Auburn basketball: 3 reasons why Tigers could reach Final Four

The 2019 Final Four run forever changed what was expected from Auburn basketball by the rest of the college basketball world.

Bruce Pearl had Tennessee humming at the same time Pat Summit was building her legacy on Rocky Top, but he became an Auburn man in leading that squad–who was of course without eventual NBA first-round draft pick Chuma Okeke–to the very end in a much-maligned (on the Plains at least) Final Four matchup against that year’s NCAA champion, Virginia.

That was his shining moment as a coach, even with a Division II National Championship under his belt with Southern Indiana, a Tigers scrimmage opponent before the 2021-22 season kicks off.

This year’s team has similar ambitions. Damyeon Fishback–who played 52 games for Auburn in the late 1990s–is confident they can reach that goal…and blow way past:

"“My early impression is that they have the coach to win it all…” “From what I have seen they have the pieces to win it all…”"

And Fly War Eagle feels the same. The following 3 specific reasons outline our optimistic outlook for the 2021-22 season:

Reason #1 Auburn basketball could reach Final Four again: Allen Flanigan’s mid-season return

One of the primary sparks for that incredible 2019 Final Four run was the boost that the team got rallying around each other for the departure of Chuma Okeke to the IR with a torn ACL after the Tigers defeated UNC in the Sweet 16.

This year, it could be the inverse that ignites the spark to triumphant on-court results. Allen Flanigan will be returning right around when SEC play starts, and after a difficult early gauntlet that includes non-conference matchups at the Battle 4 Atlantis against the likes of UCONN (guaranteed) and potential matchups against Loyola Chicago, Michigan State, Arizona State, Baylor, Syracuse, or VCU, with a Holiday Hoopsgiving matchup with Nebraska in Atlanta before sneakily challenging mid-major matchups against a veteran Saint Louis squad and a Murray State Racers team looking to meet and exceed high preseason expectations.

By the time the SEC opener against LSU rolls around, Flanigan will either be ready to debut or will have had a tune-up game or two. His return will bring more balance to the lineup and add a third-year forward looking to prove he still has NBA talent.