Auburn has had an impressive regular season, clinching the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship, holding the No. 1 ranking for seven consecutive weeks, and securing a likely No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. However, after dropping their final two regular-season games, the No. 3-ranked Tigers (27-4) are determined to make a statement in the SEC tournament. Top-seeded Auburn will take on eighth-seeded Ole Miss (22-10) in the quarterfinals on Friday afternoon in Nashville.
“We’re not buying into the idea that next weekend is more important than this one—both are crucial,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, this year’s SEC Coach of the Year. “This team has shown they’re fierce competitors. They hate to lose.”
The Tigers had been on a six-game winning streak before falling to then-No. 22 Texas A&M (83-72) and then-No. 7 Alabama (93-91 in overtime) to close out the regular season. “We’ve got a chip on our shoulder because we know we could’ve won those last two games,” said Auburn guard Denver Jones. “I think we’re going to make a statement when we step on the court.”
Auburn spent the week focusing on their own preparation in practice, as they didn’t know their opponent until Thursday afternoon. Once Ole Miss secured their spot with a thrilling 83-80 win over Arkansas—thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Sean Pedulla—the Tigers’ coaching staff quickly finalized their scouting report.
Under Pearl, Auburn has won the SEC regular-season title twice (2018, 2022) but lost their SEC tournament opener both times. “Can we join the elite group of programs that have won both the SEC regular season and tournament titles?” Pearl asked. “Can we surpass the 2019 team that reached the Final Four? There’s still a lot of opportunity ahead of us.”
The Tigers are led by SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome, who averages 18.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Auburn dominated Ole Miss in their two regular-season matchups, winning 92-82 in Oxford on February 1 and 106-76 in Auburn on February 26. However, the Rebels believe they can turn things around. “In both of those games, we didn’t play our best,” Pedulla said. “We need to fix the little things—boxing out, communicating on defense, and sticking to our rotations.”
Ole Miss has shown resilience, bouncing back from their second loss to Auburn by winning two of their last three regular-season games, including a 78-76 upset of then-No. 4 Tennessee on March 5. “We’re still a work in progress,” Pedulla admitted. “We’re focused on getting better.”
Rebels head coach Chris Beard emphasized the importance of staying focused after Thursday’s win. “I told the players they can enjoy this victory for two hours instead of the usual 12,” Beard said. “This was just our first game in the SEC tournament. We came here to win a championship and improve our NCAA Tournament seed.”
The stage is set for a high-stakes showdown as Auburn looks to prove their dominance and Ole Miss aims to pull off an upset. Tip-off is scheduled for Friday afternoon in Nashville.
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