GREENVILLE, S.C. | During a 19-game winning streak from No. 25 to Feb. 5, Auburn out-scored its opponents by an average of 13.7 points per game, rising to No. 1 in the rankings for the first time in school history.

The Tigers have gone 5-4 since, winning to SEC regular season title before going one-and-done at the SEC Tournament.

“We probably played our best basketball sometime at the end of January and early February,” said AU coach Bruce Pearl. “The focus was on the process. The focus was on becoming a better team.

“Then I think, when we were ranked No. 1 and there was a big target on our heads and we began to look at, ‘Wow, this SEC Championship is really maybe within our reach,’ it began to be the end result … a little less on the process. I’m trying to get us focused back to the process right now. What are the things we need to do to be a great team and win a championship?”

Auburn’s had a full week of practice between last Friday’s loss to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament and Friday’s opening round of the NCAA Tournament. It’s given them a lot of time to refine that process.

“Just getting back in the gym and putting the work back in, coming together as a team and talking about the problems that we have and trying to find solutions to them,” said junior Allen Flanigan of the past week.

While Pearl and his players can only work on what they do, it’s not surprising that the second half of conference play would be tougher. Teams improve, scouting reports get better and when one team has success against a team like Auburn, others are quick to copy.

For example, those high pick-and-rolls that often ended with a dunk by Walker Kessler have been much tougher to come by over the last several weeks.

“By the time we get to the end of the season, we’ve shown most of our stuff, and this is what we’re good at,” said Pearl. “Have we been able to make the adjustments? They’re taking away all this stuff, what can we do?

“Part of it was scouting and part of it was worrying about the results instead of just focusing on the process. We've got to get a little bit more offense for our defense. We've got to create a few more turnovers. Offense does get difficult in postseason play, I think, when all five guys are back and they're guarding.”

No. 2 seed Auburn plays No. 15 seed Jacksonville State Friday in the first round of the Midwest Regional. Tip-off at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C is scheduled for 11:40 a.m. CT on truTV.