Auburn Tigers Faced with Upcoming Do-or-Die Stretch

It's crunch time on the schedule for the Auburn Tigers, as they'll have to battle through a tough stretch to keep their tournament hopes alive

Auburn is doing what it can to cling to its tournament hopes | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers have now lost five consecutive games for the first time since the 2015-2016 season, after falling to the Mississippi State Bulldogs 85-91 on Wednesday evening. The Tigers rallied after it looked as if the game would get out of hand, but that was not enough. 

Now, only five more chances remain for Auburn to build its resume, to prove that it still belongs in the NCAA Tournament, and Auburn has to be nearly perfect down the stretch if it wants a chance at the postseason. 

Looking forward, the Tigers still have to play Kentucky, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU and once again Alabama to close out the regular season. Auburn currently sits at 14-12 on the season, and 5-8 in conference. Notably, Auburn is 2-6 when facing teams on the road. Comparing that to last season, it is night and day. Auburn has been unable to succeed when away from Neville Arena. 

With that said, Auburn still has to travel to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners and Tuscaloosa for their second clash with the Crimson Tide. Hostile environments have been, in fact, hostile for the Tigers, but that can not be the case anymore this season if Auburn wishes to make it to the postseason. 

For the remaining home games, Auburn has to face Kentucky, Ole Miss and LSU, three really solid programs that have a decent overall record, but have struggled during conference play, similar to Auburn. 

“Your season is on the line Saturday,” Auburn head coach Steven Pearl said following the loss to Mississippi State. 

“If you don’t win on Saturday, you’re probably firmly on the bubble and out of the tournament.” 

When the Kentucky Wildcats come to town on Saturday, Auburn will be playing in a do-or-die scenario. The Tigers can only afford to lose (maybe) one other game if they still want to hear their name called on Selection Sunday. 

Auburn made itself enemies last season with nearly the entirety of the SEC, after going 15-3 in conference play and only losing to Florida (in the regular season), Texas A&M and Alabama. For everyone else, Auburn mostly cruised through conference play last season. 

With Auburn being dominant last season and making a Final Four appearance, many teams are enacting their revenge on the Tigers, and the record shows it. Not being able to capitalize in games they probably should have won has been detrimental to the Tigers. 

The mentality of Auburn going forward is win or go home. With the current trajectory of Auburn basketball, a postseason bid is unlikely. But Auburn can only take it one game at a time, with that next game coming against the Kentucky Wildcats. Tipoff for that matchup is set for 7:30 p.m.CST and will be televised on ESPN.