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. Yesterday, I listed No. 10 through 6. Today, I give you the top five wins for Auburn in the last 11 seasons.
5. No. 1 Auburn 94, No. 17 Kentucky 78 (March 1, 2025)
There was so much history going against Auburn heading into this one, including a losing streak in Rupp Arena dating back to 1988. It didn't matter as Miles Kelly took over early, finishing with nine three-pointers and 30 points as Auburn broke the dreaded curse while also wrapping up a share of the SEC regular-season title. A few hours later, Tennessee beat Alabama to give the Tigers the title outright.
4. Auburn 84, Tennessee 64 (SEC Championship: March 17, 2019)
The two teams had met just a week earlier, with the Tigers pulling out a close win in Auburn. This game would not be as close as Auburn couldn't miss from the floor, led by Bryce Brown and his 19 points. The highlight of the game came when Jared Harper passed up a wide-open layup to dish it out to Brown behind the three-point line. The guard didn't miss, and Auburn had won its first SEC Tournament since 1985.
3. No. 1 Auburn 94, No. 2 Alabama 85 (February 15, 2025)
It was an all-out war between the two rivals and best teams in the nation as College GameDay came into Tuscaloosa for the biggest matchup in the historic rivalry. Auburn took control early, but the Crimson Tide made a furious comeback in the second half before the Tigers put it out of hand. Many Auburn fans might put this as the best win in Pearl's tenure just because of the circumstances. I wouldn't blame them.
2. Auburn 70, Michigan State 64 (Elite Eight, March 30, 2025)
Auburn was the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and had a massive home-court advantage with the game being played in Atlanta. Now, the Tigers had to deliver, and deliver they did. Despite going out with a leg injury in the second half, Johni Broome returned and finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds, including making a dramatic three right after coming out of the locker room. The Tigers would ride that momentum and the 18,000 Auburn fans in State Farm Arena to its second Final Four.
1. Auburn 77, Kentucky 71 OT (Elite Eight, March 31, 2019)
No one was giving Auburn much of a chance despite the Tigers running through Kansas and North Carolina in the previous two rounds, and rightfully so. The Tigers were missing star Chuma Okeke, and the Wildcats took Auburn to the woodshed in their previous meeting.
Despite all that, the red-hot Tigers fought off an early deficit to trade punches with John Calipari's team all the way into overtime, where Jared Harper could not be defended. As a Kentucky player missed a desperation three with several seconds left, Harper got the rebound and threw it into the air as Bruce Pearl had led Auburn to its first-ever Final Four.