Observations: Texas A&M 67, Auburn 62

The Tigers' shooting woes away from home bit them in the worst way Friday, and now they're dealing with an early SEC Tournament exit.

PF Jabari Smith (Jacob Taylor/Auburn Athletics)

The last time Auburn was a No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, it bombed out of the first quarterfinal of the day with an 18-point loss to rival Alabama.

Four years later, it looked like history was going to repeat itself. The Tigers went through a long cold spell on offense, fell behind by as many as 20 points in the second half and looked completely doomed.

But the 2022 Tigers are a little different from the 2018 Tigers. Bruce Pearl’s first SEC title-winning team was overlooked, undersized and ultimately out-manned after a late-season injury to Anfernee McLemore led to a rough slide. They didn’t have enough to battle back late in the season.

His second one was able to hold onto an outright championship with back-to-back wins in the final week of the regular season thanks to a more stronger and healthier roster.

That talent came on late in Tampa, when Wendell Green Jr. and Jabari Smith combined to push Auburn to a single-digit deficit. Green’…