Bruce Pearl reveals his message to the team after Auburn falls at Tennessee

Auburn is in a bit of a tough stretch at the moment, losing three out of their last five games. The latest was a road loss on Saturday to Tennessee, the place where head coach Bruce Pearl called home for so many years.

During his postgame press conference, Pearl was asked what his message would be to his players after enduring another loss. He said a few blips on the road in the SEC is nothing to be ashamed about and there is no reason to freak out just yet.

“Just to trust each other,” Pearl said. “Try to trust the process and know that if we can go on the road, not play very well and lose by five to Tennessee. Not play very well against Florida and lose with a possession. Not play great, lose in overtime to Arkansas. You can’t push the panic button. We know we can play better.”

Auburn has two more games remaining on the schedule before the SEC Tournament begins. They will make a trip to Starkville to face off against Mississippi State on Wednesday before South Carolina comes to Auburn Arena to close out the regular season on Saturday.

Pearl will want to have his team playing better basketball for those two games and maintain a one-seed in both the NCAA Tournament and the upcoming SEC Tournament.

Bruce Pearl comments on Wendell Green’s tough night

After Auburn’s disappointing 67-62 loss to Tennessee on Saturday, head coach Bruce Pearl commented on Wendell Green Jr.‘s bad shooting night. Green shot a dismal 2-of-15 from the field while playing 28 minutes off the bench. His five points were the only bench points scored by the Tigers in their loss, on a night where they struggled to find any momentum against Tennessee’s defense.

“Wendell had an off night,” said Pearl after the game. “He had some tough shots. The ball was in his hands but — when you’re playing one of the best teams in the league, one of the top four teams in the league — you gotta make them, you can’t just take them.”

Pearl’s comments didn’t mention whether or not he agreed with Green’s shot selection as he attempted seven three-point shots despite his struggles. They did, however, indicate that Pearl was not okay with the result. If Pearl has given Green the go-ahead to take shots and be a scoring threat, games like Saturday’s will force Pearl to have a discussion with his young guard.