The Auburn Tigers have four games remaining after a season-saving 75-74 win over the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday at the Neville Arena. At 15-12, AU is firmly on the March Madness bubble with Selection Sunday three weeks from today.
On3's Justin Hokanson didn't downplay Steven Pearl's biggest conference win of his career, but reminded Auburn that three more wins, against the Oklahoma Sooners, Ole Miss Rebels, and LSU Tigers, will likely be needed to lock down a spot in March Madness, regardless of what happens in the SEC Tournament.
"As significant as this win was, Auburn needs to take care of business over the next three and make it four straight. If it does, there will be zero concerns when Selection Sunday arrives," Hokanson tweeted after Elyjah Freeman's game-winning offensive putback with 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock.
Following the Tigers' next three-game stretch against the three games sitting at the bottom of the SEC standings, the IBOB will take place at Coleman Coliseum. Evidently, Hokanson didn't want to set the expectation too high against the SEC's No. 2 team, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Let's not write off Auburn getting hot at the right time and knocking them off too.
It's March. It doesn't have to make sense. In fact, it usually doesn't.
Auburn can become the ultimate Power Conference Cinderella
Let's be clear about something: the NCAA prefers its Cinderellas to be in Power Conferences, not of the Saint Peter's Peacocks variety. AU would be the perfect foil this offseason, especially with all the doubters Steven has drawn in the wake of how Bruce Pearl handed him the team.
In fact, there'd even be a bit of a political charge with a surging, underdog Auburn because of how outspoken Bruce is every day on social media, FOX News, and wherever else the retired Tigers head coach pops up to talk about Israel. Controversy creates cash, after all.
From a basketball perspective, Tahaad Pettiford, Keyshawn Hall, Kevin Overton, and KeyShawn Murphy have to all be hot, or contributing in some way on the floor, at the same time. Depth is no longer a strength for this team, but the top players recruited by Bruce and Steven from this past offseason could still win games on their own.
Since Steven has been the heartbeat of Auburn's locker room since before he took the head coaching role, with Bruce focused on politics and even a potential run for state office in Alabama, maybe there's still hope to be had about a team that was left for dead not even a few days ago.