Bruce Pearl reacts to Auburn’s big win over Kentucky

Following an 80-71 win over Kentucky, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl hugged each one of his players as they came off the court. The win could not only push the Tigers to No. 1 in the polls but provides the college basketball world with a decisive warning shot that this team means business.

During the postgame celebration of fans and players, Bruce Pearl spoke with CBS sideline reporter Gary Parrish about how his team turned around a slow start and picked up one of the biggest wins in school history.

“We picked up the defense a little bit,” said Pearl. “Kentucky was killing us in transition, we were a little sloppy with our offensive execution. But give Kentucky credit, they extended all of our catches, they made it really difficult to get our stuff. But that stack ball screen – the ball screen with the pick on the roll – got our big men to the rim and I think that frustrated Kentucky.”

The Auburn Tigers won on the floor but it did not come without a boost from the crowd. A sold out arena with a get-in price of well over $300 and a line of tents previously occupied by students hoping for a front-row seat signal how big this win is for the school.

“Look at the kids, I mean look at our students, look at our players,” Bruce Pearl told Gary Parrish as he looked around Auburn Arena. “And Gary, that’s what it’s all about right there. What I’m so excited about is – I know this happens at North Carolina, I know it happens at Kansas and other places – this is happening in Auburn, Alabama. We’re a football school! But we’re also an everything school!”

Bruce Pearl addresses pregame crowd

Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl took time in the hours leading up to tip-off of the Kentucky game to grab a microphone and acknowledge the crowd gathering in the student section, many of whom camped overnight in freezing temperatures.

“Let me tell you something, this is The Jungle and that’s Jungle City,” Bruce Pearl said of the make-shift student campground outside Auburn Arena, via On3’s Justin Hokanson. “It’s about you guys. This is about you guys. It’s about my players in that locker room. My players came to Auburn because they wanted to be the best, you came to Auburn because you want to be the best – so today, we’ve got to be the best!

“It’s January in college basketball season, this game matters. This game’s important. March matters, March matters! You guys are gonna give us the courage, and we’re grateful. I’ve got to tell you, you guys have created the best student cheering section in the country! And when CBS’s Brad Nessler and Bill Raftery walk through that door, I want to hear you. We love you. We appreciate every single one of you. War Eagle!”