Auburn Daily

Bruce Pearl Sums Up Performance vs. Creighton: 'We Played Auburn Basketball'

Bruce Pearl was pleased with the effort he saw from the No. 1 seeded Auburn Tigers in their 82-70 win over Creighton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Scott Kennedy

Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl had some choice words for the officials, but he was pleased with his team's effort vs. Creighton.
Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl had some choice words for the officials, but he was pleased with his team's effort vs. Creighton. / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
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The Auburn Tigers took care of business 82-70 against a hot-shooting Creighton Bluejays in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday evening in Lexington, Ky.

The Tigers advance to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta and will take on the No. 5 seeded Michigan Wolverines. Head coach Bruce Pearl wasn't entirely pleased with how his team played against Alabama State in the first round on Thursday, going as far to say they played better in their first-round loss to Yale in 2024.

However, he liked what he saw against Creighton as the Tigers dominated the glass with a +10 rebound advantage, played much better defense in the second half, and improved their free throw shooting.

"We played Auburn basketball," said Pearl after the game. "We played like the number 1 team in the country. We acted like the number 1 team in the country. We prepared like the number 1 team in the country."

Pearl used Thursday's mediocre effort against Alabama State as motivation for a dangerous Creighton squad, and it paid off.

"We talked a little bit about game one and not giving the kind of effort and energy that was required and, you know, not really trusting one another, sharing it, and the sacrifices that need to be made. Tonight we put all that behind us and the guys did a phenomenal job on both ends of the floor," said Pearl.

The Bluejays gave Auburn fits in the first half, making nine 3-point shots, but they finished just 12 of 27 from behind the arc. It was a team effort to defend the perimeter more effectively, but Pearl singled out guard Denver Jones who is a semi-finalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.

"This guy sitting right there in the middle," Pearl pointed to the players sitting beside him. "Denver Jones, I've been telling everybody he is one of the best defensive guards in all of college basketball and he proved it tonight with the effort and energy that he put forth and obviously making it really hard for their best player to get any kind of open looks."

Guard Jamiya Neal set a Creighton record for the most points a player scored in his Bluejays' NCAA Tournament debut on Thursday with 29. He did that on 69% shooting from the floor. On Saturday against Auburn, he was held to just 13 points on 5-13 shooting.

Jones and the Tigers will have their hands full again on Friday against the Wolverines. Michigan guard Roddy Gayle went for 26 off the bench against Texas A&M to advance to the Sweet 16, and they've won five games in a row including the win over the Aggies, Purdue, Maryland, and Wisconsin.

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Scott Kennedy
SCOTT KENNEDY