Auburn a Tier 2 SEC Team Heading into 2025/26 According to CBS Sports

Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers enter the 2025/26 season as underdogs.

Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers got a boost when Tahaad Pettiford decided to return to the team rather than remain in the NBA Draft. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers basketball team made a Final-Four run in March and April, but the team will have a whole new look in 2025/26. Reserve guard Tahaad Pettiford returns, giving head coach Bruce Pearl a familiar scoring threat, but he’s needed to reload through the transfer portal.

CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter believes the latest version of the Tigers might not be Final Four contenders, but they shouldn’t be written off either.

Trotter ranked the SEC teams at a tier level. From Tier One, which signifies elite, championship-level, to Tier Five, which pretty much means that your school received a participation T-shirt and catering. 

Florida and Kentucky were the only teams were Tier 1. Trotter ranked Auburn with Tennessee, Arkansas, and Alabama as Tier 2.

"When you have a stud lead guard and talented forwards, you have a chance to do some damage,” wrote Trotter on CBS Sports. “Auburn has both. Pettiford will look to cement himself as the best guard in the SEC, and [Keyshawn] Hall is a matchup nightmare that Bruce Pearl can use all over the floor to create advantages. Plus, [KeShawn] Murphy is an extremely talented interior scorer with NBA potential if the 3-ball develops.”  

Murphy and international signee Filip Jovic are the interesting ones here. Everyone knows what the backcourt will do. Plus, Hall is a three-level scorer, giving the Tigers an option if they’re shooting comes out cold. 

Yet, Jovic presumably has the footwork and European skillset that bring fundamentals to the fold. If Murphy can develop that jumper from distance, the paint opens up, and the Tigers are running free like it's spring break on Lake Martin. 

At this time, Auburn may not look like a national contender. However, did anyone think the Florida Gators were one a year ago, around this time? They were consistently ranked in the late teens. Building a culture with mostly new players takes a while. Finding that all-important groove matters. With time and a patient approach, the Tigers could start the season by surprising opponents with a vastly different style.

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