Everything Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl Said After Beating Vanderbilt

No. 1 Auburn bounced back from its second loss of the season and did its part to ensure Saturday’s Iron Bowl wouldn’t be lessened.

The Tigers (22-2, 10-1 SEC) held off an upset attempt by Vanderbilt (17-7, 5-6 SEC) winning 80-68 to setup an epic matchup against No. 2 Alabama on Saturday.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl acknowledged how tough the Commodores were at Memorial Gymnasium and had lots of praise for Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington in his post-game press conference.

Here’s what Pearl had to say after the Tigers’ 12-point win:

Bruce Pearl Opening Statement:

“That was a really good win against a really good basketball team. Mark's done a tremendous job. I enjoyed our preparation, enjoyed watching his team play the way they've played, the way they've competed. Out of respect for Vanderbilt and their coaching staff and the way they do things, you could tell that we were ready. You could tell that this game had all of our focus and we got off to a great start. We stopped guarding a little bit there in the first half, and that was an issue.

Our identity, and one of the things that got us off to such a good start I think this year, was we really started to take pride in how we would guard and get stops, turn people over. It's a long season. It's a grind, and I think that we've lost a little bit of that edge. We’ve got to try to get that edge back.”

Can you describe that stretch where Cheney goes on a 9-0 run with the Auburn fans in attendance being loud?

“Well, you know, the Auburn family obviously travels. Nashville has been pretty good to us the last several years. We rewarded them. Mike Burgermaster did a great job, just kept going to the well, kept feeding the hot hand in there, took advantage of that matchup. Steven Pearl had the scout, did a phenomenal job preparing on short prep because we just got done in Florida on Saturday and didn’t have much time to get ready.”

Coach, before the start of last year, you mentioned that you thought Cheney Johnson was a guy coming out of D2 that could develop into one of the better players in this league. How close do you think he is to that point now?

“Yeah, I mean, again, Cheney is our hardest worker. You watch film last year, Cheney, and you see some moments, but you don’t even recognize him because he’s twice the man he was. He and coach Damon Davis, our strength coach, put the work in. Our nutritionist, Emily, helped with his body. He is one of the best athletes in this league. He’s powerful, quick, explosive, and has a really good touch. He can shoot it from the perimeter. I'm telling you, Cheney can really shoot it. I’ve got to do a better job of getting him some looks on the outside, which will help open up his game even more.”

You had Chris starting tonight in place of Chad. Was that more of a matchup thing, or was it really about Chad’s injury?

“Chad is just flat-out banged up and has been limited in practice because of not being able to get reps. He gets bounced around pretty good out there, all of 180 lbs., so it just made sense. I’m glad he was able to go. He played great defense in the second half and passed the ball really well too. We just have to get him some rest and get him healthy.”

Was the loss to Florida last Saturday something that could end up being good for you all?

“Honestly, I don’t think it had any effect. I thought Florida beat us. I thought Florida was better. I thought their guard was the best guard on the floor. I thought their front line was more active, bouncier. I thought Florida was better. We may see them again down the road, but that’s a Final Four team. I don’t think it was like, ‘Well, I’m glad we got that loss out of the way now.’ Have you seen our schedule? Believe me, you wouldn’t have been shocked if we lost tonight, would you? No, it’s a good team, and the season is a grind. It’s about taking it one game at a time. So far, this team has done a pretty good job of taking it one at a time, and we’ve learned a lot from our wins. Florida beat us because they were better.”

You said Saturday after the game that you weren’t worried about Denver [Jones] at all. How much did you enjoy seeing him bounce back so quickly?

“I just loved it for Denver. I loved it for him because he gives up so much of himself defensively, and that was important. Stephen Pearl and Denver had some time together this week, and Stephen said, ‘Look, you are a scorer that we have playing point guard.’ He said, ‘Go score, score. That’s what you do. You don’t have to be a great passer, just a solid passer, but score the ball,’ and he did.”

Bruce, you talk about the job Mark has done at Vanderbilt. How impressive do you think it’s been, given that he had to rebuild the whole roster in his first year and he’s coming into this league now?

“Yeah, I mean, it’s an unbelievable league. He’s in the upper half of our coaches as far as what kind of coach he is. Offensively, he’s got a great mind. I also think he’s hired a really good staff. I think they’re committed. They’re committed in the NIL space, and to go out there and get that roster—if you’re not committed in that area, you’re not going to survive in this league. I think what Mark’s done, his staff has done, and the commitment that Vanderbilt has made to men’s basketball and Mark in this program—you’re seeing the results. It’s worth it to invest in your players like that. Beat Kentucky and beat Tennessee—how big was that?”

How much did you see your guys respond and take responsibility for defense and rebounding in the final eight minutes?

“I’ll look at it on tape. I thought we got some stops. I thought they did a good job of communicating. Don’t forget, one of the toughest things about being on both ends, if you ever want to know the truth, is the second half where we can’t help our defense. Mark’s got his offense in front of him, and they’ve got some real advantages. They took advantage of the under-basket bounds play and got us a couple of times. So, the fact that we were able to guard him away from our bench was good.”