This is an opinion column.

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Chad Baker-Mazara made it past the first half without getting ejected, so it was an overall improvement from last year for these Auburn basketball Tigers.

But let’s be real. Auburn’s opening game of the 2025 NCAA Tournament was another first-round stinker, especially for a team rated as the No.1 overall seed.

Auburn went out against Yale in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. I’m starting to sense a trend. Why are Bruce Pearl’s teams always on their heels to start the NCAA Tournament ? Good thing for the Tigers, the bracket doesn’t line up with their Ivy League menace in this tournament until potentially the Sweet 16.

Alabama State never had a chance against Auburn on Thursday here at Rupp Arena, but, to ASU’s credit, the Hornets outplayed the Tigers in the first half.

ASU actually had a chance to take the lead before the break. It was a nice moment for the No.16 seed, and the crowd showered the Hornets with love. That Alabama State was still down by 10 to begin the second half says more about the talent gap between the two teams than the effort offered up by Auburn.

“I think we should have been able to play pissed off,” Auburn senior Dylan Cardwell said. “We’re not playing pissed off and it’s frustrating. We’ve got to figure out how to play pissed off because I’m not trying to go home.

“Especially not this weekend. You know, I’ve never made it past the first weekend. It sucks to be a part of a team so great and a university so great and we don’t use this opportunity to represent them. So, moving forward, we’ve got to be pissed off.”

Have you ever seen a team with less interest in playing a game in the NCAA Tournament?

What gives?

When is Auburn going to look like the team that ran through the toughest conference in the country?

Auburn played tired in the semifinals of the SEC tournament against Tennessee and then dragged itself around the court against ASU. Did this team peak too soon?

Never mind the final score — Auburn 83, Alabama State 63 — the Tigers didn’t look like a team prepared to match the energy level of Big East power Creighton in the Round of 32.

Some cynical Auburn fans have started calling their basketball coach“Regular Season Bruce.” I’m not ready to go there, but hopefully someone slips this team some smelling salts before Saturday’s tipoff.

Eight-seed Creighton knocked Louisville out of the first round on Thursday with an 89-75 victory. The Cards never really had a chance either. Everyone was worried about Auburn matching up with Louisville in the second round, but the Blue Jays drilled nine 3-pointers in the first half to take a quick 20-point lead.

Creighton has size on the perimeter and inside, too. Auburn isn’t going to have the luxury of sleepwalking to the Sweet 16.

“We need to play a lot better to beat Creighton on Saturday,” Pearl said.

Everyone except Miles Kelly looked like they could use a nap at halftime.

A transfer from Georgia Tech, Kelly finished the game with seven 3-pointers, including five in the first half. Without them, Auburn would have trailed going into halftime. The lack of focus was everywhere for the Tigers, but especially at the free throw line. Auburn was 7 of 14 at the break.

Woof.

Luckily for Auburn, Alabama State couldn’t shoot either. The Hornets were 1 of 7 from the free-throw line at the beginning of the second half.

That’s about the time that Pearl had seen enough.

Baker-Mazara has been cruising through games ever since being ejected in the second half against Alabama. He didn’t play well in the SEC tournament and he had three points in the first half against Alabama State. At the beginning of the second half, CBM had the ball in his hands and Pearl called for him to push the pace. Auburn’s moody swingman instead chose to slow down in an attempt to draw a foul.

Pearl immediately subbed Baker-Mazara out of the game.

“You need to wake up,” said Pearl to his controversial star as he walked to the bench.

Time to ring the alarm. Auburn opened this NCAA Tournament with sleep in its eyes. They’ll be overflowing with tears if the Tigers aren’t ready for the second round.

BE HEARD

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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”