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Bruce Pearl’s text message to Zep Jasper inspired big offensive night
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers improved to 15-0 at Auburn Arena this season by taking down Ole Miss 77-64 on Wednesday night.
Zep Jasper, who is one of the best perimeter defenders in the country, also had a big offensive night vs. the Rebels, scoring a season-high 15 points in the win.
So, what inspired that offensive outburst? Pearl sent the talented point guard a text message (via Rivals.com):
“He’s so confident defensively, I just wanted him to know that I believed in him offensively,” said Pearl. “I think we would be better for it. And we were. And, look, Zep made the shots. Zep made the plays.”
Jasper said the message from his coach helped his mindset entering Wednesday’s game:
“(Pearl) thinks I should be more aggressive and be looking for my shot and try to open it up for other guys, because they kind of key on other guys,” said Jasper. “They don’t key on me to look to take a shot, so I think that him texting me, that was a key aspect in tonight’s game.”
Auburn improved to 25-3 overall and 13-2 in SEC play with the win. The Tigers head to Tennessee for a huge game this weekend. A win would all but lock up the regular-season SEC title for Auburn.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
