Auburn basketball's Bruce Pearl drops truth bomb on Tigers' success after Ohio State blowout
12/15/2024 03:33 AM
Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl dropped a truth bomb on the Tigers’ success after their brutal blowout of Ohio State. Auburn outdid the oddsmakers, destroying the Buckeyes in a 91-53 blowout. Star forward Johni Broome led the attack, posting a staggering stat line. The Wooden Award favorite recorded 21 points, 20 rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and a steal. Despite Broome’s incredible season through ten games, he’s not the only player teams have to worry about on the SEC juggernaut.
Bruce Pearl got honest about why the current No. 2 team in the country is so hard to defend, and his main answer focused on the squad’s depth. In an interview with the Hoop Herald, Pearl explained Auburn’s versatility from the perspective of senior Miles Kelly. Kelly transferred from Georgia Tech this offseason and has been among the best three-point shooters in the country this year.
“Well, I think that the fact that when he (Miles Kelly) was at Georgia Tech, he was option one and two. And here he’s one of our top options. But there are other guys on our team you have to cover. You can’t put your best defender on everybody. Pick your poison, whether it’s Chet Baker, Tahaad Pettiford, Denver Jones, etc. So the fact that he’s playing with better players and he’s not the focal point of every scouting report is helping him.”
Auburn is ready to take on the stacked SEC conference
The Tigers have already put together an elite nonconference resume, which could pay dividends in March. Auburn has three wins over teams ranked in the top twelve, including a miracle comeback win over then-No. 5 Iowa State. That victory continues to age well, as the Cyclones are the current No. 3 team in the nation. The Tigers have one more difficult nonconference game against Purdue on December 21 before starting their SEC schedule. The conference is absolutely stacked this year.
The SEC currently has a staggering nine teams ranked in the top 25 and five in the top ten. That includes the No. 1 and No. 2 programs in Tennessee and Auburn. The conference showcased its dominance in this year’s ACC-SEC challenge. The SEC was not challenged in most of these affairs, winning 14 of the 16 matchups. Auburn was actually one of those two teams to lose in a close-knit affair at No. 9 Duke. The Tigers have rebounded well from the defeat, dominating their next two games by more than 30 points.
Overall, Auburn’s depth and versatility in 2024 is what makes this Bruce Pearl’s best team since he started coaching at the school. The Tigers have seven players averaging eight or more points per game. While John Broome has had a better season than anyone else in the country through ten games, this squad is far from solely reliant on him. Players like Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly have consistently stepped up when called upon. This program is dangerous, experienced, and hungry for its first national title ever.
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