The top-seeded Tigers advance to the 2025 SEC Tournament semifinal round on Saturday, awaiting the winner of No. 4 seed Tennessee and No. 13 Texas, after taking down No. 8 seed Ole Miss 62-57 Friday afternoon inside of Bridgestone Arena.
“Our guys came here to win a championship,” head coach Bruce Pearl said following the win. “It’s not going to be easy because Tennessee or Texas will be all we can handle and then on the other side there are two teams on that side that could be on the one line.”
The win marks the first time the Tigers have won a game in the SEC Tournament under Pearl after taking the league regular season title. It’s also Auburn’s 15th trip to the SEC semifinals in school history including the fourth time under Pearl (2015, 2019 and 2024).
While the Tigers are 5-9 lifetime in the semifinals, Auburn has won the entire tournament in each of its last two semifinal appearances.
Standing in the way of the top seeded Tigers and a championship game appearance will either be the Volunteers or Longhorns.
“Both games were last possession games and both games were much earlier in the season. Both teams have changed a great deal,” Pearl said. “Texas is a great offensive team. Tennessee is a great defensive team. As my dear friend Hayden Fry used to say, ‘we’ll just scratch we’re it itches.’”
Auburn faced Tennesee in top-10 defensive war winning 53-51, inside of Neville Arena. Guard Miles Kelly hit a 3-pointer to seal the Tigers’ win with 30 seconds left to play.
It wasn’t any easy offensive day for Auburn, shooting 31% from the field, including 15% from beyond the arc, while Tennessee posted a 31.5% field goal percentage and 18.2% from 3-point range.
The Longhorns on the other hand would be the first 13-seed to advance to the SEC Tounrament semifinals since Auburn did it in Pearl’s first season back in 2015. The Tigers defeated the Longhorns in Austin, TX in their first SEC road test of the season 87-82.
Auburn survived Texas’ 15-4 run down the stretch of the second half cut Auburn’s 21 point lead to single digits, but the Tigers pushed the lead back up to 17 before the Longhorns would find themselves in a one-possession game 33 seconds remaining.
Regardless of the opponent, the top seeded Tigers are schedule to tipoff their semifinal matchuip at Noon CST inside of Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN with a trip to the championship game on the line.
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
