Bruce Pearl on Auburn players: ‘My confidence in them jumped’

No. 16 Auburn took down Ole Miss 91-77 on the road on Saturday thanks to a 56-point scoring barrage in the second half from the Tigers.

Auburn has now won 13 of its last 15 games, but Saturday’s outcome was in doubt for a time after they gave up 44 points in the first half, trailing by as many as 13 points. Head coach Bruce Pearl revealed his halftime message to his squad, and how that willed them to outscore the Rebels by 23 points in the second half.

“I told our guys at halftime, Ole Miss played great. I don’t know if they can play that way again, and it’s just nine [points],” Pearl said of Auburn’s 44-35 halftime deficit. “We’re right there and they believed it. We gave them 44 points and only turned them over twice, really? We aren’t going to come in here and win like that.

“I thought it was a calm locker room, business-like locker room, but more than anything else, my confidence in them jumped a notch tonight, it did. Their confidence in themselves should jump a notch.”

Pearl pointed toward fatigue playing a role in Auburn’s big second half. The Rebels primarily played seven guys with four of them logging at least 32 minutes on the floor. No one on Auburn’s roster played more than 27 minutes and 10 of the 11 players Pearl utilized on Saturday played at least 13. Auburn’s deep rotation is the key to the Tigers’ success this season, Pearl said.

Leading the way was forward Johni Broome. Flirting with a triple-double on the night, Broome scored 15 points, hauled in nine rebounds and had seven assists to go with three blocks.

“Even though he didn’t put up dominant numbers in the first half, his demeanor when Ole Miss was making shots, his play, body language, the way he was in the huddle, there was no panic,” Pearl said of his veteran big. “I think the rest of the guys fed off that. He was the difference on the inside.”

The Tigers would go on to cash in on 12 three-point baskets (12-of-24, 44.4%) and won the rebounding battle 42-26. 14 offensive rebounds helped Auburn score 44 points in the paint on the afternoon and the Tigers finished with 25 assists in what Pearl called, “pretty basketball.”

Now, Auburn must switch gears and prepare for in-state rival, No. 24 Alabama this coming Wednesday. The Crimson Tide got the better of the Tigers in Tuscaloosa two weeks ago, but this time Auburn has the benefit of hosting the game in Neville Arena.

Tip-off between two of the top teams in the SEC is scheduled for Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN2.