What Steven Pearl Has Learned About Auburn vs Top Opponents

One of the biggest issues plaguing the Auburn Tigers against top opponents has been what they've done to themselves

Facing the top opponents are whe the Auburn head coach can learn the most | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

AUBURN, Ala.- The Auburn Tigers have had one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the entire country. The Tigers have faced four currently ranked top-10 teams, including currently first-ranked Arizona, second-ranked Michigan, and eighth-ranked Houston, with the next opponent being sixth-ranked Purdue. 

Auburn only lost to eighth-ranked Houston by one point, but lost to Arizona and Michigan by a combined margin of 59 points. Auburn has not fared well against top-ranked opponents, and it still has plenty of tough games remaining on the schedule. 

Auburn head coach Steven Pearl knew what he was getting into when he accepted the head coaching position after his father, Bruce Pearl, stepped down as head coach. But the competition against the higher-ranked opponents has not gone in favor of the Tigers thus far into the season. 

“We gotta do a better job of not having so many self-inflicted wounds in those games to keep those games more competitive, but I think those two (Michigan and Arizona) are just different beasts,” Pearl said. 

“Understanding that when we have live-ball turnovers that lead to transition, and we take bad shots, that gives their offense the confidence it needs to build those leads up.”

Across those three games against top-ranked opponents, Auburn had 31 turnovers, with almost half of those coming against the Arizona Wildcats, where they finished with 15 turnovers. The Tigers average 11.0 turnovers per game, which is tied for the 90th most in the entire country. 

Turning over the ball happens in basketball, but the turnovers for Auburn seem to always lead to points on the other end of the floor. Cleaning up the turnovers and, as Steven Pearl said, the “self-inflicted wounds” are essential if the Tigers want to make it back to its elite level. 

Auburn is set to face the sixth-ranked Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, who are elite in almost every single category. If the Tigers want to win this matchup, taking good shots and avoiding turnovers are the keys to victory for them. 

Although the season is not going as well as last season thus far, Auburn still has a solid foundation to build on. This team is entirely different from last season’s Final-Four squad, and Steven Pearl is trying to make his own legacy on the plains. A slow start is common, but getting a groove before conference play begins is nearly essential. But the Tigers can’t look to conference play yet, with another juggernaut standing before them on Saturday.