The winning feeling is fleeting, and Auburn assistant coach Steven Pearl hopes his dad’s team doesn’t lose it the week after a historic Iron Bowl showdown on the hardwood.
In a podcast appearance on “The Next Round” on Tuesday, Pearl said being able to beat the Crimson Tide “with the year that they’re having was an incredible, incredible feat” for the top-ranked Tigers.
Pearl added he thought Saturday at Alabama (21-4, 10-2 SEC) might’ve been the “second-best win in all of college basketball for the entire season.”
He didn’t clarify which victory he thought was best. Considering Auburn (23-2, 11-1 SEC) lost in the SEC/ACC Challenge at No. 3 Duke and fell in Neville Arena to No. 2 Florida, you could figure that Pearl is counting on winning a national championship, but a few other wins have to come first.
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“The Alabama win means nothing if you don’t follow it up on Wednesday night against Arkansas,” Pearl continued.
Why Auburn basketball’s Steven Pearl said ‘Alabama win means nothing’
John Calipari and the Razorbacks are expected Wednesday to come into Neville Arena with the “same kind of desperation” that his Kentucky team had last February, when the Wildcats beat Auburn 70-59 on the road.
“Everybody was happy on Sunday, but then it was back to getting ready for a really good Arkansas team,” Pearl said.
Despite being a better team away from Coleman Coliseum, Alabama outran Arkansas (15-10, 4-8 SEC) by only four points in Bud Walton Arena on Feb. 8.
The No. 4 Crimson Tide looks to bounce back from the loss against Bruce Pearl’s Tigers on Wednesday at Missouri and then are back home in Tuscaloosa on Saturday against Kentucky (17-8, 6-6 SEC).
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Auburn basketball coaches said ‘Alabama win means nothing’
