The No. 2 Auburn Tigers fought off a pesky Texas Longhorn squad on Tuesday, 87-82. The win moves Auburn to 2-0 in SEC play and puts them in a prime position to earn the No. 1 spot in next week’s rankings following No. 1 Tennessee’s loss at Florida.
The win was a memorable milestone for Auburn, celebrating not only short-term achievements but also a significant moment in the team’s history. Tuesday’s victory marked the 241st under [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s leadership at Auburn, allowing him to surpass Joel Eaves and earn the title of the program’s winningest basketball coach.
Several key people were in attendance to watch Pearl’s record-setting win including athletic director John Cohen and Auburn University president Dr. Chris Roberts. Current players dumped water on him to celebrate, and former players filmed videos of themselves congratulating him on accomplishing the feat.
During his postgame press conference, Pearl discussed the impact of Eaves and other former Auburn coaches including Cliff Ellis and Sonny Smith. He also took time to share what the win meant to him.
“… I just want to reward Auburn for giving me the opportunity. That’s how I look at it. I go to work every day, and I just try to reward Auburn for giving me the chance to be their basketball coach and letting me be a part of this Auburn family,” Pearl said postgame. “I mean it from the bottom of my heart, so I’m grateful for our coaches and the players.”
Bruce Pearl now sits atop the winningest head coach list at Auburn. Here is a look at where other former coaches rank in terms of wins at Auburn:
- Bruce Pearl (2014-pres.): 214-120
- Joel Eaves (1949-63): 213-100
- Cliff Ellis (1994-2004): 186-125
- Sonny Smith (1978-89): 173-154
- Bill Lynn (1963-73): 130-124
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