‘Beyond grateful’ for SEC title, No. 1 Auburn visits No. 22 Texas A&M
AUBURN, Ala. – With a chance to run the table by going 9-0 in SEC road games, the chance of No.1 Auburn letting up after clinching the outright Southeastern Conference championship is less than zero.
“Absolutely not,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “We’ve got a lot to play for, trying to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The possibility of being undefeated on the road this year is incredible.”
The top-ranked Tigers have already knocked off eight SEC opponents away from Neville Arena, including four who were ranked at the time of the matchup. Tuesday’s late show at No. 22 Texas A&M provides an opportunity for a fifth top 25 SEC road win.
“To go undefeated on the road would really be something in the SEC,” said Pearl, who’s led Auburn to three SEC regular season championships and two SEC Tournament titles in the past eight seasons. “Especially in this particular year.”
Auburn improved to 8-0 in conference road games Saturday by beating No. 17 Kentucky 94-78, the Tigers’ first victory at Rupp Arena since 1988.
“We managed to check a lot of boxes on Saturday,” said Pearl, whose Tigers clinched a share of the SEC title with the win, then claimed the outright crown that evening when Tennessee defeated Alabama. “We talked about this before the Kentucky game.
“What team respects everyone opponent you play and gets excited about playing every single night, except this team? Every team has letdowns. Not this team. They’re to be commended for that. The combination of respecting their opponent, and a real desire to make history.
“This team has done nothing even closely resembling underachieving. The question is, do we have upside? We showed that Saturday.”
Pearl shared with reporters Monday the pregame message he’d delivered to the Tigers 48 hours earlier in Lexington: “I want to compliment you. You’re deserving of this championship. You’ve earned this championship. Now go out and prove it and let’s get it tonight.”
Two days later, on the eve of a matchup with the always-challenging Aggies, Pearl was not interested in looking back.
“I can only see Texas A&M,” he said. “Definitely not a time to reflect.”
Not when the Aggies have won five of the last seven meetings in their series with Auburn.
“This has been a tough matchup for us,” Pearl said. “They try to confuse you as a play-caller. I don’t think we’ve done a very good job offensively against them. They rebound about 55 percent of the misses they get around the basket and about 45 percent of misses inside the foul line. Anywhere inside of 15 feet, they get it half the time. That presents you with a real challenge.”
Accepting that challenge, No. 1 Auburn (27-2, 15-1) plays at No. 22 Texas A&M (20-9, 9-7) Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN in College Station, Texas. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey provide play-by-play and analysis for Auburn Sports Network listeners.
The reflection can wait until the season ends. While locked in on Texas A&M and another opportunity to make history, Pearl acknowledged and appreciated what the Tigers have already achieved.
“So many things have had to happen for us to win our fifth championship in eight seasons,” he said. “Beyond grateful.”