Bruce Pearl comments on staying in race for SEC title

After suffering a close, four-point loss to Alabama in January, Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers evened the season series with their rival on Saturday. Defeating the No. 16 ranked Crimson Tide in dominant fashion with a 99-81 home win on Wednesday night.

The Tigers now sit atop the SEC standings alongside Alabama and South Carolina, all boasting a 8-2 record in conference play with eight games remaining in the regular season.

Pearl was asked about staying in the SEC title hunt this season following the Tigers’ most recent win, detailing what it takes to stay in the race and come out conference regular season champions.

“You have to win at home and you have to win some games on the road. You have to win every game you’re supposed to win on the road, and a couple you aren’t supposed to win. We have three road league wins right now — two league road losses, we play better at home, but who doesn’t?” Pearl asked.

If anyone knows about staying in the SEC championship race it’s Pearl, who’s in the midst of his 16th season as a head coach in the conference between his time at Tennessee and Auburn. He’s hoisted three SEC regular-season titles in his career, and has led a team this season that’s been excellent at defending their home court.

The Tigers boast an undefeated record at home this season in conference play and beyond with an impressive 12-0 record in Neville Arena. Putting together a multitude of strong showings as they currently lead he SEC in point differential this season with a +16.5 advantage over opponents following their 18-point win over Alabama.

But in their next matchup, they’ll have to get it done on the road in The Swamp, as they take on a Florida team that’s surprised some teams with an impressive 4-1 record in their last five games.

“Florida, they are huge, they have the number two offensive rebounding team in the country, they have three great guards that can score it and they’ve only lost once at home,” Pearl said. “We’ll come in there with a big number on our head. Todd Golden has done a fantastic job of rebuilding that program.”

The Tigers and Gators are two of the conference’s top-five scoring offenses at the moment, which could make this weekend’s matchup an exciting one. Auburn and Florida tip off this Saturday at 3:30 in a game airing on SEC Network.