Bruce Pearl reveals why Auburn must keep Texas A&M loss in perspective

Auburn, the top seed in this week’s SEC Tournament, suffered an upset loss against Texas A&M on Friday. The Tigers failed to reach the SEC Tournament semifinals. Even with the loss, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl wants to keep the loss in perspective.

Though Pearl and Auburn undoubtedly have disappointment after the loss, attention must now turn towards the NCAA Tournament, as the Tigers still have a lot to play for.

“I can’t tell you all that. I can’t tell you all that. (Laughing) I’ll just say what I started off with, and it is: While it’s okay to be disappointed and show some emotion and be upset, I wanted them to put something in perspective. We’re blessed,” Pearl said after Auburn’s loss.

“Like every one of them guys in the locker room, all the coaches, hopefully you folks here are blessed. And there’s a lot of stuff going around the world right now that is difficult, so I want to make sure our guys put the loss in perspective, because they’re still young people, and I want to be able to teach them that.”

Pearl wants Auburn to learn from the loss entering the NCAA Tournament

Entering Friday’s game, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi said that the winner of the SEC Tournament would have major implications on overall seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga and Arizona seem to be in a good spot to earn a one seed, while Kansas is in a good position. But with Baylor and now Auburn suffering losses in their respective conference tournaments, the path to the final one seed is as murky as ever.

Kentucky has the best chance at that top seed with a win in the SEC Tournament championship. Auburn had a great chance to re-claim that spot on the top line, but now that seems to be out of the question. Regardless, Pearl knows that, despite the loss, Auburn will still have a great seed when the bracket is revealed on Sunday.

“I want them to be grateful for the opportunities,” said Pearl. “Now, can we take advantage of the opportunity we put ourselves in? A chance to be a really good seed in the NCAA tournament. I also told them that we’re a tough team to prepare for because a lot of what we do is different, and once you go around the league a few times, it’s a little easier to guard what we do.”

“So I want them to try to put a little wind in their sails heading into the tournament.”