Following Auburn’s heartbreaking 63-62 loss to Virginia in the Final Four, Bruce Pearl spoke to the media.

The Q&A below is from ASAP Sports’ transcription of his post-game presser.

THE MODERATOR: We’re joined now by Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl and student-athletes Jared Harper and Bryce Brown. We’ll ask Coach Pearl to give us a couple of opening thoughts and then take questions for the student-athletes.

BRUCE PEARL: I want to congratulate Virginia on a great victory and advancing to the championship game. We knew we were playing against a great team with a great defensive scheme, made it very difficult for us, but we’ve got incredible character and heart and belief. These guys have overcome adversity all year long. They’ve been doubted all year long. We’re just disappointed that we’re not going to get a chance to work tonight and tomorrow and have a chance to play for a championship.

I’m very, very proud of these two guys right here, who are — I don’t know whether the best backcourt in the country. That doesn’t matter. But I wouldn’t trade either one of them for any backcourt in the country.

Q. Coach, this is obviously a heartbreaking loss for your program. What words did you tell your guys following a loss like this and efforts to kind of lift their spirits?
BRUCE PEARL: I asked them, would we have trusted God any more in victory than we would trust Him in defeat, in the sense that He carried us all the way here all season long and put so much blessing upon us.

So this is what the plan was, and let’s handle the defeat like with dignity and with class. Let’s give the opponent credit. Virginia shot 56, 57 percent the second half. Offensively, they played really well and scored and knocked down shots, and as a result, they’re still playing.

Q. Bruce, did you see Ty Jerome and the double dribble? Did you think in that moment that it was a missed call?
BRUCE PEARL: We were in a situation late where we had some fouls to give, and I knew there was a disruption there. You’ve just got to get on to the next play.

Q. Tony was just out talking about after last year, how he made Ty and Kyle come up and face the media after their loss. Is this something you talked with Jared and the other guys that are coming back, where this is something we can build on? We have a lot of talent still in the locker room, and you have a program that can continue to compete next year and into the future?
BRUCE PEARL: Yeah, I think that for us, I thought that we looked like we belonged. We were — we weren’t supposed to be here. We weren’t supposed to have a chance to win — or maybe had a chance to win, but unlikely.

Just like we have done all year long, even when we got down, there was still time on the clock, and there were points to be scored, rebounds to be had, and I thought our kids made a lot of plays, a lot of plays to be able to win the game.

So this will be a memorable game, and I’d like it to be remembered for a great game. Let’s not remember this game because of just how it ended. Let’s remember two teams that played really hard that only had 13 turnovers combined, didn’t shoot it very well because there was great defense. It had nothing to do with the sight lines or the rims. We missed a lot of threes. We missed some open shots, but we played against a great defense. It was a great college basketball game.

Q. Bruce, despite what you said, I have to ask you, what was your view of the last call, and what did you tell Samir in the locker room afterward?
BRUCE PEARL: We didn’t focus on that. We focused on how we were going to handle the defeat at Auburn, with class and dignity. There are lots of calls during the game, and you’re going to get some, and some you’re not going to get.

My advice, as an administrator of the game, is if that’s a foul, call it. Call it at the beginning of the game, call it in the middle of the game, call it at the end of the game. Don’t call it any more or less at any other time during the game. That was the call.

But it won’t — it can’t define — don’t let it define the game because then you’re taking away from Ty Jerome or you’re taking away from Anfernee McLemore with 12 rebounds, or Bryce Brown almost leading Auburn back to an incredible come-from-behind victory. I’d love that to be the story.