Auburn's SEC title hopes down to season finale after loss to Arkansas

[jbcarol]

Auburn's hopes of an SEC title will come down to the final day of the regular season.

What at one point seemed like a mere formality as the Tigers put together one of the most impressive runs in the country this season and sat atop the SEC standings throughout is, now, far from a guarantee after No. 14 Auburn fell to Arkansas, 91-82, on Wednesday night at Bud Walton Arena.

It was the Tigers' (24-6, 12-5 SEC) second straight loss with a chance to clinch a share of their first SEC crown since 1999; they lost on the road to Florida on Saturday during their first opportunity to secure the league.

"Our kids played hard and they really battled but it was, gosh, it's interesting too: to be a little discombobulated and still in the game was encouraging, and that's what I told the guys," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said.

While the Tigers' fight was encouraging, the loss itself had to be frustrating for Auburn, which only led briefly after scoring the game's first three points in the opening 39 seconds and trailed throughout the remainder of the night while struggling on both sides of the floor.

[DeltaBoy]

Woo Pig Sooie.