Auburn basketball had a special 2018-19 season. The Tigers were unrelenting in their quest to make history, and they did just that. After a 5-6 start in SEC play, Bruce Pearl's team won 14 of their final 16 games en route to the school's first Final Four appearance.

While the loss to Virginia stung, it didn't take away the magic of the run itself. When Pearl took over the job in 2014, the thought of a Final Four was far-fetched for those outside the program. For those inside the program, getting to a Final Four and having a chance to compete for a national championship was always the goal.

That became a reality last season thanks to a unique blend of talent, chemistry, and plenty of hard work.

“We were able to make history,” Pearl said at SEC Media Day in Birmingham on Wednesday. “That’s what those guys came for. The road to the Final Four had to go through Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky. No team has even beaten those teams three in a row.”

“It’s helped us a little bit in recruiting. That doesn’t mean we’re gonna get better players. But it does mean better players will at least listen and take the call. Our fans just got a chance to bask in the glory of being the first team from the state of Alabama to get to a Final Four. It was historic in so many ways.”

This season could look a bit different. Not because Pearl doesn't have the talent to get back to a Final Four, but because he has to replace program-changing players like Jared Harper, Bryce Brown, and Chuma Okeke. Horace Spencer and Malik Dunbar were also a big part of the equation.

But replacing Harper – the do-it-all point guard who provided so much value both as a leader and player – figures to be the biggest challenge.

So much so that Pearl had to call on the Disney classic Remember the Titans to get his point across about Harper's contributions in the grand scheme of Auburn basketball history.

“You can’t replace Gerry Bertier and you can’t replace Jared Harper, period,” Pearl said. “Jared was the best point guard in our league last year. I think a lot of other coaches will tell you the same. There will be no player in college basketball missed more than Jared Harper. He did everything for us, and he was a great leader in our locker room.”

Leadership will be important for the 2019-20 version of the Tigers. Pearl's roster has the makeup of one that he's never had before. It features a lot of seniors and a lot of freshmen, with only a few players in between those two classes.

That will present some challenges, especially considering how many returning players will be forced to expand their roles a great deal from a season ago.

“I’ve never had five seniors and eight newcomers,” Pearl said. “Out of eight newcomers, six of them are freshmen. If you called a senior four years old and you called freshman one year old and use the multiple of 10, I'm coaching 40-year-olds and 10-year-olds. My 40-year-olds understand where to be and why they're supposed to be there. My 10-year-olds don’t even know where to be yet. It’s a great challenge.”

“All five seniors are gonna have a great year. Each one of them is playing significantly different roles. All five were very good complementary players. This year, they have to be stars. That’s a big change.”

Auburn center Austin Wiley may very well be the leader of the pack in terms of players who will carry the biggest workload. The 6-11 senior hasn't been on the court as much as he would've liked due to injuries and having to sit out the 2017-18 season.

Now, he's healthy and ready to prove himself as one of the SEC's top players. Pearl thinks Wiley will rise to the challenge, even if the media didn't acknowledge it with their picks for the All-SEC preseason awards.

“He has a tremendous opportunity,” Pearl said. “He’s healthy for the first time in a long time. He’s moving like a forward and not a center. He’s gonna be a huge factor inside. I find it hard to believe there are 12 guys in our league that are better than him – for Austin not to be recognized as an All-SEC player is curious. For none of our players to be recognized as All-SEC – we’re kind of used to that. I think Austin is positioned to have a great year. He’s earned it and worked really hard. I love how he’s moving and how he’s running. He’s gonna be one of the top couple centers in the league.”

With Wiley as the focus, Auburn's approach will change. Those accustomed to seeing Pearl's teams put up 30-plus 3-pointers a night will likely notice a difference.

“We’re gonna go inside more, there’s no question,” he said. “And even though it’s not always the highest percentage look, you’ve gotta go to your strengths. Clearly we’ll be more of an inside/outside team compared to last year.”

It won't just be about Wiley, though. J'Von McCormick and Samir Doughty will lead the way in the backcourt as two experienced players who played key roles on a Final Four team. Tyrell ‘Turbo' Jones will join them, and he'll initially have to work through the transition of playing more as a point guard rather than a scoring guard. Memphis transfer Jamal Johnson will also see his first action with the Tigers, and his familiarity with the system will be important in carving out a role.

And then there's 5-star freshman Issac Okoro, who could contend for SEC Freshman of the Year honors. If you don't believe that, just ask Pearl.

“He is the best defensive guard I’ve ever coached,” Pearl said. “He can guard 1-5, I’ve never had a player be able to do that. Big. , strong, physical, and wants to defend. He wants the opponent’s best player. And offensively, he’s just very productive. He’ll definitely fit into the mix right away and be one of our best players.”

Elsewhere, Anfernee McLemore, Danjel Purifoy, and Issac Okoro are obviously going to be major factors. McLemore and Purifoy will play a lot as two of the most experienced players on the roster, and they'll join Wiley to form one of the best frontcourts in the league.

When you put it all together, why couldn't Auburn make another run at a Final Four?

Doing so will be far from easy. It'll take even more hard work, and how players respond to their increased roles will be what determine's the team's success.

Still, the goal hasn't changed for the Tigers.

And Pearl and company welcome the challenge of proving their staying power among college basketball's top programs.

“You try to continue to make history and win the third SEC championship in a row,” Pearl said. “I’m not sure if Auburn has ever done that. That’s something we’re working for. It takes a while to change the culture. You don’t do it in a year or two. We got to the Final Four last year, but that was five years in the making.

“It’s way easier to get something going than it is to keep it going. Keeping it going is going to be more challenging than the job we did to get it going.”

Blake Lovell is a national college basketball writer for ClutchPoints. He’s also a contributor for the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and Athlon Sports College Basketball Preview magazine. He hosts two podcasts: Marching to Madness (CBB) and Establish the Pass (NFL). 

You can follow him on Twitter @theblakelovell. Also, be sure to follow the ClutchPoints NCAA Facebook page for more great CBB discussion.