Bruce Pearl explains dominant first half vs. South Carolina in SEC Tournament

Auburn is miles ahead of its opponent at halftime in its opening matchup of the SEC Tournament. Boasting a 46-26 lead over South Carolina, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl evaluated his team’s first 20 minutes.

“[South Carolina] played so hard yesterday. You can’t come out here and expect to show up. You got to come out here and make plays,” Pearl said. “I thought we made it difficult for them to get the ball inside. I thought we were the more physical team in the first half. We fouled too much.”

Auburn committed 11 fouls in the first half, allowing South Carolina to shoot 15 free throws. One of those fouls was a technical Auburn guard KD Johnson committed during a break in play. Pearl sternly addressed Johnson’s slip in judgement.

“We just got to honor the game and play the right way,” Pearl said.

Other than a few minor mistakes, Auburn is doing just that. The Tigers shot 17-34 (50%) from the field in the first half and 3-7 (42.9%) from beyond the arc. Further, Auburn squeezed seven turnovers out of the Gamecocks while only committing three.

Auburn will aim to carry its momentum into the second half. The winner of the game will face off against Mississippi State on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET in the SEC Tournament semifinals.

Bruce Pearl prepares his team for a postseason journey

This game is only the first step in a grueling journey. Auburn must win three straight games to take home the SEC Tournament trophy, which they haven’t won since 2019. Earlier this week, Pearl revealed what his team’s mindset is heading into the postseason.

“I’ve always sort of held to the thought that cream rises to the top at the end of the year,” Pearl said. “Sometimes, the most dangerous teams are the underachieving teams with lots of talent that finished the regular season and felt like they left a lot on the table. In 1995, I won a national championship with a team that finished third in the league. They were talented and we had underachieved. That doesn’t happen to us very often because I’m a grinder and I won’t allow it.

“When you are playing your best basketball down the stretch, that does matter. We’re playing some good basketball. You have to have depth — getting hot at the right time and knowing that you are playing for something. Experience matters, too.”