Auburn is limping its way into the NCAA Tournament.
The top-seeded Tigers, who were ousted by the Tennessee Volunteers 70-65 in the SEC Tournament semifinal on Saturday, have now lost three of their last four games with Selection Sunday and the NCAA Tournament looming.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl was asked if the Tigers were feeling any sort of "panic" amidst the rough patch. A sarcastic Pearl dismissed the notion.
"Man, I'm really glad you asked me that question. We lost to Alabama, Tennessee, and at Texas A&M ... Yeah we're panicked," Pearl said sarcastially. "That's a real softball."
Pearl acknowledged the Tigers' losses, but pointed out the caliber of opponents in which those defeats occurred against as reason for the program's current calmness through the storm.
"We lost to some great teams," Pearl said. "We lost at the buzzer against Alabama. We had possessions here. Yeah, we’re panicked. I can hardly wait till next weekend to start playing again. Let’s get to Sunday, find out where we’re going, find out who we’re playing and let’s get back to work. I’m looking forward, not back."
The Tigers' case to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is simple. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, Auburn won games against top teams such as Houston, Iowa State, Purdue, Tennessee and Alabama. They spent eight weeks ranked as the No. 1 team in the country.
And Pearl made it clear that he doesn't believe a late-season loss to an SEC program should cost the Tigers a No. 1 seed in the tourney.
"We lost to a team that’s fighting for a 1-seed," Pearl said.
He and the Tigers will learn what seed the committee has in store for them on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bruce Pearl Had Sarcastic, Three-Word Answer When Asked for Auburn's 'Panic' Level .
