Bruce Pearl calls for more from Auburn starters

Bruce Pearl and his Auburn squad are heading into a big inter-conference game Tuesday versus Missouri, as the two Tiger teams are currently tied for fourth place in the SEC along with Kentucky. Pearl has called this game the biggest of the season, and before the game, he emphasized that Auburn will need to lean on the talent of his starting five to propel them to victory.

“Starters have got to start games well, but they’ve also got to close,” Pearl said. “And we’ve not been able to close, four of the last five games we’ve been not able to close, we’ve been in position, we’ve not closed.”

After starting off SEC play 6-1, Auburn as been on a 1-6 losing stretch in their last seven contests. Four of those loses have been single-digit ones, with two being decided by just three points. Additionally, all of those losses started with the Tigers being either tied or down at halftime, and there’s no question that a better start to those game may have resulted in a better finish given the closeness of most of their losses.

“So part of that would be utilizing the bench to give us a little bit more rest so that we can close and take advantage of the fact that we’re fresh enough to be able to finish games,” Pearl said.

Auburn has averaged just 15.3 points in their last three games from their bench, with sixth-man KD Johnson having all but two points off of the team’s bench in their most recent game versus Alabama. Some bench production and scoring would surely help the Tigers out, as they’ve dropped to the SEC’s eighth-best scoring offense in the conference.

“So yeah, I would say the last four minutes of the last four losses haven’t been as good as what they could from out starters, plus KD,” Pearl said. “KD is in that last group at the end.”

The Tigers scored an abysmal three points in the final four minutes of their loss to Alabama before Wendell Green hit a layup with just one second left in the contest with a win out of reach. Green has led the Tigers in scoring in their last two games, scoring over 20 points or more in each, and maybe his offense and playmaking can elevate the Tigers to a win versus Missouri.