Auburn suffers brutal loss to Ole Miss as NCAA Tournament hopes fade

The Auburn Tigers just suffered one of the worst losses Neville Arena has seen in recent history, and they did it when it mattered most.

Auburn fell to the Ole Miss Rebels, 85-79, on Saturday night in what was a must-win game if the Tigers wished to hear their name called on Selection Sunday.

However, Steven Pearl’s squad failed to perform when its season was on the line, losing to an Ole Miss team that entered the night on a 10-game losing streak – a skid that started with Auburn’s 78-66 win over the Rebels in Oxford on Jan. 20.

“Really disappointed. I want to apologize to our fans who have been so phenomenal all year. They deserve better from us, and we have to do better,” Pearl said after the game.

The loss was Auburn’s seventh in the last eight games, and it marks the Tigers’ first Quad-3 loss of the season. The last three teams who have defeated Auburn all sit in the bottom third of the league, as Mississippi State is 12th, Oklahoma ranks 13th, and Ole Miss stands at 14th.

Auburn led by as many as seven with a few minutes remaining until halftime, but a quick 8-0 Ole Miss run allowed the Rebels to regain the lead and head into the break up 38-37.

The Tigers came out of the locker room on an 11-2 run, as a few quick threes and defensive stops propelled the Tigers to a 48-40 lead with 17 minutes remaining. However, the Rebels soon responded, going on a 22-4 run at one point late in the second half and eventually holding on to secure the victory.

“We had an opportunity to step on their throats and extend the leads, and both times, we just had empty possessions offensively. You can’t do that, and they took advantage of it,” Pearl said.

One of the Tigers’ biggest criticisms this year has been their perimeter defense, and that didn’t change tonight, as Ole Miss went 10-for-25 (40.0%) from downtown. The Rebels came out firing, knocking down five of their first six deep balls before the first media timeout.

Patton Pinkins and AJ Storr led the charge for Ole Miss, each finishing the night with 26 points apiece. Pinkins went 8-for-10 from the field and 4-for-5 from downtown, while Storr went 9-for-15 and drained two from behind the arc.

On the flip side, four Tigers finished in double figures, and Tahaad Pettiford headlined Auburn’s scoring effort with 24 points on 10-for-16 from the field. Keyshawn Hall followed closely behind with 21 points on 5-for-12 shooting, but a lackluster showing on the defensive resulted in a minus-11 in the plus-minus stat category.

KeShawn Murphy, who had previously started in every game he’s seen the court, came off the bench tonight. Auburn’s starting lineup featured Pettiford, Kevin Overton, Elyjah Freeman, Hall, and Filip Jovic, which is where almost all of the Tigers’ offensive production came from.

The Tigers only notched four bench points, as Murphy posted two points in just 16:40 of action. Sebastian Williams-Adams and Blake Muschalek also came off the bench, and they contributed just one point each – both via a made free throw.

In the most important game of the season thus far, Auburn simply didn’t show up, as the Tigers were sloppy offensively and somewhat lethargic on defense. Auburn committed 14 total turnovers, and Ole Miss capitalized on the other end with 18 points off those turnovers.

Auburn shot a solid 51.0% from the field and made 8 of its 24 3-point attempts, but as demonstrated, the Tigers’ defensive effort cost them the game – and likely a bid to the Big Dance. Ole Miss undoubtedly displayed more intensity, fight, and emotion, even despite having nothing to play for in terms of postseason aspirations.

The Tigers drop to 15-14 overall and 6-10 in SEC play with two regular-season games remaining. Auburn faces LSU at home on Tuesday before heading to Tuscaloosa for a rematch with Alabama next Saturday.