Bruce Pearl credits Auburn's fight vs. Alabama

Auburn is doing everything they can to play their way out of the NCAA Tournament. After 20 games, the Tigers were 16-4 and virtually locked into the field. But in 10 games since, they’re just 3-7 and had huge letdowns in their last two outings, which were both Quad 1 opportunities. Following a 32-point loss at Kentucky over the weekend, the Tigers responded on the road vs. No. 2 Alabama by building a 17-point lead midway through the second half. From there, the Tigers proceeded to allow a 16-0 run while not scoring for the following six minutes after going up 17.

Of course, the Crimson Tide ultimately came back, forced overtime and won the game as Auburn let slip away a win that would have all but assured an NCAA Tournament appearance. Instead, Bruce Pearl’s club is on thin ice. After the game, a grumpy Pearl addressed the loss with a brief summary:

“Well, we came here to win a basketball game. I thought we represented the name on the front of our jersey as well as the name on the back. Here we are a pride program, we have great respect for Alabama, we congratulate them on winning the (SEC) championship. They’re a very worthy champion.”

Not an eloquent night at the podium for Pearl, but understandable given how hot he was over officiating to end the game. During his postgame interview on the court immediately following overtime, Pearl let the refs have it.

“We were incredibly outmanned at the end at three, four guys on the bench in foul trouble,” Pearl said, then exclaimed: “Joke!”

Earlier in the interview, Pearl sounded off on the Crimson Tide’s defense and made it clear he thought more fouls should’ve been called on that end of the floor.

“At the end of the day, I’m just sick and tired our guys getting smashed down there! SMASHED!” he howled. Really, the all-caps doesn’t do justice for just how loud Coach Pearl screamed during that interview. He was a few shades of facial discoloration away from erupting into the Incredible Hulk. Geez, somebody put this guy on ice!

Seriously, though, this was a massive lost opportunity for the Tigers. A road win over one of the nation’s best teams would’ve catapulted Auburn off the bubble and into the guaranteed field. Plus, the fouls were pretty dicey, especially the fifth foul called on defensive ace Johni Broome. But hey, Auburn was up by 17 points and failed to score for six straight minutes while Alabama made every necessary play to climb back in it — and that’s where Auburn actually lost the ball game.

Tough pill to swallow for Bruce Pearl and company.