As an Auburn graduate, I always hoped my children would be Auburn fans. I recruited both our sons but lost the oldest to my husband and the Crimson Tide. It was brutal competing with all the nattys under Coach Nick Saban. Thankfully, our youngest gravitated toward Auburn, so we became a house-divided.
Both my sons love sports, and thanks to that, I know more about the NFL and NBA drafts than I ever imagined. Our boys keep up with basketball throughout the year, but I would often join in during March Madness.
In 2019, I was excited that Auburn was going to the tournament and decided to watch their games. They started by beating New Mexico State. But the next three games were considered “blue bloods” — Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky. Auburn beat Kansas by 14 points, sending them to the Sweet 16!
In 2019, North Carolina was a Number 1 seed that had been to the Elite Eight 28 times. Yet Auburn blew them out 97-80. Auburn was going to the Elite Eight, and we were locked in!
Auburn played Kentucky in the Elite Eight, defeating them 77-71 in overtime, meaning Auburn would make its first trip to the FINAL FOUR!! I was beside myself, especially since my youngest son had become an Auburn basketball fan. My Duke-basketball-loving son was devastated, of course, but he’d had plenty of happy years, and after all, we all need to learn to deal with disappointment.
Auburn’s Final Four game against Virginia was a heartbreaker. Auburn lost 63-62 because the officials missed a Virginia player’s double dribble and called a foul on Auburn. Virginia shot two free throws that defeated Auburn in a devastating — and unfair — loss.
After that season, my son and I stopped being “bandwagon” fans and became REAL fans who watched all season. We looked forward to the beginning of college basketball season each year and followed Auburn all the way through — no matter how far they went. We couldn’t wait for the first game last fall.
We loved it when Auburn beat Houston. We hated seeing Auburn lose to Duke and loathed seeing the giddy delight of our oldest, the Duke fan. Watching Auburn beat Iowa State, North Carolina, Purdue, and Mississippi State has been great fun. This year’s team is amazingly talented and so much fun to watch. Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell, Tahaad Petiford, Chad Baker-Mazara, Denver Jones – they make magic happen on the court. Their energy makes games feel electric.
To say that Pearl has revitalized Auburn basketball is an understatement. He came to Auburn in 2014 and stated in a recent documentary that if things went well, this would likely be his final coaching job. Auburn fans hope he stays for many more years. He is the heart of Auburn basketball. He is everything you want in a coach – enthusiastic, capable, kind-hearted, tough, and an amazing developer of collegiate players. He is the winningest coach in Auburn basketball history, surpassing Coach Joel Eaves in January with more than 214 wins.
Auburn has been on top of the collegiate basketball world for four weeks now. They still have challenging teams ahead, as they are currently battling the SEC. That means they have yet to play the Alabama Crimson Tide, who is currently Number 3 in the nation. That rivalry matchup will happen on Feb. 15. Personally, I’m thankful it’s the day after Valentine's Day, for the sake of my 22-year marriage!
This Auburn basketball team is something special. They appear to have a brotherhood and collective faith that transcends the court. They are beyond fun to watch as they dismantle team after team. Their celebratory dancing is joyful – from singing and dancing courtside to a viral “Let’s Groove” video from the locker room!
And they have every reason to celebrate. They’re young, they’re fun, they’re talented, and they have an Auburn family enthusiastically cheering them as they head toward March Madness.
In a politically charged season, Auburn basketball has lightened the mood in our home since November. Honestly, our whole house has been giddy – the top three teams are all represented between the four of us. That’s a unique year. But we all know that Auburn is the best – even if two of us aren’t ready to come to terms with it!
WAR EAGLE!!
Kristin Landers is a substitute teacher and freelance writer. Landers’ previous work includes serving as Communications Director for the Alabama Policy Institute and working for Citizens Against a Legalized Lottery (CALL) to defeat legalized gambling in the state of Alabama.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
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