Auburn Basketball has started its 2025-26 campaign after a run to the Final Four last season. Before the season, Bruce Pearl abruptly retired, and his son, Steven Pearl, took over. Still, the opening game of the season has raised some concerns about the upcoming season. While it may not be a Final Four run in 2025-26, it will not be a complete plummet for Auburn this season.
Auburn did not get its 2025-26 campaign off to the start they expected. The team came in as 24.5-point favorites over Bethune-Cookman and struggled. Auburn led by just one heading into the halftime break. With three seconds left in the game, Keyshawn Hall hit both free throws to make it a three-point game. Arterio Morris attempted the three to tie the game and was fouled. He hit all three free throws to force overtime for Bethune-Cookman. In overtime, Auburn took a 95-90 victory to move to 1-0 on the year.
The retirement of Pearl, combined with a poor performance, has led to concerns about the Auburn season. Auburn spent much of the 2024-25 season ranked as the top team in the nation. This year, Auburn is not currently ranked in the first set of Power Rankings. Regardless, Auburn will not be a complete afterthought this season. They may not be a Final Four team again, but it will not be a complete plummet.
Tahaad Pettiford will continue to improve
Auburn has some major pieces to replace this season. One was at the guard spot, with Chad Baker-Mazara transferring to USC. Tahaad Pettiford will step up to replace his production. The sophomore guard was solid in his freshman year, but made just one start. Coming off the bench, he averaged 11.6 points per game while adding 2.2 rebounds and three assists per game as well.
He will now be in a starting role in 2025-26. Like many players, he struggled in the first game of the year. Pettiford played 38 minutes in the overtime victory, the most on the team. Still, he shot just 4-13 from the floor, for 11 points. He was 2-9 from three. Further, he led the team with five assists, while having a block and a steal.
With more time on the floor this year, he is going to continue to improve. Kevin Overton is a solid running mate to go with Pettiford. Overton is a better shooter overall, which will allow Pettiford to pad assist numbers. He will also get plenty of shots off this year, and if he can rebound his shooting percentage from the first game of the year, he will be in line for a solid season.
Keyshawn Hall will help replace Johni Broome
One of the other major pieces that Auburn will be replacing this year is Johni Broome, who was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in this past NBA Draft. Broome was great last year in the Final Four run for the Tigers, scoring 18.6 points per game while adding 10.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists. His production will need to be replaced for Auburn to have another successful season.
Keyshawn Hall comes in from UCF and will be a major part of that replacement. Hall was solid in his first game with Auburn, scoring 28 points with five rebounds and an assist in the win over Bethune-Cookman. Hall has continued to improve as a player while continuing to increase his level of competition. In 2023-24, he played for George Mason University, starting 28 games. That season, he scored 16.6 points per game while adding 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
Hall then transferred to UCF for 2024-25, scoring 18.8 points per game, while having 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He is going to continue to improve at Auburn and will be one of the leading scorers on the team. While Hall is not going to be a direct replacement for Broome, he will be able to ease the pain of losing a star player.
Auburn can still make a run
In 2024-25, seven different teams from the SEC made a run to the Sweet 16. Auburn is projected to be a top-six team in the SEC this year. While it is not the top-ranked team and number one seed of the last campaign, it will still get the Tigers a solid seed in the tournament. Last season, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Arkansas all finished sixth or worse in the SEC. They all made it to the Sweet 16, but also all lost in that round.
Meanwhile, every Elite Eight match-up had a team from the SEC in the game, while two teams advanced to the Final Four. The notion that Auburn will plummet all comes down to expectations. This will not be one of the best teams in the nation. They will also be behind Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama in the conference.
The SEC is going to be a gauntlet this year. Beyond games with Houston, Michigan, and Arizona prior to SEC play, Auburn also has seven games in conference play against ranked opponents. Still, they have just one game against Florida, while also getting Kentucky at home. The schedule will not be easy, but it can get them to ten conference wins, which will likely place them in a good position.
Regardless, they have one of the best players in the conference in Pettiford, which will lead Auburn to a solid seed in the NCAA Tournament. From there, Auburn will be playing in at least the second weekend of the tournament. To be one of the final 16 teams standings is not a plummet, but it is a small step back for the program.
