To say that 2021-22 has been a successful season for Auburn has been an understatement. A team expected to finish toward the middle of the SEC pack instead won its 4th SEC regular-season title and is the top seed in quest for their 3rd SEC Tournament crown. If there’s a downside to the Tigers’ 27-4 season, it’s that they have stumbled down the stretch. Auburn went 5-3 over the season’s last 8 games and had to pull a few escape acts down the SEC stretch in other games.

What do the Tigers need to do to grab the hardware this week in Tampa? Here are 5 thoughts as Auburn awaits its Friday quarterfinal vs. the Texas A&M-Florida winner.

1. Don’t give up bunches of 3s

Auburn has been one of the SEC’s better 3-point defenses (30.8% allowed, 4th-best in the SEC), but when the Tigers have struggled, defending the 3 has been a big component. In Auburn’s 4 losses, their opponents have shot 58, 30, 40, and 38% from 3-point land. Admittedly, the Arkansas loss (the second one) isn’t really in that profile, but when Auburn’s opponents shoot 38% from three, the Tigers are 5-3. When they’re under 38%, the Tigers are 22-1.

2. Don’t just rely on Jabari

Jabari Smith is perhaps the most talented player in college basketball. But for Auburn, becoming a one-trick pony is not necessarily a good strategy. In Auburn’s 4 losses, Smith averaged 24.3 points per game. In the wins? He averaged 16 points per game. Seem odd? Smith’s 39% shooting percentage in the losses is one indicator of the problem. Even for one of the best players in the sport, playing 1-on-5 doesn’t end well. Another sign of the problem? In Auburn’s wins, Smith averages almost twice as many assists as he does in their losses. As good as Smith has been, when he scores more than 25 points, Auburn is 2-2, and one of the wins required overtime. The Tigers have to share the wealth to succeed in March.

3. Keep opponents off the backboard

As good as big man Walker Kessler is, Auburn likes to play small ball outside of Kessler. The potential problem is on the backboard. Auburn allows the most rebounds per game to its opponents. Granted, the Tigers are 2nd in the conference in rebounds themselves, but the overall rebound margin of +3.3 rebounds per game over opponents is 5th in the SEC, literally a rebound or two for the season ahead of Alabama. And when opponents grab 40 rebounds? Auburn is 1-3, with the lone win coming in overtime. Those opposing teams didn’t have to shoot very well (40, 33, 49, and 34% respectively), but the Tigers can be beaten on the glass.

4. Get Wendell Green Jr. rolling

Eastern Kentucky transfer Wendell Green Jr. has been an explosive part of this Tiger squad. The sub-6-foot mighty mite is like mercury in a bottle. And when Green is playing well, Auburn is nearly unbeatable. The problem is that Green isn’t the most consistent of players. In Auburn’s losses, he shot 33% and 22% from 3-point range. Worse still, in those 4 losses, Green had 18 assists against 16 turnovers. In the wins? He shot 37% overall, 32% from 3, and had 140 assists to 54 turnovers. Yes, Green takes a lot of ill-advised shots. But at his best, he is a capable creator and bangs home enough shots to keep defenses honest. That’s the version of Green that the Tigers need to win in Tampa.

5. Keep the chip on their shoulder

Auburn would be wise to see the SEC Tournament not as a coronation, but as a revenge tour. The bracket could allow the Tigers the chance to avenge all 3 SEC losses this season, with Florida a possible quarterfinal matchup, Arkansas lurking as a semifinal possibility, and a Pearl-versus-UT grudge match perhaps lingering for the SEC title game. Or if not, a scrappy Texas A&M is a chance to prove the Tigers are hungrier than the field, an athletic LSU team is a chance to fight that backboard battle, and Kentucky would be a chance to make a big statement about the new order of SEC hoops. In either case, Auburn enters Tampa with a chance at a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed, but a bigger chance to prove something to the rest of the conference and the basketball world.