Bruce Pearl 'so disappointed' for Lior Berman: 'He's of the highest character'

AUBURN -- Bruce Pearl began his Monday press conference prior to No. 13 Auburn's trip to Missouri on Tuesday talking about graduate student Lior Berman. Berman suffered a season-ending injury against Mississippi State. Berman suffered a complete tear of the ACL in his left knee during the second half. Berman will not return this season. Berman started his career as a walk-on prior to the 2019-20 season, later earning a scholarship prior to this season. His injury hit Pearl and the team hard. Teammates Jaylin Williams and KD Johnson both shared posts on X in recognition of Berman, with Johnson actually saying the rest of the season would be played in honor of Berman. "I want to visit a little bit about Lior Berman," Pearl started. "He’s meant a lot to our program over the last five years both on and off the court. I’m so disappointed for Lior. He had worked his way into a really good spot in the regular rotation and we had such great confidence in Lior. He’s a great example of when you don’t always get what you deserve, stay with it. We probably should have been playing him more sooner almost every year he’s been in the program... More from Pearl on Berman inside...