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Bruce Pearl Had Big Praise For Texas A&M After Upset of No. 1 Auburn

Bruce Pearl was not shy about praising Texas A&M after his No. 1 Auburn Tigers were upset
Matt Galatzan|
Texas A&M Aggies head coach Buzz Williams, left, speaks with Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl, right, prior to the game at Reed Arena.
Texas A&M Aggies head coach Buzz Williams, left, speaks with Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl, right, prior to the game at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

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Texas A&M Aggies

The No. 22 Texas A&M Aggies pulled off a massive upset of the No. 1 Auburn Tigers on Tuesday night, ending a four-game losing streak in the process.

In fact, the Aggies didn't just win, they beat the nation's top team by double digits, leading wire-to-wire along the way.

And according to Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, it all came together because of one simple factor - Texas A&M physically dominated the Tigers from start to finish.

Texas A&M Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV, reacts during the post game celebration honoring him at Reed Arena.
Texas A&M Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV, reacts during the post game celebration honoring him at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

"They just physically dominated us," Pearl said after the game. "They physically manhandled us. If this team is going to continue to win, we're going to run up against teams like Texas A&M, Florida, or Duke that are big and physical. Earlier in the year, we beat Houston, we beat Iowa State—those teams were also pretty physical, but Texas A&M's physicality obviously dominated the game tonight."

That domination came through on the box score as well. For the game, the Aggies out rebounded Auburn 41-25, including 24 offensive rebounds of their own. They also forced the Tigers in 13 turnovers, had 18 points off of those turnovers, and had 36 points in the paint.

And according to Aggies coach Buzz Williams, that is the type of basketball they want to play, because that is when they are at their best.

"I appreciate Coach Pearl saying we dominated his team. We have to play incredibly physical," Williams said. "We have to do things that aren't in the stat sheet for us to win. Our communication and physicality have to be our foundation."

The Aggies will wrap up the regular season on the road in Baton Rouge against the LSU Tigers on Saturday at 3 pm CT.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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