The 1998-99 season was a memorable one for Auburn basketball.
Cliff Ellis’ team went 29-4 and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country, with the human highlight reel Chris Porter serving as must-see TV on a nightly basis.
The Tigers suffered a Sweet 16 loss to Ohio State that year, and the following season, they exited in the second round to finish 24-10 overall.
After that, aside from a Sweet 16 berth in 2003, the program spent years struggling to find any sort of consistent relevancy on both the SEC and national stage.
However, that is no longer the case.
Rewind to two years ago. After seven straight losing seasons, Bruce Pearl led the Tigers to an 18-14 overall record and a 7-11 record in conference play.
For those outside the program, it was nothing special. But for those around the program, it was clear that a corner had been turned.
And after a regular season championship and the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years, that feeling proved to be right.
Now the program finds itself in a unique spot. Not only are the Tigers far removed from the long streak of losing seasons, but they’ve emerged as one of the hottest teams in college basketball.
Pearl’s trademark style that features lots of pressure defense and lots of 3-pointers has proven to be a significant matchup problem for plenty of opponents, and that’s especially been the case in recent weeks.
Auburn essentially ran Tennessee out of the gym in the SEC title game a little over a week ago, and it decided to do the same to Kansas over the weekend.
The Tigers have made 11 or more 3-pointers in 25 of their 37 games this season, including seven straight games of 12 or more. They also rank third nationally in turnover margin and sixth nationally in turnovers forced, which is typically a recipe for success.
It’s a style that has quickly made Auburn one of the most exciting teams in the country.
I joked on Twitter during the Kansas game that it appeared that the Jayhawks were playing the Harlem Globetrotters.
It was an obvious exaggeration, but when the Tigers get rolling, they can put on a show.
Of course, the entertaining style itself isn’t enough to produce the impressive stats. It’s a style that requires players who not only buy into the up-tempo system on offense, but also the relentless approach on defense.
Auburn’s current roster has done both. All these players entered the program with plenty of potential, and they’ve more than delivered on it.
Jared Harper has emerged as one of the best guards in the nation. Bryce Brown is the most prolific shooter in the program’s history. Chuma Okeke has transformed himself into a surefire NBA prospect thanks to his ability to do a little bit of everything.
And the list goes on, and on.
Perhaps that’s the thing that stands out most – pretty much all these players in the team’s deep rotation have gotten better since they walked onto Auburn’s campus.
Say what you want about Pearl, but getting the most out of his players is something that few can ever question. He did it at Milwaukee (Sweet 16), he did it at Tennessee (Elite Eight), and he’s doing it at Auburn (Sweet 16, for now).
There are several players in the current rotation that could be “the man” elsewhere, but it’s clear they’re not worried about that. This particular team has embraced its individual roles, and that has led to an enormous amount of success.
Rick Barnes may have described what it’s like to prepare for Pearl’s squad best the day before the two teams played for the SEC crown.
“Just play them as a team that is going to shoot 30 threes. A team that can really get going. They really can. The fact is, they’re a very difficult team to defend. They drive the ball really, really hard. We know they’re going to drive and pass. They’re a very unselfish basketball team.”
When you combine all those things together, who really wants to play against a team like that in a survive-and-advance situation?
Tennessee saw what that can be like in a 20-point loss in the conference title game. Kansas saw the same thing in an 89-75 loss that was never even that close.
And if the Tigers play to a similar level on Friday, even a team like North Carolina will have a huge problem on its hands.
It’s a game that should feature a ton of points, and once again, be one that doesn’t disappoint for those who love watching two teams get up and down the court in a hurry.
In all honesty, beating the Tar Heels is going to be a challenge. But we’ve gone beyond the Tigers being the surprise team that simply got hot at the right time.
They’re here because they’ve embraced Pearl’s style of play, and it has led to tournament run that may include several more stops.
I’m not saying Auburn is going to win the national championship and cut down the nets in Minneapolis.
But all things considered, that possibility does exist.
Considering where the program was just a few short years ago, that’s quite the possibility.
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.