LEXINGTON, Kentucky — Bruce Pearl isn’t going to downplay it any longer.
No, he’s still not going to “panic” after Auburn’s 83-63 win over Alabama State to open the NCAA Tournament. But he’s willing to admit his team just doesn’t have enough juice right now.
And the Tigers have one day to figure it out before playing a potent opponent Saturday for a chance at the Sweet Sixteen.
“We’re not playing as well as we were a month ago,” Pearl told Auburn reporters after Thursday’s game. “It’s not a good time to be in that situation. Can we get it turned around and beat a really good Creighton team? Yeah, we can.”
Auburn let a 13-point lead slip in the first half against a heavily overmatched Alabama State team in Rupp Arena. An 11-2 run for the Hornets cut it down to a 2-point game. The Tigers had a nice response right before halftime, scoring 9 points in 73 seconds, and was never threatened after that.
That was Alabama State, though. Auburn’s next opponent, Creighton, will be happy to take even greater advantage of the Tigers’ issues, especially after scorching on offense in an 89-75 win over Louisville earlier in the day.
“If there’s one thing I can get my guys from this point forward to lock into right now — did we value every possession on the defensive end? Did we value any offensive end scoring through contact? Did we just rely on the whistle? And then would we finish plays?”
Johni Broome admitted, in an arena without much buzz, Alabama State was more motivated to play, and it showed.
“We respected our opponent but probably not as much as we needed to,” Broome said. “Alabama State is a good team. They came out and punched us in the mouth.”
Fifth-year senior Dylan Cardwell, who said Wednesday the Tigers needed to be “pissed off,” was not pleased with how his teammates responded, particularly in the first half.
“We have the opportunity of a lifetime in front of us, and right now, our effort and energy is not showing that we’re taking advantage of the opportunity,” Cardwell said.
It was Cardwell who brought the team together right before the second half began and delivered a speech, encouraging everyone to kick things up a notch. For a variety of reasons, Auburn played better in the second half, holding Alabama State to just 2-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The Hornets missed 10 of their first 12 shots overall to open the half, and Auburn took control. For a large portion of the second half, Alabama State had as many or more turnovers than it had made baskets.
While the Tigers were obviously adamant they need to be better, Broome and Denver Jones both refuted the idea that their performance was any sort of major concern.
“It was a good game for us to kind of grind it out with a little bit of adversity — kind of get the wrinkles out on the first game in about five or six days,” Broome said.
The Tigers said their two straight losses to end the regular season were a wake-up call, even though they came against great competition. Then they said the SEC Tournament was a good reset button. The leash continues to extend for Auburn in the month of March. The question is whether it will soon snap, or if the Tigers can reel it in.
Needless to say, Friday’s practice back at Rupp Arena will be one of the most important Auburn has had.
“Honest,” Pearl said of what his approach will be to fixing the issue in effort. “Just straight up. I’ve told you guys about it, I’ve told those guys about it. … Like, at the end of the game, are you exhausted? Do you have anything left in the tank? And we definitely had a few guys that just didn’t. That’s how the season ends, sooner than later.”
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