Basketball News: 3-8-2026
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Dudley Dent
Mar 8, 2026, 6:09:00 PM (2 days ago) Mar 8
to Tiger Tracks
Auburn Basketball News: 3-8-2026
Auburn concludes regular season with 96-84 loss at No. 16 Alabama:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/03/7/auburn-concludes-regular-season-with-96-84-loss-at-no-16-alabama
Auburn basketball falls to Alabama in regular-season finale: NCAA Tournament status uncertain:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/03/auburn-basketball-falls-to-alabama-in-regular-season-finale-ncaa-tournament-status-uncertain.html
Steven Pearl makes Auburn’s case for the NCAA Tournament after Alabama loss:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/03/steven-pearl-makes-auburns-case-for-the-ncaa-tournament-after-alabama-loss.html
What Joe Lunardi said about Auburn’s NCAA tournament hopes after loss vs. Bama:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/03/what-joe-lunardi-said-about-auburns-ncaa-tournament-hopes-after-loss-vs-bama.html
Auburn basketball's KenPom ranking after Alabama loss:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/03/08/auburn-basketball-kenpom-ranking-alabama-loss-sec/89054400007/
Auburn to play Mississippi State in opening round of SEC Tournament:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/03/7/auburn-to-play-mississippi-state-in-opening-round-of-sec-tournament
Auburn basketball looks to get its revenge on Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/03/auburn-basketball-looks-to-get-its-revenge-on-mississippi-state-in-the-sec-tournament.html
2026 SEC men’s basketball tournament bracket, TV time, schedules:
https://www.al.com/sec/2026/03/2026-sec-mens-basketball-tournament-bracket-tv-time-schedules.html
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Auburn concludes regular season with 96-84 loss at No. 16 Alabama
By Jeff Shearer
Kevin Overton scored 22 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, but Auburn started slowly and trailed throughout its regular season finale, falling to No. 16 Alabama 96-84 Saturday at Coleman Coliseum.
“Alabama played well. They beat us at our own game. We got pushed around,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “We had a bunch of really bad turnovers which got us into a hole, and we weren’t able to dig out of it.”
Tahaad Pettiford scored 19 points and led Auburn with four assists. Keyshawn Hall contributed 13 points and six rebounds, and Elyjah Freeman added 11 points.
Auburn held the nation’s top 3-point shooting team to 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) from long range, six made 3s below its average, but Alabama found points closer to the basket.
Alabama outrebounded Auburn 42-28, converted 19 offensive boards into 24 second-chance points, and outscored the Tigers 58-32 in the paint.
“It’s a great offensive team,” Pearl said. “They’re going to make shots and they’re going to make tough plays, but you’ve got to do everything you can to limit their second-chance opportunities. Credit to them, they did a really good job in that part of the game.”
Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway each scored 21 points for Alabama.
Turnovers led to an early Auburn deficit, helping Alabama score the game’s first eight points. The Tigers committed 13 turnovers, leading to 17 points for the home team.
“Too casual with the ball,” Pearl said. “All of the things we did a good job of fixing in the LSU game, we reverted back to in this game. It ultimately led us to have a really slow start.”
Alabama made its first six shots, taking a 10-point lead on Philon’s 3-pointer.
A 12-0 run put the home team ahead by 20 before Filip Jovic ended the drought with a layup.
After Alabama went ahead by 22, Auburn scored eight straight points down the stretch on Pettiford’s layup and dunks from KeShawn Murphy and Freeman, who added a pair of free throws to pull the Tigers within 14 points with 1:04 remaining in the half.
Alabama (23-8, 13-5) capitalized on its 10th offensive rebound, leading to a pair of free throws before Philon ended a 16-point half with his second 3-pointer to give the home team a 50-31 lead at intermission.
Any hopes of an Auburn comeback faded when Alabama made five consecutive shots and used a 6-0 run to push its lead to 25 points at the first media timeout of the second half, eventually leading by 28.
The Tigers fashioned another 8-0 run to pull within 16 points on Freeman’s fastbreak layup midway through the second half, but freshman Amari Allen answered with eight consecutive points to put his team ahead by 23.
Auburn outscored Alabama 53-46 over the final 20 minutes to reduce the final margin to 12 points.
Auburn (16-15, 7-11) heads to Nashville, Tennessee, for next week’s SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. The No. 12 seeded Tigers will play No. 13 seed Mississippi State in the second game of Wednesday’s afternoon session scheduled for 2 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.
GAME NOTES
Keyshawn Hall became the Auburn single-season record holder for free throws made. Hall now has 210 made free throws this season and passed John Mengelt who made 208 during the 197-71 season. Hall ended the regular season with 591 points, 15th on Auburn’s single-season scoring list.
Kevin Overton scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season and sixth straight, finishing with a game-high 24 points. It was his seventh 20+ point game this season and his third in the last four games.
Elyjah Freeman added 11 points and has now scored in double figures each of the last three games since being inserted into the starting lineup.
Tahaad Pettiford scored 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting for his 20th double-figure scoring game of the season. Pettiford had a team-high four assists.
Auburn held the nation’s top 3-point shooting team to just 7-of-27 from long range. However, Alabama outscored Auburn 58-32 in the paint and 24-8 in second-chance points.
Auburn shot above 50 percent for the third straight game (50.8). The Tigers scored 53 points in the second half on 18-of-31 shooting.
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Auburn basketball falls to Alabama in regular-season finale: NCAA Tournament status uncertain
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Alabama celebrated its Senior Night in blowout fashion, knocking off Auburn basketball 96-84 Saturday night inside Coleman Coliseum.
Auburn drops to 16-15 overall and 7-11 in conference play, heading into next week’s conference tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.
As far as Auburn’s NCAA Tournament chances, the Tigers will need to stack some wins next week and lean on its regular season resume come Selection Sunday.
https://twitter.com/aldotcomTigers/status/2030492414956195893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2030492414956195893%7Ctwgr%5Ed283cafba9458e153d1328ee8f63fb44bfc3b007%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al.com%2Fauburnbasketball%2F2026%2F03%2Fauburn-basketball-falls-to-alabama-in-regular-season-finale-ncaa-tournament-status-uncertain.html
Here are three takeaways from Auburn’s regular-season finale against Alabama:
Labaron Philon torches Auburn in the first half
Alabama connected on its first six shots of the game and was led by guard Labaron Philon Jr. 16 points, leading Auburn by double digit points at halftime.
Philon scored three straight baskets after Alabama scored its first points of the game and drained a shot from beyond the arc as time expired on the first half game clock.
Auburn finished with just 12 made field goals in the first half and was led by Tahaad Pettiford’s 12 points in the first 20 minutes of play. KeShawn Murphy added six points to the Tigers halftime box score.
Philon finished the game with 21 points and four assists. Former Auburn guard Aden Holloway also scored 21 points for the Crimson Tide and drained three 3-pointers.
Alabama owns the paint and Auburn’s frontcourt
Alabama was not as strong from the 3-point line this time against Auburn, finishing with just seven made 3-pointers throughout entire game.
However, the Crimson Tide’s frontcourt dominated from start to finish, outrebounding Auburn 42-28 and scored 58 total points from inside the paint.
Alabama also led the game with 24 second chance points, as senior guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. snagged seven rebounds alone in his final at Coleman Coliseum. Aiden Sherrell added six rebounds to his 10 points.
Auburn finished the game going 11-16 on layup attempts and 32 points in the paint. Alabama added six blocks and six steal to its defensive stat line, making things hard for Auburn down low all night.
Kevin Overton led Auburn in scoring with 24 points, as Pettiford and Keyshawn Hall combined for 32 points. Elyjah Freeman added 11 points to round out Auburn’s double-digit scorers.
Where does Auburn’s NCAA Tournament chances stand now?
Auburn wrapped up the regular season with the No. 3 strength of schedule and a 4-12 Quad I record.
Despite being on the NCAA tournament bubble entering Saturday’s contest, all the other bubble teams according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s bracket projections also suffered losses prior to Auburn’s game.
With the SEC conference tournament ahead, Auburn will need at least two wins during that stretch to ensure an at-large bid as a First Four team.
A first-round loss next Wednesday could see the Tigers season come to an end earlier than expected. Auburn will play on the first day of the tournament on Wednesday and matchup against Mississippi State.
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Steven Pearl makes Auburn’s case for the NCAA Tournament after Alabama loss
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Auburn could’ve played its way back into the NCAA Tournament field with a win against Alabama on Saturday.
Instead, the night ended with Steven Pearl pleading his team’s case to the selection committee in his postgame news conference after an eighth loss in Auburn’s last 10 games.
Alabama beat Auburn 96-84 on Saturday night. Auburn came into the game firmly on the bubble, but flatlined against a team that wasn’t playing for much in its regular season finale.
As Auburn enters the postseason likely needing to win the SEC Tournament for a March Madness bid, Pearl was asked about his team’s urgency going into next week.
The first-year head coach emphasized that it’s “win or go home” for his team in Nashville, but also explained why he believes Auburn should be considered by the NCAA selection committee as an at large.
"We play in the best league in college basketball, the deepest league in college basketball," Pearl said. “We have five of some of the best wins in the country. We have the best win in college basketball at Florida.
“If you look at our quality wins and the other teams on the bubble, I don’t think those teams get those wins. I just don’t. We’ve put ourselves in a position to be considered. I think our resume stands up against anybody’s.”
As of Saturday night, Auburn ranks second nationally in strength of schedule, according to KenPom. Alabama ranks No. 1.
The Tigers have quality wins against Florida, St. John’s, NC State, Arkansas, Texas and Kentucky. However, with the defeat against Alabama, Auburn now has 15 losses.
No team has ever made the NCAA Tournament as an at large with more than 15 defeats. Unless that precedent is broken, Auburn would have to win the SEC Tournament to be in a good position to earn a bid.
Based on his comments, Pearl understands that. That didn’t stop him from making one last pitch to the committee, though.
“We have enough quality wins to be deserving to be in this tournament,” Pearl said, “but we understand that we’ve gotta go to Nashville, and we’ve got to make a run, just so we don’t have to be sweating it out on Sunday.
“So, the urgency is that this might be your last game if we don’t find the urgency to win these moving forward.”
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What Joe Lunardi said about Auburn’s NCAA tournament hopes after loss vs. Bama
By Andrew Hammond
al.com
While the Auburn Tigers got “punked” in the words of head coach Steven Pearl on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, vs. Alabama, the loss might’ve actually helped the bubble-riding Tigers.
On SEC Now late Saturday night, ESPN bracket guru Joe Lunardi assessed the Auburn Tigers chances to reach the NCAA tournament, as the final Saturday of the regular season came to a close.
Despite the 96-84 loss to Alabama, Lunardi still has the Auburn Tigers in the NCAA tournament as of right now.
“Auburn is gonna wake up in our field, even with loss,” Lunardi said.
“Because you look at Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Cal, New Mexico, Indiana of course. Everyone that could’ve been ahead of them lost and they all lost to lower-rated teams than did the Tigers going into Tuscaloosa tonight. Do I think Auburn is going to make the NCAA tournament a week from now? No. But we still need 68 teams and right now, on the at-large board, they’re number 37.”
How many at-large teams fill out the NCAA tournament field? 37.
By that estimation, the Auburn Tigers would be traveling to Dayton, OH for a First Four matchup against another at-large who barely squeaked in.
Regardless of the result, and Lunardi’s real-time assessment, Auburn will be doing some scoreboard watching next week as they begin the SEC tournament vs. Mississippi State at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
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Auburn basketball's KenPom ranking after Alabama loss
By Jac Myrick
Auburn Wire
Auburn basketball dropped its last game of the regular season on the road against Alabama, 96-84.
The Tigers were out-rebounded by the Tide; Alabama was able to clean the boards on offense and continue their possessions. The Tide finished with 19 offensive rebounds compared to the Tigers' nine rebounds.
Defensively, the story continues. Auburn allowed wide-open shots and key players to get to their spots. Alabama's duo of Labaron Philon Jr. and Aden Holloway both scored 21 points. For once, though, the Tigers really were not burned by a three-point shot. The Tide shot 26% from the three-point line.
Coming into Saturday, the Tigers had their backs against the wall in making the NCAA Tournament. They needed to pick up a victory against a No. 16 Alabama to really show that they deserve to get in, with Joe Lunardi of ESPN Bracketology pinning this matchup as a must-win.
So where does the Tigers sit in KenPom's latest statistical rankings? Here is a look at Auburn in every major statistical category in KenPom.
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Overall No. 39
Auburn moves up one spot from No. 40 to No. 39 in KenPom's overall team rankings.
Offensive efficiency: No. 12
Offensively, the Tigers have been a top-20 team in KenPom the majority of the regular season. They now rank No. 12 with an efficiency score of 125.6.
Defensive efficiency: No. 122
The Tigers' defense had been slipping in their defensive rankings. KenPom places their defense at No. 122 with an efficiency score of 106.9.
Adjusted tempo: No. 192
Auburn averages 67.2 possessions per game, which puts them around the national average of 67.4.
Strength of schedule: No. 2
It was known that this schedule was one of the toughest; KenPom ranks their schedule at No. 2.
Mississippi State overview
Auburn will take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs once again in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs got the win at home against the Tigers in their first matchup. So, where does Mississippi State rank in KenPom? Here is a look at the Bulldogs according to KenPom.
Overall: No. 100
Adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 105 (113.4)
Adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 110 (106.1)
Adjusted tempo: No. 66 (69.6)
Strength of schedule: No. 23 (+13.24)
Projected winner of the game: Auburn (76%)
Implied score: Auburn 85, Mississippi State 77
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Auburn to play Mississippi State in opening round of SEC Tournament
By Ted Feeley
The Auburn men’s basketball team has earned the 12-seed in the 2026 SEC Basketball Tournament and will open action on Wednesday afternoon against No. 13 Mississippi State in Nashville.
Auburn and State will square off at approximately 2 p.m. CT on SEC Network, following the first game of the day between Kentucky and LSU at 11:30 a.m.
The winner of Auburn and Mississippi State will play fifth-seeded Tennessee on Thursday, and the winner of that will advance to the quarterfinals to play No. 4 Vanderbilt.
Auburn finished the regular season at 16-15 overall and 7-11 in the SEC. Mississippi State is 13-18 overall and 5-13 in league play. The Bulldogs defeated the Tigers 91-85 in Starkville back in February.
2026 SEC Tournament Bracket:
https://auburntigers.com/documents/0c9bb5b4-25c0-4a47-9106-4bf484c29ea8.pdf
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Auburn basketball looks to get its revenge on Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball’s regular season has ended, and the Tigers will turn the page to the SEC Tournament next week in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Tigers will be the No. 12 seed and will face No. 13 Mississippi State in the second game of the first session on Wednesday, March 11.
Auburn fell to the Bulldogs last month after giving up 46 points from Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard. The Bulldogs shot 50% from the floor and 53% from 3-point range, knocking down 16 total 3-pointers as a team in the 91-85 victory.
“It’s win or go home,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said following the Tigers 96-84 loss to Alabama Saturday night. “I don’t know what more urgency you need at this point.”
The first game of the SEC tournament is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. CT. Auburn and Mississippi State will tipoff 25 minutes after the conclusion of that game.
All games from the first two rounds of the tournament will be televised on the SEC Network. The quarterfinals-championship game will be on ESPN.
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2026 SEC men’s basketball tournament bracket, TV time, schedules
By Andrew Hammond
al.com
The SEC regular season has wrapped up, and the next stop is Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, home of the SEC men’s basketball tournament.
Although the league’s bid for the NCAA tournament will be up for grabs, a few teams will begin the SEC tournament knowing their final destination for March. Then, you’ve got teams such as Auburn, Missouri and Texas A&M that travel wot Nashville with their postseason hopes in the balance.
A chaotic end to the SEC regular season was similar to the finish of a NASCAR race with Florida taking the checkered flag and a bunch of teams crashing in the background. Here’s a look at the top four seeds entering next week’s action, these teams will receive double byes and will start Friday.
Florida
Alabama
Arkansas
Vanderbilt
The logjam to get the double bye resulted in a few teams that fell just short of getting that extra day of rest, but now these teams seeded 5-8 will be playing a day early.
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Georgia
Missouri
Below is the full schedule of games with tip times.
Wednesday, March 11 (All games on SEC Network, all times central)
Game 1-No. 16 LSU vs. No. 9 Kentucky, 11:30 a.m.
Game 2-No. 13 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 Auburn, 2 p.m.
Game 3-No. 15 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Texas, 6 p.m.
Game 4-No. 14 South Carolina vs. No. 11 Oklahoma, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 12 (All games on SEC Network, all times central)
Game 5-Game 1 winner vs. No. 8 Missouri, 11:30 a.m.
Game 6, Game 2 winner vs. No. 5 Tennessee, 2 p.m.
Game 7-Game 3 winner vs. No. 7 Georgia, 6 p.m.
Game 8-Game 4 winner vs. No. 6 Texas A&M, 8:30 p.m.
Friday, March 13 (Afternoon games on ESPN, evening games on SEC Network. All times central)
Game 9-Game 5 winner vs. No. 1 Florida, Noon
Game 10-Game 6 winner vs. No. 4 Vanderbilt, 1:30 p.m.
Game 11-Game 7 winner vs. No. 2 Alabama, 6 p.m.
Game 12-Game 8 winner vs. No. 3 Arkansas, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 14 (All games on ESPN, all times central)
Game 13-Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, Noon
Game 14-Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 15 (ESPN, all times central)
Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, Noon
Auburn concludes regular season with 96-84 loss at No. 16 Alabama:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/03/7/auburn-concludes-regular-season-with-96-84-loss-at-no-16-alabama
Auburn basketball falls to Alabama in regular-season finale: NCAA Tournament status uncertain:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/03/auburn-basketball-falls-to-alabama-in-regular-season-finale-ncaa-tournament-status-uncertain.html
Steven Pearl makes Auburn’s case for the NCAA Tournament after Alabama loss:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/03/steven-pearl-makes-auburns-case-for-the-ncaa-tournament-after-alabama-loss.html
What Joe Lunardi said about Auburn’s NCAA tournament hopes after loss vs. Bama:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/03/what-joe-lunardi-said-about-auburns-ncaa-tournament-hopes-after-loss-vs-bama.html
Auburn basketball's KenPom ranking after Alabama loss:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/03/08/auburn-basketball-kenpom-ranking-alabama-loss-sec/89054400007/
Auburn to play Mississippi State in opening round of SEC Tournament:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/03/7/auburn-to-play-mississippi-state-in-opening-round-of-sec-tournament
Auburn basketball looks to get its revenge on Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/03/auburn-basketball-looks-to-get-its-revenge-on-mississippi-state-in-the-sec-tournament.html
2026 SEC men’s basketball tournament bracket, TV time, schedules:
https://www.al.com/sec/2026/03/2026-sec-mens-basketball-tournament-bracket-tv-time-schedules.html
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Auburn concludes regular season with 96-84 loss at No. 16 Alabama
By Jeff Shearer
Kevin Overton scored 22 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, but Auburn started slowly and trailed throughout its regular season finale, falling to No. 16 Alabama 96-84 Saturday at Coleman Coliseum.
“Alabama played well. They beat us at our own game. We got pushed around,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “We had a bunch of really bad turnovers which got us into a hole, and we weren’t able to dig out of it.”
Tahaad Pettiford scored 19 points and led Auburn with four assists. Keyshawn Hall contributed 13 points and six rebounds, and Elyjah Freeman added 11 points.
Auburn held the nation’s top 3-point shooting team to 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) from long range, six made 3s below its average, but Alabama found points closer to the basket.
Alabama outrebounded Auburn 42-28, converted 19 offensive boards into 24 second-chance points, and outscored the Tigers 58-32 in the paint.
“It’s a great offensive team,” Pearl said. “They’re going to make shots and they’re going to make tough plays, but you’ve got to do everything you can to limit their second-chance opportunities. Credit to them, they did a really good job in that part of the game.”
Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway each scored 21 points for Alabama.
Turnovers led to an early Auburn deficit, helping Alabama score the game’s first eight points. The Tigers committed 13 turnovers, leading to 17 points for the home team.
“Too casual with the ball,” Pearl said. “All of the things we did a good job of fixing in the LSU game, we reverted back to in this game. It ultimately led us to have a really slow start.”
Alabama made its first six shots, taking a 10-point lead on Philon’s 3-pointer.
A 12-0 run put the home team ahead by 20 before Filip Jovic ended the drought with a layup.
After Alabama went ahead by 22, Auburn scored eight straight points down the stretch on Pettiford’s layup and dunks from KeShawn Murphy and Freeman, who added a pair of free throws to pull the Tigers within 14 points with 1:04 remaining in the half.
Alabama (23-8, 13-5) capitalized on its 10th offensive rebound, leading to a pair of free throws before Philon ended a 16-point half with his second 3-pointer to give the home team a 50-31 lead at intermission.
Any hopes of an Auburn comeback faded when Alabama made five consecutive shots and used a 6-0 run to push its lead to 25 points at the first media timeout of the second half, eventually leading by 28.
The Tigers fashioned another 8-0 run to pull within 16 points on Freeman’s fastbreak layup midway through the second half, but freshman Amari Allen answered with eight consecutive points to put his team ahead by 23.
Auburn outscored Alabama 53-46 over the final 20 minutes to reduce the final margin to 12 points.
Auburn (16-15, 7-11) heads to Nashville, Tennessee, for next week’s SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. The No. 12 seeded Tigers will play No. 13 seed Mississippi State in the second game of Wednesday’s afternoon session scheduled for 2 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.
GAME NOTES
Keyshawn Hall became the Auburn single-season record holder for free throws made. Hall now has 210 made free throws this season and passed John Mengelt who made 208 during the 197-71 season. Hall ended the regular season with 591 points, 15th on Auburn’s single-season scoring list.
Kevin Overton scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season and sixth straight, finishing with a game-high 24 points. It was his seventh 20+ point game this season and his third in the last four games.
Elyjah Freeman added 11 points and has now scored in double figures each of the last three games since being inserted into the starting lineup.
Tahaad Pettiford scored 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting for his 20th double-figure scoring game of the season. Pettiford had a team-high four assists.
Auburn held the nation’s top 3-point shooting team to just 7-of-27 from long range. However, Alabama outscored Auburn 58-32 in the paint and 24-8 in second-chance points.
Auburn shot above 50 percent for the third straight game (50.8). The Tigers scored 53 points in the second half on 18-of-31 shooting.
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Auburn basketball falls to Alabama in regular-season finale: NCAA Tournament status uncertain
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Alabama celebrated its Senior Night in blowout fashion, knocking off Auburn basketball 96-84 Saturday night inside Coleman Coliseum.
Auburn drops to 16-15 overall and 7-11 in conference play, heading into next week’s conference tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.
As far as Auburn’s NCAA Tournament chances, the Tigers will need to stack some wins next week and lean on its regular season resume come Selection Sunday.
https://twitter.com/aldotcomTigers/status/2030492414956195893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2030492414956195893%7Ctwgr%5Ed283cafba9458e153d1328ee8f63fb44bfc3b007%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al.com%2Fauburnbasketball%2F2026%2F03%2Fauburn-basketball-falls-to-alabama-in-regular-season-finale-ncaa-tournament-status-uncertain.html
Here are three takeaways from Auburn’s regular-season finale against Alabama:
Labaron Philon torches Auburn in the first half
Alabama connected on its first six shots of the game and was led by guard Labaron Philon Jr. 16 points, leading Auburn by double digit points at halftime.
Philon scored three straight baskets after Alabama scored its first points of the game and drained a shot from beyond the arc as time expired on the first half game clock.
Auburn finished with just 12 made field goals in the first half and was led by Tahaad Pettiford’s 12 points in the first 20 minutes of play. KeShawn Murphy added six points to the Tigers halftime box score.
Philon finished the game with 21 points and four assists. Former Auburn guard Aden Holloway also scored 21 points for the Crimson Tide and drained three 3-pointers.
Alabama owns the paint and Auburn’s frontcourt
Alabama was not as strong from the 3-point line this time against Auburn, finishing with just seven made 3-pointers throughout entire game.
However, the Crimson Tide’s frontcourt dominated from start to finish, outrebounding Auburn 42-28 and scored 58 total points from inside the paint.
Alabama also led the game with 24 second chance points, as senior guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. snagged seven rebounds alone in his final at Coleman Coliseum. Aiden Sherrell added six rebounds to his 10 points.
Auburn finished the game going 11-16 on layup attempts and 32 points in the paint. Alabama added six blocks and six steal to its defensive stat line, making things hard for Auburn down low all night.
Kevin Overton led Auburn in scoring with 24 points, as Pettiford and Keyshawn Hall combined for 32 points. Elyjah Freeman added 11 points to round out Auburn’s double-digit scorers.
Where does Auburn’s NCAA Tournament chances stand now?
Auburn wrapped up the regular season with the No. 3 strength of schedule and a 4-12 Quad I record.
Despite being on the NCAA tournament bubble entering Saturday’s contest, all the other bubble teams according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s bracket projections also suffered losses prior to Auburn’s game.
With the SEC conference tournament ahead, Auburn will need at least two wins during that stretch to ensure an at-large bid as a First Four team.
A first-round loss next Wednesday could see the Tigers season come to an end earlier than expected. Auburn will play on the first day of the tournament on Wednesday and matchup against Mississippi State.
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Steven Pearl makes Auburn’s case for the NCAA Tournament after Alabama loss
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Auburn could’ve played its way back into the NCAA Tournament field with a win against Alabama on Saturday.
Instead, the night ended with Steven Pearl pleading his team’s case to the selection committee in his postgame news conference after an eighth loss in Auburn’s last 10 games.
Alabama beat Auburn 96-84 on Saturday night. Auburn came into the game firmly on the bubble, but flatlined against a team that wasn’t playing for much in its regular season finale.
As Auburn enters the postseason likely needing to win the SEC Tournament for a March Madness bid, Pearl was asked about his team’s urgency going into next week.
The first-year head coach emphasized that it’s “win or go home” for his team in Nashville, but also explained why he believes Auburn should be considered by the NCAA selection committee as an at large.
"We play in the best league in college basketball, the deepest league in college basketball," Pearl said. “We have five of some of the best wins in the country. We have the best win in college basketball at Florida.
“If you look at our quality wins and the other teams on the bubble, I don’t think those teams get those wins. I just don’t. We’ve put ourselves in a position to be considered. I think our resume stands up against anybody’s.”
As of Saturday night, Auburn ranks second nationally in strength of schedule, according to KenPom. Alabama ranks No. 1.
The Tigers have quality wins against Florida, St. John’s, NC State, Arkansas, Texas and Kentucky. However, with the defeat against Alabama, Auburn now has 15 losses.
No team has ever made the NCAA Tournament as an at large with more than 15 defeats. Unless that precedent is broken, Auburn would have to win the SEC Tournament to be in a good position to earn a bid.
Based on his comments, Pearl understands that. That didn’t stop him from making one last pitch to the committee, though.
“We have enough quality wins to be deserving to be in this tournament,” Pearl said, “but we understand that we’ve gotta go to Nashville, and we’ve got to make a run, just so we don’t have to be sweating it out on Sunday.
“So, the urgency is that this might be your last game if we don’t find the urgency to win these moving forward.”
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What Joe Lunardi said about Auburn’s NCAA tournament hopes after loss vs. Bama
By Andrew Hammond
al.com
While the Auburn Tigers got “punked” in the words of head coach Steven Pearl on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, vs. Alabama, the loss might’ve actually helped the bubble-riding Tigers.
On SEC Now late Saturday night, ESPN bracket guru Joe Lunardi assessed the Auburn Tigers chances to reach the NCAA tournament, as the final Saturday of the regular season came to a close.
Despite the 96-84 loss to Alabama, Lunardi still has the Auburn Tigers in the NCAA tournament as of right now.
“Auburn is gonna wake up in our field, even with loss,” Lunardi said.
“Because you look at Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Cal, New Mexico, Indiana of course. Everyone that could’ve been ahead of them lost and they all lost to lower-rated teams than did the Tigers going into Tuscaloosa tonight. Do I think Auburn is going to make the NCAA tournament a week from now? No. But we still need 68 teams and right now, on the at-large board, they’re number 37.”
How many at-large teams fill out the NCAA tournament field? 37.
By that estimation, the Auburn Tigers would be traveling to Dayton, OH for a First Four matchup against another at-large who barely squeaked in.
Regardless of the result, and Lunardi’s real-time assessment, Auburn will be doing some scoreboard watching next week as they begin the SEC tournament vs. Mississippi State at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
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Auburn basketball's KenPom ranking after Alabama loss
By Jac Myrick
Auburn Wire
Auburn basketball dropped its last game of the regular season on the road against Alabama, 96-84.
The Tigers were out-rebounded by the Tide; Alabama was able to clean the boards on offense and continue their possessions. The Tide finished with 19 offensive rebounds compared to the Tigers' nine rebounds.
Defensively, the story continues. Auburn allowed wide-open shots and key players to get to their spots. Alabama's duo of Labaron Philon Jr. and Aden Holloway both scored 21 points. For once, though, the Tigers really were not burned by a three-point shot. The Tide shot 26% from the three-point line.
Coming into Saturday, the Tigers had their backs against the wall in making the NCAA Tournament. They needed to pick up a victory against a No. 16 Alabama to really show that they deserve to get in, with Joe Lunardi of ESPN Bracketology pinning this matchup as a must-win.
So where does the Tigers sit in KenPom's latest statistical rankings? Here is a look at Auburn in every major statistical category in KenPom.
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Overall No. 39
Auburn moves up one spot from No. 40 to No. 39 in KenPom's overall team rankings.
Offensive efficiency: No. 12
Offensively, the Tigers have been a top-20 team in KenPom the majority of the regular season. They now rank No. 12 with an efficiency score of 125.6.
Defensive efficiency: No. 122
The Tigers' defense had been slipping in their defensive rankings. KenPom places their defense at No. 122 with an efficiency score of 106.9.
Adjusted tempo: No. 192
Auburn averages 67.2 possessions per game, which puts them around the national average of 67.4.
Strength of schedule: No. 2
It was known that this schedule was one of the toughest; KenPom ranks their schedule at No. 2.
Mississippi State overview
Auburn will take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs once again in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs got the win at home against the Tigers in their first matchup. So, where does Mississippi State rank in KenPom? Here is a look at the Bulldogs according to KenPom.
Overall: No. 100
Adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 105 (113.4)
Adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 110 (106.1)
Adjusted tempo: No. 66 (69.6)
Strength of schedule: No. 23 (+13.24)
Projected winner of the game: Auburn (76%)
Implied score: Auburn 85, Mississippi State 77
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Auburn to play Mississippi State in opening round of SEC Tournament
By Ted Feeley
The Auburn men’s basketball team has earned the 12-seed in the 2026 SEC Basketball Tournament and will open action on Wednesday afternoon against No. 13 Mississippi State in Nashville.
Auburn and State will square off at approximately 2 p.m. CT on SEC Network, following the first game of the day between Kentucky and LSU at 11:30 a.m.
The winner of Auburn and Mississippi State will play fifth-seeded Tennessee on Thursday, and the winner of that will advance to the quarterfinals to play No. 4 Vanderbilt.
Auburn finished the regular season at 16-15 overall and 7-11 in the SEC. Mississippi State is 13-18 overall and 5-13 in league play. The Bulldogs defeated the Tigers 91-85 in Starkville back in February.
2026 SEC Tournament Bracket:
https://auburntigers.com/documents/0c9bb5b4-25c0-4a47-9106-4bf484c29ea8.pdf
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Auburn basketball looks to get its revenge on Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball’s regular season has ended, and the Tigers will turn the page to the SEC Tournament next week in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Tigers will be the No. 12 seed and will face No. 13 Mississippi State in the second game of the first session on Wednesday, March 11.
Auburn fell to the Bulldogs last month after giving up 46 points from Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard. The Bulldogs shot 50% from the floor and 53% from 3-point range, knocking down 16 total 3-pointers as a team in the 91-85 victory.
“It’s win or go home,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said following the Tigers 96-84 loss to Alabama Saturday night. “I don’t know what more urgency you need at this point.”
The first game of the SEC tournament is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. CT. Auburn and Mississippi State will tipoff 25 minutes after the conclusion of that game.
All games from the first two rounds of the tournament will be televised on the SEC Network. The quarterfinals-championship game will be on ESPN.
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2026 SEC men’s basketball tournament bracket, TV time, schedules
By Andrew Hammond
al.com
The SEC regular season has wrapped up, and the next stop is Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, home of the SEC men’s basketball tournament.
Although the league’s bid for the NCAA tournament will be up for grabs, a few teams will begin the SEC tournament knowing their final destination for March. Then, you’ve got teams such as Auburn, Missouri and Texas A&M that travel wot Nashville with their postseason hopes in the balance.
A chaotic end to the SEC regular season was similar to the finish of a NASCAR race with Florida taking the checkered flag and a bunch of teams crashing in the background. Here’s a look at the top four seeds entering next week’s action, these teams will receive double byes and will start Friday.
Florida
Alabama
Arkansas
Vanderbilt
The logjam to get the double bye resulted in a few teams that fell just short of getting that extra day of rest, but now these teams seeded 5-8 will be playing a day early.
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Georgia
Missouri
Below is the full schedule of games with tip times.
Wednesday, March 11 (All games on SEC Network, all times central)
Game 1-No. 16 LSU vs. No. 9 Kentucky, 11:30 a.m.
Game 2-No. 13 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 Auburn, 2 p.m.
Game 3-No. 15 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Texas, 6 p.m.
Game 4-No. 14 South Carolina vs. No. 11 Oklahoma, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 12 (All games on SEC Network, all times central)
Game 5-Game 1 winner vs. No. 8 Missouri, 11:30 a.m.
Game 6, Game 2 winner vs. No. 5 Tennessee, 2 p.m.
Game 7-Game 3 winner vs. No. 7 Georgia, 6 p.m.
Game 8-Game 4 winner vs. No. 6 Texas A&M, 8:30 p.m.
Friday, March 13 (Afternoon games on ESPN, evening games on SEC Network. All times central)
Game 9-Game 5 winner vs. No. 1 Florida, Noon
Game 10-Game 6 winner vs. No. 4 Vanderbilt, 1:30 p.m.
Game 11-Game 7 winner vs. No. 2 Alabama, 6 p.m.
Game 12-Game 8 winner vs. No. 3 Arkansas, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 14 (All games on ESPN, all times central)
Game 13-Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, Noon
Game 14-Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 15 (ESPN, all times central)
Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, Noon
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