"Just a shame, Bruce": Tigers fans frustrated by Auburn HC's comment on Chad Baker-Nazara ejection
Auburn suffered an upset at the hands of No. 13 Yale on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers were clear favorites after their Southeastern Conference Tournament success but couldn't go past the Ivy League program.
Tigers coach Bruce Pearl noted in his postgame press conference that the ejection of guard Chad Baker-Nazara played a role in the loss. Baker-Nazara was ejected from the contest less than five minutes after it commenced for a flagrant-2 foul.
Pearl's comment did not sit well with many college basketball fans. Many believe the ejection of Baker-Nazara from the game wasn't enough justification for the first-round defeat.
"Just a shame, Bruce," a fan posted.
What did Bruce Pearl say following Auburn's loss?
A disappointed Bruce Pearl noted many things did not go the way of Auburn in the game on Friday. He had a major emphasis on the ejection of Chad Baker-Nazara early in the game. Pearl believes there were some errors in the decision that led to the ejection of the player.
“We had foul trouble from the very beginning," Pearl said. "Obviously, the decision to flagrant-two Chad Baker is a pretty tough call. He got hit about five seconds earlier, got tangled up, got a little bit of an elbow, they let it go. Maybe nobody saw it.
“About five seconds later, Chad hit him, it was inappropriate, clearly a flagrant one. The fact that it was elevated to fragrant-two is a decision the official had to make. But it's obvious it had a tremendous impact on the outcome.”
Pearl went on to comment about the importance of Baker-Nazara in the Auburn team and how his ejection affected the run of things. The junior guard averaged 10 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists through the course of the season.
"Chad is one of our best players," Pearl said. "He's one of our very best playmakers and was a huge part of our game plan. So, to lose him in that situation was really really disruptive to our team on both ends of the floor."
Auburn ends the 2023-24 season with a 27-8 record and the SEC Tournament title. However, the Tigers have to deal with the disappointment of crashing out of March Madness in the first round. Yale, on the other hand, proceeded to the second round, where the Bulldogs will play San Diego State.