The Auburn Tigers bowed out of the 2025 NCAA tournament in the Final Four after suffering a tough loss to the Florida Gators, but Bruce Pearl's side could see a key member of the team return for the 2025-26 season.

The Tigers had an average age of 23.2 years during the tournament, making them the oldest team in the field. One of their veteran players, senior guard Chad Baker-Mazara, teased on social media Monday that he may be looking to return for one more season.

Baker-Mazara turned 25 in January. He already has four years of college basketball under his belt, including two with Auburn. Baker-Mazara posted on X indicating that he hadn't yet ruled out a return to the school for his age-26 season.

Baker-Mazara started 34 of 38 games for Auburn this past season and posted averages of 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest. He shot 38.1% from three-point range on 4.1 attempts per game while averaging 25.6 minutes on the floor.

The 25-year-old started his collegiate career at Duquesne back in 2020-21. He played at San Diego State in 2021-22 before sitting out the 2022-23 season. He then transferred to Auburn where he played the next two years.

If he did return next season, he'd be one of the oldest players in all of college basketball. The 2024-25 Auburn squad consisted of nine seniors and four juniors for a total of 13 upperclassmen. Despite their experience, they weren't able to reach the national championship after entering the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.

Getting Baker-Mazara back for one more season would be a huge coup for Pearl & Co. as they look to remain competitive and make their fifth straight tournament appearance.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chad Baker-Mazara Teases Return to Auburn for Age-26 Season.

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