Auburn coach Steven Pearl led the Tigers to an era-defining 76-67 win over the No. 16 Florida Gators in Gainesville on Saturday. The upset win came after Pearl’s team had started their SEC slate 1-3, leading to questions about whether Pearl was the right coach to replace his father, Bruce Pearl, when the season tipped off.
Most significantly, the win against Florida was Auburn’s first in Gainesville since 1996, and it snapped the Gators’ 16-game home winning streak.
Steven Pearl Clinches Era-Defining Win
The Tigers built an 18-point lead in the second half, but the defending national champions fought back to tie the game 54-54. During his postgame news conference, Pearl revealed how he motivated his team to close out the game despite Florida’s momentum.
“They tie the game with 7:50 left and that’s an eternity in college basketball, especially on the road,” Pearl said. “They had all the momentum in the world. And we got into a timeout and we were like, ‘You guys, if I were to tell you that with 7:50 left we’re going to be tied against one of the best teams in college basketball on the road, would you take it?’ And they were like, ‘F*** yeah, let’s go.’”
Questions were raised when Steven Pearl succeeded his father as head coach of Auburn in September, and some results, especially in the SEC, led to questions about his suitability for the job.
Pearl now has three wins against Final Four coaches, including John Calipari, Chris Beard, and Todd Golden, and is 3-0 against coaches who have won a national championship (including St. John’s Rick Pitino).
During the same postgame news conference, Pearl also revelled in breaking the Tigers’ 30-year drought in Gainesville.
“Oh, man. That’s an unbelievable win for our ball club. We’ve been here for 11 years, and that might be the best road win that we’ve ever had as a program,” Pearl said. “If you look back at Auburn basketball history, that might be one of the best road wins we’ve ever had as a program.”
“Three weeks ago, our team would have folded and let all that pressure get to us. Our team did a great job of hanging in there and staying together.”
The Tigers’ mettle will be tested in clashes against the No. 17 Alabama Crimson Tide, No. 15 Vanderbilt Commodores, and the No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks in the coming weeks, even as the whispers about Pearl’s suitability for the job have died down.
