BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER
PHOTO BY ZACH BLAND | AUBURN TIGERS
AUBURN —In year three under head coach Johnnie Harris, Auburn University women’s basketball completed its winningest regular season since 2018-19 with a victory in Gainesville on Sunday.
Entering the SEC Tournament as a 7-seed, Auburn is showing all the signs of turning the corner from the rebuilding phase under Harris. Auburn has made noticeable strides each season since Harris was hired in April 2021, but the Tigers have now become competitive at the national level.
Last season, Auburn finished with a winning record for the first time since going 22-10 five sea-sons ago under former head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy, but the Tigers took it a step further this season. They finished the regular season at 19-10 with four more wins than last year. They also notched a .500 record in SEC play, at 8-8, for the first time since going 9-7 in 2018-19.
Auburn earned its first postseason berth under Harris last season, making an appearance in the WNIT, but the team has its eyes on the NCAA Tournament this season. Prior to SEC Tournament play, Auburn is projected as one of the “Last Four Byes” in the NCAAW Tournament by ESPN’s Bracketology.
In 2020-21, the season before Harris was hired, Auburn failed to win a conference game and finished at 5-19. Harris’ squad doubled that win total in her first season and notched two conference wins over No. 20 Georgia and No. 4 Tennessee. The Tigers went 15-13 in the regular season in her second year with a 5-11 SEC record.
In addition to notching four more wins — three in league play — this season, Auburn stunned defending national champion, No. 7 LSU and snagged three conference wins in a row to end the regular season. Auburn emerged triumphant against LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Kentucky before going out with a bang against Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Florida.
Even after the leading scorer from Harris’ first two seasons on the Plains — Aicha Coulibaly — transferred to Texas A&M following last season, senior Honesty Scott-Grayson took over and ranked second in the SEC with 18.4 points per game. She’s on the watch list for this year’s Women’s College All-Star Game after surpassing 1,500 career points and 200 assists during her final collegiate season.