"This is a must-win for us,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.
Well, dear reader, Bruce Pearl might have undersold the importance of a Saint Valentine’s Day game between the Auburn Tigers (17-8 SEC: 7-5) and the Missouri Tigers (19-6 SEC: 7-5).
Auburn is just three short days removed from a 77-69 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, the latest in a three-game losing streak that also includes Tennessee, and Texas A&M. Consequently, the teams lost to are also the top three teams in the SEC.
The Alabama game capped off a slate of Auburn sports for the weekend, producing a party-like atmosphere outside of Neville Arena that grabbed headlines known as Jungle Village. A line that stretched as far as the human iris could see.
A line so long and full of tents that it scared some students from hopping in, producing some empty seats while College Gameday rolled along live inside Neville Arena. Eventually, after word got out that seats were available it filled up and people saw a student make a 94-foot putt to win a new car and tried to forget the rest of the game.
People, especially sports fans, remember winners. They give money to go see winners, they treasure a signature of a winner, and they sit outside of a dormitory for two nights in tents to see a winner.
My mother was a third-grade school teacher and always tried to get something for every kid on Valentine's Day, I even helped her make sure each bag had the same amount of candy in it. Because she knew if she did not, kids would choose favorites, and some kids would have nothing.
Those favorites in my experience were chosen by who won races, or who has a better backpack, which kids declare winners. Is it sad that some kids may get more candy because they may win a little bit more?
Maybe, but just like the kids in elementary school where winning decides everything, if you’re a player or coach on a NCAA basketball team, wins get you a sweet candy known as entry into the NCAA Tournament
"Win this game, and we've got a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament," Pearl said. "Don't win this game, we're in sixth place or seventh place, and we have an uphill battle.
As some would say bigger than the NCAA Tournament, your fanbase needs a morale boast.
Those that will be in Neville Arena are certainly not in need of heartbreak, not going out with a valentine, and instead looking for an uplift from a greater love than a college romance, Auburn Basketball.
The students in attendance do not want to see a loss, the alumni do not want to see a loss everyone in the Locker room does not want to see a loss. The only people inside Neville Arena who want to see the Tigers lose are the team they share fourth within the SEC in Missouri.
Missouri is running wild with a two-game win streak including a big win over No. 6 Tennessee 86-85. Missouri’s knight in shining armor is Kobe Brown who boasts the third-best PPG in the SEC with 16.5.
Thus it is a must-win game for Auburn on what is to be Valentine’s day of either great triumph or heartbreak. Tip-off is set for 6:00 PM inside Neville Arena.
