AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - Auburn basketball's historic season came to a rather disappointing end with the Tigers losing to Clemson 84-53 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite several lackluster performances to close out the 2017-2018 season, the Tigers have much to be proud of.
Auburn started their season on the wrong foot on Sept. 26 when the teams associate head coach, Chuck Person , was arrested for his involvement in a federal probe into college basketball.
Person was originally suspended from the university without pay before he was ultimately fired. He was then indicted on six federal bribery charges on Nov. 7.
Due to the investigation into Person and the team, two Auburn players were called into question for their possible involvement in receiving bribes from Person.
Auburn star players Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy were found to have a possible connection to the case, but their future with the team remained uncertain for most of the preseason.
On Nov. 2 it was announced both Wiley and Purifoy would be suspended from the team indefinitely. The news came the morning of the Tigers first exhibition game of the season.
That evening, Auburn would go on to lose to DII school Barry at home in overtime 100-95. But the loss seemed to motivate the Tigers throughout the season.
Auburn would rebound from the loss in their season opener Nov. 10 against Norfolk State. The Tigers would easily handle business, defeating Norfolk State 102-74.
The Tigers missed the height of Wiley and Purifoy throughout the season. The team averaged a height of 6'4 without the two big men.
The teams first test of the season came Nov. 16-19 when the Tigers competed in the Charleston Classic. Auburn height issues were first exposed in a second-round loss to Temple 88-74.
But once again, Auburn found some motivation in the loss. The Tigers would come back the next game to defeat Hofstra 89-78. The win would also spark a 14-game win streak for Auburn.
Auburn's next 14 wins came from both conference and non-conference opponents.
- Nov. 24 vs. Winthrop (119-85)
- Nov. 29 @ Dayton (73-60)
- Dec. 3 vs. George Mason (79-63)
- Dec. 6 vs. Gardner-Webb (80-55)
- Dec. 9 vs. UAB (85-80)
- Dec. 16 vs. Middle Tennessee State (76-70)
- Dec. 19 @ Murray State (81-77)
- Dec. 23 vs. UConn (89-64)
- Dec. 30 vs. Cornell (98-77)
- Jan. 2 @ Tennessee (94-84)
- Jan. 6 vs. Arkansas (88-77)
- Jan. 9 vs. Ole Miss (85-70)
- Jan. 13 @ Mississippi State (76-68)
During their win streak, Auburn would enter the AP Poll for the first time during the season on Jan. 8. The Tigers came in at No. 22 but would climb as high as No. 17 during the streak.
Auburn's longest win streak of the season would come to an end with a loss on Jan. 17. Auburn would lose on the road to a Colin Sexton-less Alabama 76-71.
However, the Tigers used the loss as motivation. They would go on to win five straight games in SEC play. Durning this time, Auburn would be ranked as high as No. 8 in the AP Poll.
The month of February would prove difficult for Auburn with the Tigers suffering several key injuries and losing multiple games.
The Tigers 5-game win streak would come to an end on Feb. 7 with a loss at home to Texas A&M 81-80. The loss to the Aggies handed Auburn their first home loss of the season.
During the game Auburn's leading scorer, Bryce Brown would strain his right shoulder, his shooting arm. Brown did not finish the game and would sit out the following game at Georgia.
Upon his return, Brown would not be the same shooter. Before the shoulder injury, Brown shot 42.6% from the field and 41.5% from behind the arc.
In the last 9 games of the season following his return from injury, Brown shot 33.9% from the field and 30.6% from behind the arc.
Auburn would later lose another key player on Feb. 17. In the 84-75 loss to South Carolina, the Tigers would lose their last true big man Anfernee McLemore.
In the game, McLemore would suffer a gruesome ankle injury in the first half. McLemore would dislocate his ankle, fracture his tibia and tear several ligaments.
The injury to McLemore paired with the suspension of Wiley and Purifoy would leave Auburn with eight scholarship players for the remainder of the season.
Auburn would manage to continue to hold onto the top spot in the SEC with Tennesee on their tail. The Tigers first chance to clinch their first regular season title since 1999 was in a road game at Florida on Feb. 24.
However, with the lack of size and poor shooting performances, the Tigers would fall to the Gators 72-66.
The Tigers would then need to win in their next game at Arkansas to clinch the title. Much like the game at Florida, the Tigers would struggle offensively, losing to the Razorbacks 91-82.
The back-to-back losses for Auburn meant the Tigers needed to win their regular-season finale against South Carolina in order to win a share of the regular season title and claim the number one seed in the SEC Tournament.
This time, Auburn would step up to the plate, taking down the Gamecocks 79-70 to win the conference title. The conference title marks Auburn's third in program history.
With a 13-5 conference record, the Tigers earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and were automatically placed in the tournament's quarterfinals.
The Tigers would face rival Alabama for the third time this season in the tournament. Despite controlling the first half, the Tide knocked Auburn out of the tournament defeating the Tigers 81-63.
With the loss, Auburn was awarded the No. 4 seed in the Midwest region in the NCAA Tournament. The seeding was the second highest for Auburn in program history. The Tigers were a No. 1 seed in the 1999 tournament.
Auburn faced CAA champion No. 13 College of Charleston in the first round in San Diego. Despite struggling offensively, the Tigers escaped with a win over the Cougars 63-58.
The Tigers would advance to the round of 32 where they squared off against No. 5 Clemson. Clemson would easily defeat Auburn 84-53, officially marking the end of the 2017-2018 season for Auburn.
From their first game in February (Feb. 2 vs. Vanderbilt) to their last game in March (March 18 vs. Clemson) the Tigers shot an average of 40.1% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc.
In their last nine games, Auburn shot under 40% from the field seven times, including shooting under 30% once (25.8% against Clemson).
Auburn relied on their three-point shooting much of the season due to a lack of heigh underneath. Once the Tigers lost McLemore, they began to struggle in their distance shooting as well.
The Tigers shot under 30% from 3-point range six times in their last nine games. This also includes shooting under 20% in their loss to South Carolina (18.5%).
Despite ending on the wrong foot, Auburn has much to look forward to next season.
The NCAA announced on March 20 that Purifoy will be eligible to return to the team after 30% of the 2018-2019 season is played. The team also learned on Feb. 5 that Wiley would also be able to return to the team for the 2018-2019 season.
All of Auburn's scholarship players are non-seniors and are all eligible to return next year. This includes the team's top-3 scorers Brown, Jared Harper, and Mustapha Heron.
McLemore will also be able to return next season for Auburn. Originally believed to be out for four to six months, McLemore went through surgery successfully a significantly shortened his timetable for return to the court.
As for the future of their head coach Bruce Pearl: his job security at the moment is unknown. Pearl signed a 6-year contract in March 2014, leaving him two more years under contract.
