Steven Pearl Talks Auburn’s NIT Run: ‘I’m glad we did it’

Last year, the Auburn Tigers, in Steven Pearl’s first year at the helm, missed out on the NCAA Tournament after a difficult season marred by several close losses, but they were awarded something of a consolation prize in an NIT berth.

The Tigers ended up winning the tournament on the back of a Kevin Overton Most Outstanding Player run, though several Tiger fans were clear in their frustration with the program for accepting the bid in the first place.

This frustration largely stems from the juxtaposition of the Tigers’ past two seasons–in 2024, Bruce Pearl’s final season as the head coach of the program, the Tigers made a push all the way to the Final Four. This taste was still fresh in Tiger fans’ mouths as they watched their team fall all the way to the NIT the following season, which led to many outspoken fans sharing beliefs that the Tigers should not have accepted the bid.

Auburn head coach Steven Pearl, however, is glad the Tigers made the decision to take the NIT bid for a number of reasons, which he shared with the press during SEC Media Days this week.

“For me personally, it was great to have five additional reps to be able to compete and coach and be in difficult situations and have to motivate and rally a team when they really don't want to be there in that moment,” he said. “I'm not trying to be selfish, but it was incredibly valuable for me as a first-year head coach to be able to have those reps... I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm glad we did it.”

The younger Pearl was thrust into the role of head coach just weeks before the season started last year, which resulted in a massive learning curve that was felt all throughout the Plains. Picking up a tournament win, even if it was just the NIT, was a big step for Pearl as he set the stage for the rest of his career on the Plains.

Coaching experience was far from the sole motivator or benefit for the Tigers, though; Pearl mentioned that he thinks the NIT was a large reason the Tigers kept both NIT MOP Kevin Overton and Tahaad Pettiford amidst a transfer-heavy offseason.

“Being able to retain the two guys that came with me, Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton, was instrumental,” he said. “If people want to question why we played in the NIT, I think that was a great reason right there. Being able to keep those two guys, I think, allowed them to feel good and to be able to trust the things that we were doing at Auburn.”

Frankly, it’s hard to argue with Pearl’s assessment, especially if the tournament ended up being the difference between keeping and losing two of the SEC’s best guards. Pearl built his roster around the pair this season, so now, all that remains to be seen is what he will be able to do with the fruits of last season’s labor.

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