Bruce Pearl has accomplished almost everything during his long tenure at Auburn, taking the Tigers to places never considered. The head coach has built the program into a considerable force with SEC titles, both regular season and tournament, coming regularly along with NCAA Tournament appearances. The run to the 2019 Final Four was a moment that every Auburn fan will remember.

The only thing still looming is that coveted national title, something that long ago seemed a long shot but has become a reality. With the Tigers opening the 2024-25 season, Pearl has never been better positioned to bring that trophy home.

Sure, the 2021-22 Auburn team had two future NBA stars on it, winning the SEC regular-season title easily, but also had problems dwelling - smaller guards, relying on two or three guys - in the background. Those showed up in the one-and-done exit in the SEC Tournament and the loss to a senior-laden Miami team in the 2nd round of the NCAAs.

Last year, after rolling to an SEC Tournament title, problems that the Tigers had had for most of the season, mainly point guard play, reared its ugly head in an upset loss to Yale. Another chance at the natty disappeared in a matter of 40 minutes.

This year's squad? Well, we don't know how they will gel on the court, but all the pieces are there, and it is Auburn's best shot at the title. Johni Broome is a bonafide All-American who can control the inside while sliding out and showing his versatility from the outside. Veteran guards and, just as importantly, big and lengthy guards arrived in the form of Miles Kelly and JP Pegues, joining Denver Jones, bound for an even better season than last.

Chad Baker-Mazara and Chaney Johnson are players that can take over a game at any time. Don't forget about Ja'Heim Hudson, the transfer from SMU, who could see quality minutes.

Talented freshmen Tahaad Pettiford and Jahki Howard won't be counted on as much as some first-year players in the past, but add an extra wrinkle to this already talented roster.

And then you have Chris Moore and Dylan Cardwell, the heart and soul of this team whose impact might not show up in the box score but is as important as anything this team does on the floor.

If you are adding it up, that is a combination of nine seniors, fifth-year players or graduate students who will contribute heavily for this team.

It's a roster built for a brutal non-conference schedule that rivals any other program in college basketball. It's a team that could possibly struggle early but not let it break its will, learning valuable lessons along the way as the march toward, well, March goes on. And it's precisely what Pearl wanted for this program, its fans and for a way to possibly win the program's first national title.

And the coach can use a myriad of lineups to get the job done. Need Jones at the point? Fine. Play Broome and Cardwell at the same time to intimidate anyone who comes into the lane? He can do that.

Now, the Tigers need to go out there and meet the expectations that face them as they enter the season. The window for Pearl to achieve his dream is closing fast as he ages, and it seems this is his best chance.

Now is the time for Pearl.