Bruce Pearl discusses Wendell Green's ability to bounce back after injury

Wendell Green‘s injury went from seeing him out “a couple of days,” to him missing nearly a month with a foot injury.

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl did not rush his point guard back, and Green’s first home game back in the starting lineup saw him score 19 points and a total of five assists in the Tigers’ 72-59 win over Arkansas.

“Wendell is tough – he’s undersized, he’s stubborn and he’s confident,” Pearl said after the game. “He takes a hit now. He takes a lot of contact. … I think what happens is, Wendell gets in there and they think like, ‘What’re you doing in there little guy?’ and they just let all the big guys kind of bounce him around and they foul him, a lot of times, they don’t call it.”

The Arkansas win was Green’s second since returning from injury. The first was a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs on the road, where Green posted seven points and four turnovers in what turned out to be a poor team performance overall.

“I just wanted to come back and show how I play. That’s how I play when I’m out there,” Green said after the Arkansas win. “I haven’t been like that since I hurt my foot (against Georgia State) and I wanted to come back. I’m healthy, I feel good, and it just felt good to see that first shot go in.”

Pearl admitted that Green’s absence hurt Auburn for the two and a half games he was forced out by his foot. The Tigers finished 2-1 in those three games, including a blowout win over Washington and a three-point victory over Florida in the SEC opener.

Auburn will now turn its attention to Ole Miss for its second SEC road trip of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET live on ESPNU as the Tigers look to secure its fourth win in five tries.