Pundits believe Auburn basketball needs to replicate 2020-21 Baylor by…losing?

Pundits believe that Auburn basketball losing a game would actually be good for them the rest of the way in 2021-22.

With the #1 ranking having been solidified two straight weeks after Jesse Newell hijacked the vote and tried to prevent Bruce Pearl from getting his third #1 ranking with a third different team, AU is now seen as a team that could use some adversity ahead of March Madness.

Fox Sports analysts Mark Titus and Tate Frazier discussed that point on their podcast ‘Titus and Tate’ and named a few schools by name that could be their undoing.

The point first surrounded Auburn basketball overcoming a possible Jabari Smith or Walker Kessler foul trouble situation (AU faced that in Tuscaloosa already) and winning because of their depth (transcript via the Montgomery Advertiser):

"“Whatever it is, they need to have a game where, one of those guys, Jabari (Smith) or Walker (Kessler) gets in foul trouble, so they can see if they can deal with that storm,” Frazier said. “They need to have a game where these guards have to kind of answer the bell a little bit.”"

As for who would beat them, road games in Knoxville and Gainesville got the attention of the co-hosts:

"“I like at Tennessee,” Frazier said. “Give me at Tennessee.”“At Florida is interesting,” Titus said. “At Florida is coming up.”“Those are two games that it’s not easy to win at either one of those places,” Frazier said.“I feel like losing at Tennessee is more justifiable,” Titus said. “That’s not the one you want. You want a semi-bad loss if you’re Auburn, so you can reset.”"

The pair used last year’s championship Baylor squad and their losses to Kansas in the regular season and Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament as an example of a team that needed losses to ultimately find their rhythm to make a title run:

"“That was good for them I think,” Titus said of Baylor’s two losses late. “They reset their whole mojo and then they went nuts in the NCAA Tournament.”"

Fly War Eagle pegged the Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee games as three potential pitfalls that serve as the toughest tests left in the regular season. We were (thankfully) quite off on the Crimson Tide tussle, and will find out at Arkansas first this coming Tuesday before that 26th matchup at the Thompson-Boling Arena on Rocky Top February 26th.