Was Arkansas loss what Auburn basketball needed ahead of March Madness?

Auburn basketball is still undefeated in regulation in 2021-22, as Justin Lee pointed out on Twitter on Tuesday night.

He said it before the Tigers even lost their second game of the season to the Arkansas Razorbacks at the Bud Walton Arena.

The 80-76 OT loss was the first loss in either regulation or even single overtime, which is a major victory for the Tigers. This was the first time the team had lost at all since November 24th in the Bahamas against UCONN.

No longer will AU be #1 in the college hoops AP Top 25. Clickbait specialist Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star may just drop the Tigers out of his own rankings altogether.

No matter.

Losing to Arkansas was what Auburn basketball needed ahead of March Madness

It’s all good on the Plains for Bruce Pearl and the Tigers, who will still maintain a top 10 ranking–barring something drastic on Saturday against Texas A&M against the newly renamed Neville Arena–and still possess the most talent in the country.

Jabari Smith’s stretch of late OT three-pointers, which included an impressive transition pull-up in the final minute and one heavily contested in the final 20 seconds, proved that the freshman sensation is an NBA lottery shoe-in. Walker Kessler’s 16 points, 19 rebounds, and seven blocks were mind-blowing enough to start considering his NBA Draft first-round candidacy. Even Wendell Green’s late regulation run carrying the offense may have helped out his own case to earn at least a G-League roster spot.

Zep Jasper’s absence was a factor in JD Notae’s dominance on the offensive end (28 points with a 11-14 free throw conversion rate) and AU’s supporting cast struggled, collecting just 21 points outside of that trio.

These nights won’t be the status quo. And if anyone deserves a win over the #1 seed, it’s Eric Musselman.

With this loss out of the way, AU can focus on closing out the regular season strong and preparing for what should be the most competitive SEC Tournament ever. Losing to the Hogs is far preferable to losing in Knoxville later this month in front of what should be quite the hostile crowd from Pearl’s old school.

The timing of this loss is tough for the Auburn family considering the possibility Bryan Harsin may be fired as head football coach tomorrow, but it’s perfect timing for Auburn basketball.