In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, Bruce Pearl talks about facing Aden Holloway for the first time, and four Tigers were invited to the NFL combine
Today, the Auburn basketball team is headed to Tuscaloosa for a historic matchup between the top two teams in the country. The basketball rivalry between the Tigers and the Tide has never been more heated, and it's exacerbated by the fact that a former Auburn player now plays for Alabama.
For whatever reason, Aden Holloway did not meet his full potential as a freshman at Auburn, and by the end it was clear that things had turned sour between Holloway and the Tigers' coaching staff, at least on Holloway's end. He threw a few jabs at head coach Bruce Pearl and his staff on his way out of the Plains and committed to Nate Oats' Alabama team.
Still, Pearl had nothing but nice things to say about the kid ahead of such a big matchup.
"I think things have worked out really well for both (teams)," Pearl said, per Auburn Undercover. "Aden's playing great, his confidence is up. He's one of the most dangerous players coming off the bench in the SEC. And I'm happy for him. I'm happy he's playing with such great confidence. I'm not gonna be happy for him when he's drilling them from 35 (feet) against us. And I think things have worked out pretty well for Auburn, too. I think the guys that we brought in have helped us. So I look at it as a win-win."
The Tigers and the Tide tipoff at 3:00 p.m. from Tuscaloosa.
Four Tigers invited to NFL combine
Meanwhile, four Auburn Tigers have received invitations to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis later this month: wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, linebacker Eugene Asante, edge Jalen McLeod, and running back Jarquez Hunter.
Asante, McLeod, and Hunter all participated in the Reese's Senior Bowl earlier this month, and Asante and Hunter made big impressions on the NFL personnel in attendance. All four players will have the opportunity to raise their draft stock at the combine on February 24, two months before the NFL Draft on April 24.