One season after the making a run to the Final Four, Auburn men’s basketball sits at 14-10 overall in the second week of February. The Tigers dropped their third straight game on Tuesday against Vanderbilt, 84-76.
Head coach Steven Pearl, who’s in his first year in the position, apologized to Auburn fans after the loss. One season after a run to the Final Four, he knows the Tigers’ faithful expect more out of his and the program.
“I just want to continue to thank our fans for hanging in there with this team as we’re trying to work through some things. They did their part, we didn’t do ours. For that, I apologize,” Pearl said. “I’ve got to do a better job as their coach in these situations.”
Vanderbilt led Auburn for nearly the entire game, ballooning their lead to as many as 15 points down the stretch. The Tigers cut the lead to as little as four points in the final three minutes of the game, but Vanderbilt was able to stave off the Auburn comeback bid.
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The loss drops Auburn to 9-3 inside Neville Arena, including two in a row to Alabama last weekend, and to the Commodores on Tuesday. They’re also 3-6 against AP Top 25 teams.
“Protecting home court is really important. It’s disappointing because we had two teams that were really good, that had good analytics, that could have really helped our résumé, and we lost to both,” Pearl said. “So, missed opportunities there. But we’ve got to find a way to steal a couple on the road, and then, like you said, try and protect home court later in the season. But the only way we’re going to be able to do that is if we refocus and come back ready to go on Thursday.”
Thursday begins preparation for the Tigers’ weekend road trip to No. 21 Arkansas. John Calipari’s Razorbacks have been as hot as any team in the SEC to this point, and getting a win inside Bud Walton Arena would is the perfect step in turning the season around for the Tigers.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN.
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Gamecock player removed
New No. 1 overall, big shakeup
How schools circumvent $21M cap
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