SEC Auburn Kentucky Basketball
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl walks off the court after the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kentucky in the semifinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Saturday, March 14, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. Kentucky won 91-67.(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
(Mark Humphrey)
Bruce Pearl may have just wrapped the first losing season of his 20-year career, but the Auburn head basketball coach is excited for what the future may hold.
Despite stumbling into the SEC Tournament in Nashville on a six game losing streak, the Tigers displayed a "never quit" attitude that carried them on an unexpected run to the semifinals. The No. 13 seed refused to go home early and upset Mississippi State, Texas A&M and LSU in the process before falling to top-ranked Kentucky Saturday.
The Tigers finished with a 15-20 mark, and Pearl is hoping the wild tournament ride will give the them some momentum going into next season as he continues rebuilding the program.
"These guys here really wanted to try to do something to lay that foundation and feel like they were a part of something that was going to be building," Pearl said. "Now it's easier said than done, you have to do it... And yet in spite of getting beat 20 times now, these guys never quit. They never fell apart. They continued to buy in. So there were four teams left on Saturday, Kentucky, Arkansas, Georgia, and Auburn. The foundation is laid."
Auburn was frequently undersized and undermanned this season, and it showed. The Tigers dropped 12 of its final 14 games of the regular season, but the support around the program remained high.
Before Pearl coached his first game, Auburn sold out of its season tickets for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. The Tigers started the season 9-1 at home before dropping eight straight in Auburn Arena down the stretch.
"We accomplished a lot off the court as far as the fan base is concerned and the relationships there," Pearl said. "Auburn Arena is a fun place to play. We didn't take advantage of it, but we built a great home court advantage. I think the next step is to start to travel and continue to play a better schedule and be somebody the networks want to have on, but we have a long way to go to trying to be relevant and becoming an NCAA Tournament team."
Auburn guard KT Harrell (1) embraces Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl after the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament against Kentucky, Saturday, March 14, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. Kentucky won 91-67. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Auburn will lose seniors KT Harrell, Antoine Mason, K.C. Ross-Miller and Malcolm Canada next season. Harrell led the league in scoring with 18.1 points per game.
"We made a lot of history for Auburn and to be a part of that foundation is something I'm going to carry with me the rest of my life," Harrell said. "I feel like I've had a great career here at Auburn as an individual. The seniors are proud to be a part of this and we want (the underclassmen) to go all the way next year. Remember what got us here and move forward. That's what we want for them."
Auburn hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since the 2003, the longest drought in the SEC. Cinmeon Bowers, Jordon Granger and Tahj Shamsid-Deen will be among those trying to change that next season. Kareem Canty, who transferred over from Marshall, is also expected to compete for a starting position in his first eligible season.
"I think this program will finally be in the NCAA Tournament after missing out for a bunch of years," said Shamsid-Deen, who battled shoulder injuries throughout the year. "We had a rough season, but we pulled together in this tournament. I think we showed people we're not a team that's going to be taken as a joke. We're here to compete. We're not scared of anybody, and we're not going to back down."