Bruce Pearl shares what his message was off of two straight losses

Most teams hit a bump in the road at some point or another. For Auburn, that was last week after a two-game losing streak at Alabama and Mississippi State. It’s just part of it, though, based on how Bruce Pearl sees it.

Pearl shared the message that he gave his Tigers after their skid during his postgame press conference following a win over Vanderbilt that ended that stretch. He simply said that the season, especially in the SEC, is a lot to overcome at times.

“Well, I mean, part of the messaging was it’s a grind,” said Pearl. “It just is a grind.”

The last week brought Auburn back down to Earth a little bit after having won 11 consecutive games. The Crimson Tide held off the Tigers’ comeback attempt. The Bulldogs then got it done in Starkville by holding them to just 58 points. Neither defeat was awful yet losing two straight in the midst of a league race is unfavorable no matter how you look at it.

That’s why, upon their return home on Wednesday, Peal had to ensure that Auburn didn’t let it get to three in a row. They could have easily overlooked the Commodores, who remain winless in the league, but didn’t as they went on to win in an 81-54 rout.

“I had to really work hard to make sure that we didn’t just have a letdown. Make sure that we were excited about playing Vanderbilt,” said Pearl. “We’d beaten them by 15 up there. I don’t think that the kids took it for granted.”

“I think they played pretty well,” Pearl said.

Auburn got back on track amidst that grind with the 27-point blowout of the Commodores. They did so behind four players in Jaylin Williams (21), Denver Jones (19), Johni Broome (16), and Chad Baker-Mazara (11) going for double figures. Broome also finished with a double-double with 11 rebounds as well as five blocks as part of a defensive effort that held Vandy to to 26.8% from the field and 23.5% from three.

Still, while they got back in the win column, Auburn still has ways to go over the last month. Pearl knows it too based on what’s ahead for his team, including what he’s expecting to take on when they get to Oxford on Saturday.

“Now, look, the environment at Ole Miss? It’s going to be crazy,” said Pearl. “It’ll be another sold-out game for Auburn on the road. They’ve not lost at home.”

“It’s going to take special. It’s going to take special,” Pearl said. “I think they understand that and hope they’re ready for it.”