Bruce Pearl reacts to being on opposite side of court-storming

The No. 1 ranks Auburn Tigers have become a darling, or villain, of the college basketball season depending on who is watching. After earning their first week atop the AP Poll in January, they found themselves on the opposite side of a big win against Arkansas on Tuesday.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl reacted to seeing the fans at Bud Walton Arena storm the court following an 80-76 road loss against Arkansas.

“We understand the price that’s on our head,” said Pearl, via AL.com’s Tom Green. “It’s very difficult on the road, and congratulations to Arkansas…. It was tough.”

Part of the price placed on Auburn’s head comes with the No. 1 ranking, part comes from the level of intensity of the coaches and players, but on Tuesday an added factor came into play. Arkansas’ coaches, fans and players all acknowledged that Auburn’s decision to dance on the Razorback logo during pregame warmups added a bit of fire throughout the night.

“It was awesome, what a game! You know, they danced on our logo before the game — we watched that,” said Musselman after the game. “What a great win for this program, it’s so awesome! I thought we played with incredible toughness.”

Bruce Pearl after Auburn defeated Kentucky

Following an 80-71 win over Kentucky just over two weeks ago, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl hugged each one of his players as they came off the court and saw students celebrate with players with their shirts off, as commented on by Kentucky head coach John Calipari following the game. The win pushed the Tigers to No. 1 in the polls and provided 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.

“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!”

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.