Bruce Pearl's Auburn basketball team had control of nearly the entire 40 minutes against Georgia until the closing seconds of the Tigers' 70-68 win in Athens. The Bulldogs had a chance to tie things up with 0.3 seconds on the clock after some questionable officiating but couldn't force overtime.
UGA head coach Mike White's team didn't quit. Pearl gave White credit postgame following the nail-biter.
“My hat is off to Mike White and that coaching staff,” Pearl said, per DawgNation.
“They have changed the culture of this program. They have gotten some great kids in recruiting, they have beaten me in recruiting. A lot of guys on that roster we recruited.
“Special players make special plays in special situations. When you’re playing a really good team like Georgia, every player is challenged at every position. And your best players have to be the ones to step up.
“Georgia is going to beat almost everybody that comes in here, they are, and they might beat everybody that comes in. They are a really good team, with a really good roster, and they are really deep.
“I think Georgia is really good defensively, they have big, strong physical guys that are mobile, and they work well together.
“This is one win, we are definitely getting back on that bus to head home, feeling good about."
Pearl's Tigers are now 2-0 since Johni Broome went down with an injury during a 66-63 win over South Carolina last week.
Auburn hosts Tennessee next Saturday. The Volunteers lost 76-75 to Vanderbilt in a shocker as the Tigers further solidified their No. 1 ranking in the Peach State.