There will always be two eras of Auburn men's basketball history: before Bruce Pearl and after Bruce Pearl.
While the Tigers had limited success in the days before Pearl arrived on campus in 2014, it was nothing compared to what was to come under his guidance. Thought of winning a national title was no longer a pipe dream, and although Pearl never took Auburn to the top, he came awfully close.
His 11-year tenure included two trips to the Final Four, the program's first-ever No. 1 ranking and top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, as well as five SEC titles.
But what were the top wins during his coaching career at Auburn? There were many, including milestone moments for the Tigers, but I narrowed them down to what I deem the 10 most important victories under Pearl. Here are No. 10 to 6, with the top five coming on Wednesday.
Honorable Mention
No. 4 Auburn 83, No. 5 Iowa State 81 (November 25, 2024): Down by as many as 18 points, the Tigers made a hectic comeback that was capped by a tip-in from Johni Broome to give Auburn the win over Iowa State in the Maui Classic.
Auburn 84, No. 5 Tennessee 80 (March 9, 2019): Auburn had seemingly already clinched its way into an NCAA Tournament bid, but a massive win in then-Auburn Arena against the Vols was a sign of things to come in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.
No. 1 Auburn 53, No. 6 Tennessee 51 (January 25, 2025): College GameDay was yet again in town as the Tigers had rolled off 10 straight wins, including five to start SEC play. In a defensive battle, a Miles Kelly three from the corner gave Auburn the lead that they would not let up.
10. Auburn 97, North Carolina 80 (Sweet 16, March 29, 2019)
The Tar Heels entered the game as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest, but Pearl's squad came out firing and was relentless, building a huge lead that had North Carolina fans leaving for the exits in the second half. The only downside was the ACL injury suffered by Chuma Okeke that cost him the rest of the tournament.
9. No. 2 Auburn 80, No. 12 Kentucky 71 (January 22, 2022)
The Tigers had steadily climbed from No. 22 to start of the season all the way to No. 2, and the only thing separating them from the program's first-ever No. 1 ranking was John Calipari and the Wildcats. Walker Kessler led the Tigers with 19 points as Auburn improved to 18-1 and 7-0 in SEC play. Two days later, that No. 1 ranking was achieved.
8. No. 14 Auburn 79, South Carolina 70 (March 3, 2018)
Auburn had two previous chances to clinch an SEC regular-season title, but losses at Florida and Arkansas put all the pressure on the Tigers to take care of business against the Gamecocks. After a slow start, Bryce Brown put Auburn on his back with 29 points as Pearl brought the first of his SEC titles to the Plains.
7. No. 5 Auburn 82, South Carolina 71 (March 5, 2022)
It was the Gamecocks on the losing end again as Auburn celebrated yet another SEC title in Neville Arena. Jabari Smith finished with 21 points, while Wendell Green Jr. dished out seven assists.
6. Auburn 86, Florida 67 (SEC Championship, March 17, 2024)
The Tigers got revenge after a regular-season loss in Gainesville, routing the Gators in the SEC title game to give Pearl his second SEC Tournament championship at Auburn. Johni Broome finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in a game where the Tigers were able to pull away in the second half.