Tough love for the Auburn Tigers.
The Auburn Tigers do not deserve to take the floor in the NCAA Tournament this season.
That's never a fact any team wants to accept, but it is time for the Tigers to face the reality of the situation. They had their opportunity, and they blew it.
Let's walk back to Jan. 28 for a moment. Auburn had picked up a win over Texas to extend its streak to four — including a road victory over Florida — and appeared ready to get the season back on the right track after a 1-3 start to SEC play.
How did the Tigers respond to that? By going 2-8 to close out the regular season.
After picking up a win in Gainesville for the first time since 1996, Auburn completely fell apart down the stretch. It dropped seemingly winnable contests against Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and likely put the final nail in its own coffin.
In a must-win road contest against a struggling Oklahoma squad, the Tigers fall flat and lose by 12 points. In an even more important home game against Ole Miss — a team the Tigers handled on the road earlier in the season — they dropped the ball again.
The Tigers had one more opportunity, however. If they managed to complete the tall task of upsetting No. 16 Alabama on the road — something they should have been extra motivated to accomplish after falling to their biggest rival at home previously this season — all would have been forgiven and their ticket to March Madness likely would have been punched.
What happened in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night? An Auburn team that looked completely disinterested turned the ball over 13 teams en route to another embarrassing loss.
It appears as though the Tigers need to make a run in the SEC Tournament to regain a solid standing on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
If they fall out against Mississippi State on Wednesday afternoon and are left out on Selection Sunday, head coach Steven Pearl and company will have no one to blame but themselves.