle with SEC leader Texas A&M, Auburn gets a rare midseason breather. And that matters.
Especially when you consider this stat: SEC teams are just 1-6 in games immediately following a matchup with A&M. Auburn is the only team that’s managed to win in that spot.
So yes, the Tigers are getting a bit of a scheduling break, and they’ve earned it. This week marks the exact midpoint of the SEC schedule, and Auburn sits at 5-4 in conference play.
That’s a solid position, especially considering they started 0-2 and then 1-3. They’ve clawed their way into the top half of the league, and they’re not done yet.
Looking ahead, the second half of the schedule is no cakewalk - it’s the SEC, after all - but Auburn is currently projected to be favored in six of its final nine games. If they can go 6-3 down the stretch, they’d finish the regular season at 20-11 overall and 11-7 in conference play.
That’s not just a respectable mark - that’s the kind of record that keeps you out of bubble talk and in the conversation for a top-four seed in the SEC Tournament, which comes with the coveted double-bye. Even a 10-8 finish in league play would likely secure a single bye, and anything better than that? Now you’re talking about a team that could make a serious run in March.
Building Something in Year 1 Under Pearl
Reaching the 20-win mark would be a big accomplishment in the first year under Steven Pearl’s leadership. Auburn’s done it in four straight seasons and eight of the last nine, so expectations are high - but this team is showing it can carry that tradition forward.
No, this season won’t match the historic heights of last year or the 24-7 campaign before that. But the Tigers are still in a strong position to return to the NCAA Tournament and, more importantly, to enter March with some serious momentum.
And if you’re looking for a little historical perspective, remember this: Auburn’s first Final Four team also started SEC play at 2-4. That group finished 11-7 in the league after winning six of its final seven games. Steven Pearl pointed to that turnaround earlier this season, right after the Tigers dropped to 0-2 in conference play.
“That team had its warts, had its issues, and found a way to figure things out,” Pearl said. “We figured out our roles and we had a great year.
… The past is entirely contained in your head, right? It's nowhere else and for us the present is all that can exist.
That's gotta be the message.”
A Season Defined by Resilience
This Auburn team has already shown it knows how to respond. After getting blown out by Michigan early in the season, they bounced back with back-to-back Quad 1 wins over St.
John’s and NC State. That 0-2 SEC start?
They followed it up by routing Arkansas at home.
When they slipped up again with a disappointing loss at Missouri, they didn’t spiral - they responded with must-have wins over South Carolina and Ole Miss, then pulled off a massive upset at Florida and followed it with a gritty comeback win over Texas.
That’s the kind of resilience that makes a team dangerous in February. Auburn isn’t just surviving the SEC grind - they’re learning from it, growing through it, and positioning themselves to peak at the right time.
So as the Tigers take a few days to regroup, reset, and prepare for Alabama, they’re doing it from a place of strength. They’re not on the bubble.
They’re not searching for answers. They’re sharpening their identity and getting ready for a stretch run that could define their season.
The rivalry game this Saturday? It’s big. But it’s also just the next step in what’s shaping up to be a promising - and potentially special - first season under Pearl’s leadership.
And with the way this team has responded to adversity so far, don’t be surprised if they’ve got a few more statement wins left in them.