SEC’s brutal gauntlet has Bruce Pearl preaching resilience: "Hungry, healthy, humble is the way to get through"
Bruce Pearl has coached the second-ranked Auburn Tigers to a strong run through nonconference play. Now heading into league play with a brutal schedule of Southeastern Conference games approaching, the coach gave his thoughts on the team's situation.
Following Auburn's 87-58 victory over Monmouth on Monday, Pearl provided his outlook. There are 10 SEC teams in the AP Top 25, including four of the top six and seven of the top 13.
"There’s maybe never been a league like this, and it’s going to be, the strong are literally going to be the only ones who are going to survive," Pearl said. "Hungry, healthy, humble is the way to get through it.
"Matchups are going to matter. We’re going to lose games. But we can’t let a loss affect us the next time out. We’ve got to be beat instead of beating ourselves. But we’re healthy and we’re ready."
Bruce Pearl, Auburn sees updated ranking in AP Top 25 poll
Thanks to Bruce Pearl's efforts, the Auburn Tigers are high in the rankings of the AP Top 25.
The Tigers (12-1) remained at the second spot with the new poll released on Monday, only behind the Tennessee Volunteers, who are undefeated with a 12-0 record.
Auburn has notable victories over Houston, Iowa State, North Carolina, Memphis and Purdue. Their only loss came against then-No. 9 Duke on Dec. 4, proving how difficult it has been for some of the nation's best to keep up with the SEC powerhouse.
The Tigers are averaging 88.3 points on 50.8% shooting, including 37.1% from beyond the arc, beating opponents by 23.5 ppg. They frequently crash the glass and move the ball, grabbing 39.8 rebounds and creating 19.4 assists as a result.
Johni Broome leads the squad in scoring with 18.2 points while putting up 11.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.6 blocks. Chad Baker-Mazara comes next with 12.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg and 1.1 spg, while Tahaad Pettiford produces 11.2 ppg and 3.1 apg off the bench.
Bruce Pearl and the No. 2 Tigers will prepare for their first matchup of 2025, hosting the Missouri Tigers at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.