Bruce Pearl on Auburn after loss to UCF: 'Set the game of basketball back a few years'

The Auburn Tigers are trying to work in a bunch of new players this season after losing their top 6 scorers from last year.

Also, 5-star freshman Sharife Cooper has yet to suit up for the Tigers, and that has been difficult to overcome.

On Monday night, the Tigers shot horribly in a 63-55 loss to UCF, making just 8 of their 22 free-throw attempts. After the game, coach Bruce Pearl was understandably not too happy.

Here’s what he had to say about the ugly performance:

Bruce Pearl: "Well, that was ugly. Set the game of basketball back a few years."

— Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) December 1, 2020

Bruce Pearl: "You can't explain 8-of-22 form the foul line other than — it sort of fit in with everything else we did. We played much better in Fort Myers than we did tonight."

— Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) December 1, 2020

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl: "The kids have worked hard. It's not their fault that we're not very good right now. … We have so much growing up to do. We're making so many mistakes out there because they're young and doing this for the first time."

— Josh Vitale (@JoshVitale) December 1, 2020

He did take blame for the team’s struggles, though:

Bruce Pearl: "The kids have worked hard. It's not their fault we're not very good right now. It's my fault we're not very good right now."

— Nathan King (@byNathanKing) December 1, 2020

Auburn’s next game is against South Alabama. Can the Tigers get it together in time to win that contest?