Auburn’s season came melting down in the last 10 minutes of its SEC Tournament matchup with Tennessee, as the Volunteers went on a 20-0 run to clinch the 72-62 victory.
“Proud of my guys for how hard they fought,” head coach Steven Pearl said.
This marks the Tigers’ 16th loss of the season and they sit firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble and will now anxiously wait until Selection Sunday to hear their fate. History isn’t on the side of the orange and blue as no team has received an at-large bid to the Big Dance with 16 or more losses.
“If they call our name, we’ll be ready to go next week,” Pettiford said.
Auburn had everything in front of them with just over 10 minutes remaining as they held a 51-41 lead. What followed was straight out of the Tigers’ nightmares as Nate Ament guided the Volunteers on a 20-0 run, scoring 11 points, to give Tennessee a 61-41 lead.
“Thought their physicality really bothered us offensively in the second half,” Pearl said. “I think we let it affect our defense as the game went on.”
Ament, a freshman from Manassas, Va., finished the afternoon with 27 points and was 4-for-6 from behind the arc, putting the dagger in potential Auburn’s NCAA Tournament dreams with 3:16 to go.
After Pettiford’s jump shot gave the Tigers a 10-point advantage, they went the rest of the way 4-for-17 from the field with five turnovers, squandering a chance to effectively punch its ticket to March Madness.
The sophomore from Jersey City, N.J., looked like his freshman self, recording 28 points for the Tigers on 50% shooting from the field and downtown. When Auburn needed it the most, he came through, burying five shots from behind the arc, but ultimately it wasn’t enough.
Auburn Guard Tahaad Pettiford (0) shoots a three-pointer during a game against the Tennessee Volunteers in Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026.
According to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, the Tigers sit as the first team out of the NCAA Tournament and “may no longer have a path to moving up and into the bracket.”
Pearl’s case for his squad to receive an at-large bid is simple. The Tigers played one of the hardest schedules in college basketball, with its strength of schedule ranking as No. 3 in the nation, and still picked up some huge wins.
In the postgame press conference, Pearl made it clear that his team has more Quad 1 wins, top-50 wins and more projected wins over tournament teams than anyone else that currently sits on the bubble with them.
Auburn will sit and hope that wins over St. John’s, Arkansas, Kentucky and on the road at Florida will be enough to get them in.
All eyes on the Plains will be glued to their televisions on Sunday at 5 p.m. CST as the NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on CBS as the Tigers hope to hear their name called into the field of 68 for the 15th time in program history.
The Auburn Tigers huddle after a foul is called during a matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers in Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026.
“Our guys have some of the best wins in college basketball,” Pearl said. “This team deserves to be in the tournament.”
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Rory is a sophomore majoring in journalism sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @RorymGarvin
