What a difference a year has made for the Auburn Tigers men’s basketball team and head coach Bruce Pearl. His team posted their worst record under his leadership since the 2015-16 season when the team posted an 11-20 record.
Fast forward to the 2021-22 campaign and you have one of the best teams in the country. They swept their rivals, Alabama as well as beat Kentucky during their long winning steak. Not to mention Auburn reached No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time in school history.
The players deserve a large bit of the credit but head coach Bruce Pearl has them in contention for the SEC crown and a whole lot more. Auburn is looking for a return to the Final Four, as they achieved under Pearl in 2019. He also could post his best season ever as a head coach. While with the Tennessee Vols, Pearl was 31-5 during the 2007-08 season. That year they made it to the Sweet 16.
Looking at the contenders for the SEC Coach of the Year, ESPN listed Pearl at the head of the class. Kentucky’s John Calipari is also in the running. Both have led massive turnarounds.
What ESPN Says…
Sure, Pearl’s team had potential entering the season. He had transfers Walker Kessler and Wendell Green Jr. He had Jabari Smith, a five-star recruit and an NBA prospect. The players were there for a strong season. But Pearl’s squad would have to navigate an SEC landscape that included Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky — four teams that seemed equipped to pass the Tigers in the league’s race.
Pearl has exceeded expectations. His team started the week in first place in the SEC standings. (It owns a win over second-place Kentucky in their only meeting of the regular season.) Auburn also is a top seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, after enjoying a stretch as the No. 1 team in America. And Pearl might be the front-runner for national Coach of the Year.
Last season under Pearl, the Auburn Tigers finished 13-14 and 7-11 in conference play. They were No. 10 in SEC standings when it was all said and done. Their offensive rating was No. 129 and their defensive rating was No. 253. It all changed in the 2021-22 season for Pearl and company.
After winning just 13 games a season ago, the Tigers rattled off 19-straight wins before an overtime loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks. Of their two losses on the year, both came in overtime. Teams need an extra session to beat Auburn this season. Even more remarkable is the change in their ratings.
This year, Auburn is No. 43 in offensive ratings and No. 26 in defensive ratings. They can thank the additions of Walker Kessler from North Carolina, Wendell Green Jr from Eastern Kentucky, KD Johnson from Georgia, and 2021 signee Jabari Smith for the change.
Pearl has put it all together this year and is in line for the SEC Coach of the Year award along with national recognition. Auburn welcomes Vanderbilt to The Jungle on Wednesday night.