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Coach Mike Neighbors didn't shy away from how his Arkansas women's basketball team's 44-point defeat at Ole Miss in the regular-season finale felt.

The beatdown cemented a 10th-place finish for the Razorbacks (18-13, 6-10 SEC) in the conference, which is their worst since 2018-19. They concluded the regular season on a four-game losing streak and lost by an average 24 points during the skid.

"You've got to flush this," Neighbors said. "I mean, it's embarrassing."

Arkansas will hope the memory is fully flushed when it faces seventh-seed Auburn at 5 p.m. Central today in the second round of the SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C.

The last time the Razorbacks entered the conference tournament as the No. 10 seed, they made history. Arkansas became the lowest-seeded team to advance to the championship game.

Arkansas made an improbable run to the title in 2019 with victories over Georgia, South Carolina and Texas A&M before falling to top-seeded Mississippi State.

Neighbors, in his seventh season coaching his alma mater, said he hopes his team can catch the same type of lightning in a bottle five years later.

"You tell stories about that 10 seed that went down there and went to the finals," Neighbors said. "[About how] that was the 10 seed that got hot, and how they went into it. We were in a very similar situation, so you tell those stories.

"And I think you keep things in perspective, which is what we do all the time. ... It's postseason. We've talked about it all the way through the year leading into this being the final stage. So, it's here."

The last time Auburn (19-10, 8-8) and Arkansas met was Feb. 4, a matchup the Razorbacks won in a 74-72 thriller at Walton Arena. During that game, Arkansas freshman guard Taliah Scott scored a game-high 33 points and willed her team to victory.

The Tigers had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but a shot by Taylen Collins was off target as the buzzer sounded.

"It came down literally to a tip at the buzzer," Neighbors said. "They've won three in a row. They're coming in on a little different road than we are here, but a lot of it has to do with your schedule, who you played and where you've played.

"So they'll be coming in riding high."

Scott, who was named to the SEC all-freshman team earlier this week, likely will not be available for the conference tournament. She has missed the team's last five games due to what has been called a "serious family emergency," which sent her home to Orange Park, Fla.

"She's not back," Neighbors said Tuesday. "Like I've been telling [media members] a little bit, I'll let y'all know [when she returns] because there will be a ramp-up period. We're not just going to bring her out and trot her out to a game.

"We'll let you know. It's still day-to-day. ... I wouldn't anticipate her making a trip with us."

The Tigers are in most NCAA Tournament projections, including as an 11-seed in ESPN's most recent forecast. They are in their third season under Coach Johnnie Harris, who was an assistant coach at Arkansas from 2004-07.

Auburn graduate guard Honesty Scott-Grayson ranks second in the SEC scoring 18.3 points per game. She was named to the All-SEC first team when awards were announced Tuesday.

"We won't have to tell them how fast Honesty Scott-Grayson is," Neighbors said. "They've lived it. We won't have to tell them how high Taylen Collins jumps. They've lived it. You don't have to convince them as much, they've already got that in. Now we can spend some time on being tactical and go into it."

Neighbors said he hopes his team, which has gotten off to slow starts many times, can start hot against Auburn.

"The tournament does have a different feel because they're new rims, they're new balls and it's a new environment for both of us," Neighbors said. "What I've learned on those Thursdays ... especially if you're both playing your first game, it's the team that settles in the fastest.

"We've not been a great starting team. I hope that may be something that we capture here in the postseason -- in the SEC tournament and beyond."

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UA women hope to flush beatdown | Arkansas Democrat Gazette - Arkansas Online