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Bruce Pearl says Auburn wasn’t prepared for Houston’s second-half aggressiveness in loss
By Crissy Froyd
Published:
March Madness has been nothing short of entertaining since it has gotten underway, and one of the best matchups was the one between the Auburn Tigers and the Houston Cougars.
Auburn took a 10-point first-half lead over 1-seed Houston, but it was outscored 50-23 in the second half. Over the final 20 minutes, Auburn made just 4 of its 24 shots from the field.
Tigers coach Bruce Pearl said his Tigers weren’t prepared for the Cougars’ aggressiveness in the back half of the game.
“Kinda wish it was a 20-minute game instead of a 40-minute game… We got great looks in the first half. Ran whatever we wanted and played great basketball,” he said, per Justin Ferguson of The Auburn Observer. “In the second half, I don’t think our guys were prepared for how aggressive they would be.”
Auburn HC Bruce Pearl: "Kinda wish it was a 20-minute game instead of a 40-minute game… We got great looks in the first half. Ran whatever we wanted and played great basketball. In the second half, I don't think our guys were prepared for how aggressive they would be."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) March 19, 2023
Pearl added that they expected the Cougars to guard in the first half the way they did in the second half.
Auburn HC Bruce Pearl said the way Houston guarded in the second half was how it expected the Cougars to guard in the first half
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) March 19, 2023
How March Madness continues for Houston, who won the game 81-64 outright, will be something to keep watch over.
Crissy covers SEC football news for Saturday Down South.
