Auburn’s historic run to Minneapolis may represent Bruce Pearl’s first career trip to the Final Four but that doesn’t mean the Tigers coach doesn’t have experience delivering on championship aspirations.

During his most recent media availability leading up to Auburn’s Final Four appearance against Virginia, Pearl was asked to describe the experience of advancing to his first ever Final Four.

While that is an accurate statement, Pearl was quick to point out he’s led two teams to national championship appearances, including one win.

“One of the things that I’ve been doing in answering that question is reminding that, while this may be my first Final Four and the Big Dance, in 1994 we lost in a National Championship Game to Cal State Bakersfield, and then in ’95 we won the National Championship against Cal State Riverside. So this is actually the third time I’ve been there,” Peal said on Friday.

“The only reason I say that is not to correct you, but to give credit to the Division II programs and the other championships. There is no bigger stage, and I’m just excited for my players because they — I mean, they’re walking around with their jaw dropped the whole time. Every time you turn the corner, you see another sign or another picture or another — you know, they just can’t — they’ve got to be pinching themselves, and I think so is this 59-year-old guy.”

Pearl was then asked how he planned to use his previous championship game experience to help his players as they enter their first national semifinal appearance.

“I’m sure my players know the history. I’ve not talked to them at all about it. What I’ve tried to do is treat this as the — as another regional, in a sense. When we were in Kansas City, it was a four-team tournament. It was North Carolina and Auburn, and it was Kentucky and Houston. The weekend before in Salt Lake, it was New Mexico State and Auburn, Northeastern and Kansas. This is another four-team tournament just like those other two.

“So we’re not trying to change anything about our routine, about our preparation. And so therefore, the fact that we maybe won it in ’95 and played for it in ’94, that wouldn’t be something I would have talked to them about weeks ago, and it’s not something I’m going to focus on now.

“One of these four teams is going to survive this weekend, and the prize is the National Championship. We’d like for it to be Auburn.”