Bruce Pearl: Auburn ‘clearly getting everyone’s best shot’

No. 1 Auburn defeated Georgia 82-70 on Sunday in a game that always felt a little too close for comfort for the Tigers. Leading by just five points at halftime, Auburn had to score 53 points in the second half to keep the Bulldogs at bay.

At this point in the season, a win over Auburn could do wonders for any team’s resume, not to mention a team like Georgia who isn’t guaranteed a spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

“We’re clearly getting everyone’s best shot,” Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl said postgame. “We are. That’s great because to the victor go the spoils. A victory over Auburn, with our math, could really get somebody off the bubble and into the tournament. That’s what these kids are playing for. We recognize that, and we’re going to get that again Wednesday night against Ole Miss, even though Ole Miss is already in. 

“Our guys are used to it. I think the other thing, too, it’s a combination of having a bunch of older guys. They’re starting to see the end of this thing in the regular season. And they don’t want to waste opportunities. I think that sometimes keeps them engaged and continuing to work. Obviously we’re trying to play for championships.”

Auburn’s Johni Broome certainly didn’t waste any opportunity against Georgia. He had a career day, logging 31 points and 14 rebounds to go along with four assists on the day.

Three other Tigers scored in double figures, including a 17-point outing from Denver Jones. Both Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly scored 11 points during the contest.

The victory improves the Tigers to 25-2 overall and 13-1 in SEC play. They’ve won their last four after falling to Florida 90-81 on Feb. 8. Despite the loss, Florida still sits two games back from Auburn after the weekend slate, along with Alabama for second place at 11-3 overall in conference play.

As Pearl mentioned, Auburn will host No. 24 Ole Miss inside Neville Arena on Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET live on ESPN2.

Things only get tougher from there, as they’re set to travel to Rupp Arena to face an potentially injured No. 17 Kentucky team to begin March. They’ll stay on the road to take on No. 7 Texas A&M. That’s all leading into the regular season finale against No. 4 Alabama in a rematch of their Feb. 15 meeting, which the Tigers won in Tuscaloosa.