Auburn's Bruce Pearl makes strong statement about playing against Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Vols
The Auburn Tigers beat the Tennessee Vols on Saturday night in a matchup that looked more like a boxing match at times than a basketball game. Auburn held on to beat Tennessee 53-51 after Vols guard Zakai Zeigler missed a three-point attempt that would've given UT the lead with just a few seconds to play. […]
The Auburn Tigers beat the Tennessee Vols on Saturday night in a matchup that looked more like a boxing match at times than a basketball game.
Auburn held on to beat Tennessee 53-51 after Vols guard Zakai Zeigler missed a three-point attempt that would've given UT the lead with just a few seconds to play.
The low-scoring game was one of the most physical games that we've seen played all season in college basketball.
After the game, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl praised Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and his players, emphasizing just how tough it is to compete against the Vols.
"I'm sure that wasn't a very pretty game on national television, because it was so difficult to score," said Pearl after Auburn's win. "I knew it was gonna be low-scoring. I knew that offense was gonna be difficult. But Rick Barnes' teams play the right way. They play the right way. They don't take possessions off. They don't beat themselves."
"Our guys were exhausted," added Pearl. "I told our guys before the game, you're gonna be more tired after this game than any game we play all year long, because Tennessee, if you're gonna guard them, you're gonna wear yourself out guarding them. But at the same time, we didn't have the kind of energy we needed to execute offensively either."
Pearl also noted that Auburn's players walked away from the game with a ton of respect for Tennessee's players.
"We always respect Tennessee," said Pearl. "Our individual players walked away really respecting their individual players. There were some really hard matchups out there. The game was physical, but it was clean."
That was a tough loss for the Vols, but it wasn't a loss that raises concerns about Tennessee's ability to win in March. That game could've gone either way. If a couple of calls go the Vols' way and if Zeigler's shot at the end of the game goes down, it could've easily been Tennessee that was celebrating at the end.
Auburn vs Tennessee was a matchup between two of the best teams in college basketball. And the home team happened to win. Tennessee, however, will be a better team down the stretch because of that game, regardless of what the scoreboard said at the end of the night.
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