Steven Pearl quote after Auburn's fifth straight loss somehow makes things worse

The Auburn Tigers have now dropped five straight games, the most recent to Mississippi State. A team that was once a one-seed in last season's NCAA Tournament, the Tigers have seemed to fall from grace and, at this point, are fighting for a spot in the 2026 tournament.

Against Mississippi State, Auburn got off to yet another slow start, something that has become routine for the Tigers this season. It is a lot harder to play from behind a big deficit than when a game is close the entire way, as the Tigers have spent more time playing catch-up than anything else this season.

After the game, head coach Steven Pearl, who is in his first season as Auburn's head coach after his father Bruce Pear retired before the season, spoke with the media and was visibly frustrated. Pearl made a note to call out his team for their slow starts, but something was missing from his response: his own accountability.

"If we continue to have slow starts, we are not going to win any games," Pearl said. "We've got to make a decision on how we're going to start games. We can't wait until we're down 18 to start playing desperate. We've got to play desperate when it's 0-0."

What Pearl said was necessarily wrong; it is on the players to not have slow starts, but he has to be willing to help them with that. Is Pearl doing what he needs to as a coach to get the team through this slump, or is he just blaming them and telling them to figure it out?

Pearl has to take some accountability for his own actions in this situation. His team is on a five-game losing streak, and if something doesn't get figured out fast, an NCAA Tournament bid is out the window. With five games left on the schedule, Auburn has to either win out or win more than they lose.