Bruce Pearl Satisfied with Opening Night Performance Against Vermont

The Auburn Tigers came out and put on a strong showing to start the season

Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers took their opponent seriously and the result was a dominant performance / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a dominant 94-43 win over the Vermont Catamounts, the No. 11 Auburn Tigers are 1-0 to start the new campaign.

Vermont, which has a reputation for being one of college basketball’s best mid-major programs, was an NCAA Tournament team last season and was No. 7 nationally in points allowed per game with 63.

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl believes the respect the Tigers had for their opponent allowed them to be successful in the season opener.

“I think the outcome and the margin really have everything to do with the respect that we had for Vermont,” Pearl said. “We took them very seriously, we prepared very seriously and I promise you Vermont came in with a game plan to try and win this game.”

When it came down to it, Auburn’s size and skill advantage pathed the way to its dominant victory. 

“We shot it so well, we overwhelmed them with some of our athleticism and our depth and defensively,” Pearl said. “Just our rim protection.”

Miles Kelly shined in his first game with the Tigers, leading them in scoring with 21 points and hitting seven 3-point shots. Kelly’s shooting abilities have been mentioned by Pearl and various Auburn players previously, but this was his first opportunity to put them on full display.

“He (Kelly) is an NBA caliber 3-point shooter,” Pearl said. “If he can see it he can make it. It wasn’t like we got him great shots. He was shooting it from anywhere. I thought he had one from Opelika (Ala.) one time, but he was open so he shot it.”

Chaney Johnson provided Auburn with strong depth. In 16 minutes of action off the bench, Johnson recorded 13 points and nine rebounds, leading both teams on the boards. This performance was an impactful one as depth made a difference in the way this game played out.

“Chaney (Johnson) was a monster inside, just a beast,” Pearl said. “(He) played with great physicality, played with great confidence. He’s our hardest worker. I just love seeing when our hardest workers get rewarded like that.”

The Tigers return to action on Saturday, taking on the No. 4 Houston Cougars in The Battleground 2K at Toyota Center. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. CT and ESPNU will carry the broadcast.