"Ain't lil bro a freshman?" "Please come back": Fans react as Auburn's Tahaad Pettiford makes NBA draft decision days after March Madness exit

Tahaad Pettiford, who led the No. 1 seed Auburn Tigers to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, has declared for the 2025 NBA draft. The guard announced his decision on Monday after the Tigers' season ended following their loss to the Florida Gators on Saturday.

Fans reacted to the news in the comments section, with one asking:

"Ain’t lil bro a freshman?"

"Pls come back," one fan begged.

"He not ready yet these kids need to develop the game first," another fan wrote.

Fans react as Auburn's Tahaad Pettiford makes NBA draft decision. (Credit: IG/@recruitsnews)

"What's happened in the last 24 hours???" a fan asked.

"Didn’t he just say he was looking to run it back next year," one fan asked.

"He probably just testing the draft process," a fan mentioned.

Auburn (32-6) lost 79-73 to the No. 1 seed Florida Gators (35-4) after leading 46-38 at halftime.

Pettiford, who scored seven points in 23 minutes against Florida, has played a crucial role off the bench this season. Despite starting only one game, he appeared in all 38 contests, averaging 11.6 points per game, as well as 2.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

NCAA men's basketball tournament: Final Four in San Antonio - Source: Getty

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl praises Tahaad Pettiford

During the postgame news conference, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl spoke about Tahaad Pettiford.

"He's been sensational all season long," Pearl said. "I know that he's going to be disappointed because he wasn't elite tonight like he's always been. Give, again, Florida credit. There's real size in their backcourt, real size in their frontcourt.

"Again, if he had a better coach, he'd have gotten cleaner looks, and he would have had a few more open shots. That probably would have helped him play a little better. If there are five of the top freshmen in college basketball this year, Tahaad Pettiford is absolutely one of them. I'm so incredibly proud of him. I know his teammates are. I trust him."

The Tigers are facing significant changes, with several key players set to depart, including potential losses of multiple starters in the backcourt, which could shake up their lineup next season.

About the author

Oladehinde Stephen is a college basketball journalist with Sportskeeda with over four years of experience with publications such as Sports Buddy and Pulse Sports Nigeria.

Stephen has a degree in Computer Science, which provided him with a strong foundation in research, analysis, and writing, skills that are key for sports writing.

His favorite team is the Duke Blue Devils, largely due to some of the talents to come out of the program, including Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving.

Stephen's favorite player of all time is Michael Jordan, and his impressive college career at North Carolina set the stage for his legendary NBA career.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Stephen likes to play football or just spend time with his friends.

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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein