Steven Pearl promised that his intensity would rise in practice following Auburn’s mid-week loss to Oklahoma, which put the Tigers’ NCAA Tournament hopes in jeopardy. The first-year head coach has seen his team lose its focus and ferocity in the disappointing performance against the Sooners, and for Auburn to make its fifth-straight edition of March Madness, he knew he had to do something.
His players responded.
“I was probably a little more amped up in practice yesterday just than I normally am just to try and spark some energy into us,” Pearl said. “And the good thing was I didn't have to do that. I actually fed off their energy yesterday. They were really good from the get-go, and it got me going.”
Auburn's energetic practices must translate to game
Now, the Tigers must take that energy and effort from practice to Saturday night’s matchup against Ole Miss, a must-win for Auburn to keep its tournament hopes alive. In January, Auburn went to Oxford and showed what this team could be when it is running at full focus and intensity, beating the Rebels 78-66. Pearl took highlights from that game to show his team what they need against Ole Miss, this time in Neville Arena.
“For them to see how they flew around in the Ole Miss game was important because just coming off watching the Oklahoma film, that didn't look anything like what we did in Oxford,” Pearl said. “And you can't beat anyone in our league if you don't play with great effort and energy, especially us.”
Most of all, Auburn needs to find the passion they played with in wins against Arkansas and Florida, not what they have put on the floor lately, losing five of their last six. If not, Pearl and his team can kiss all hopes of playing in the NCAA Tournament goodbye.