Bruce Pearl offers stern advice for Wendell Green Jr. after Auburn loss

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.

Bruce Pearl on Wendell Green’s poor shooting night

“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.

Despite the results, Pearl wasn’t ready to throw anybody on his team under the bus as he explained the loss. When pressed for what exactly broke down for his team against Tennessee, Pearl didn’t point to any one specific player but did mention it started with their point guard position.

“Didn’t get good point guard play tonight. Got great point guard play against Ole Miss, didn’t we? Didn’t get good point guard play tonight.”

Auburn’s Jabari Smith tweets message after loss

After falling to Tennessee on the road, Auburn star Jabari Smith tweeted out a simple but powerful message to fans about the Tigers’ toughness. Smith had a stellar 27 points and 8 rebounds in the loss, as Auburn was unable to match Tennessee’s second-half intensity on defense.

“We staying together no matter what. War Eagle,” was all Smith had to say after the tough road loss.

Smith’s emergence as one of the best players in the nation has made him a leader for the Tigers as they sit atop the SEC standings. At one point, Auburn was running through their opponents, but they have dropped three of their last six games. While all three losses were road games and against good teams, they are trending in the wrong direction as the regular season draws to a close.