Bruce Pearl’s 11 biggest wins as Auburn basketball coach, from upsets to titles

AUBURN — The most impactful head coaching tenure in Auburn basketball history is over now.

On Monday, Sept. 22, Bruce Pearl announced his retirement after 11 seasons on the Plains, with his son Steven Pearl taking over.

The elder Pearl’s exit comes after plenty of winning and a lot of hardware. He became the Tigers’ winningest coach in his final season, capping a tenure that brought five SEC championships, six NCAA Tournament appearances and two Final Fours.

As it enters the rearview mirror, here’s a look back on Pearl’s tenure and his 11 biggest victories.

Auburn basketball makes SEC tournament run under Bruce Pearl

Final score: 13-seed Auburn 73, 4-seed LSU 70 (OT)
Location: Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tenn.)

The Tigers nearly ran the table in Nashville after winning just four SEC regular-season games. They beat Mississippi State, Texas A&M, and LSU before losing to 1-seed Kentucky in the tournament semifinals — and showing their earliest signs of what was to come in the Pearl era.

Bruce Pearl gets statement win with Auburn basketball’s Kentucky upset

Final score: Auburn 75, No. 14 Kentucky 70

Kareem Canty and Tyler Harris paved the way, combining for 47 points as Auburn snapped a 15-game losing streak against ranked opponents.

Auburn basketball secures first SEC regular-season title with clinching win vs. South Carolina

Final score: No. 14 Auburn 79, South Carolina 70

After Auburn was predicted to finish ninth in the SEC, its regular-season finale clinched the first of five conference championships under Pearl.

Auburn basketball takes down College of Charleston for first NCAA Tournament win under Bruce Pearl

Final score: 4-seed Auburn 62, 13-seed Charleston 58
Location: Viejas Arena (San Diego, Calif.)

Not long after winning the SEC, Auburn returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years, getting its first win under Pearl in the big dance.

Auburn basketball beats Tennessee for first SEC tournament title under Bruce Pearl

Final score: 4-seed Auburn 84, 2-seed Tennessee 64
Location: Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tenn.)

The Tigers maintained an eight-game win streak in the Music City, beating Pearl’s former employer for his first SEC Tournament title on the Plains, though it was only the beginning.

Auburn basketball bounces Kentucky in OT to cap blue blood tour en route to Final Four

Final score: 5-seed Auburn 77, 2-seed Kentucky 71 (OT)
Location: Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.)

Auburn’s win streak grew to 12 in the NCAA Tournament as it beat New Mexico State and a run of bluebloods in Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky to head to its first-ever Final Four, avenging a pair of regular-season defeats against the Wildcats in the Elite Eight.

Another Kentucky win leads to Auburn basketball’s first No. 1 ranking

Final score: No. 2 Auburn 80, No. 12 Kentucky 71

Behind Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler, the Tigers against beat Kentucky. This time, their reward beyond the victory was something new: The program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking.

Auburn basketball overcomes in-flight debacle, beats Houston

Final score: No. 11 Auburn 74, No. 4 Houston 69
Location: Toyota Center (Houston)

Arguably the program’s best season ever took flight after its plane had to turn around en route to Texas. After a skirmish shortly after takeoff, the Tigers went into enemy territory down two players and still beat a top-five foe for the first of many high-profile wins that season.

A table-run in Maui cements Auburn basketball’s standing

Final score: No. 4 Auburn 90, Memphis 76
Location: Lahaina Civic Center (Lahaina, Hawaii)

Auburn’s first Maui Invitational championship required some theatrics, needing a Johni Broome buzzer-beater to dupe then-No. 5 Iowa State. It handled then-No. 12 North Carolina before breezing by Memphis.

Bruce Pearl’s last IBOB win puts exclamation on in-state hoops

Final score: No. 1 Auburn 94, No. 2 Alabama 85
Location: Coleman Coliseum (Tuscaloosa)

Another first came in conference play, as the Tigers took down their biggest rival in a 1-vs.-2 showdown on the road, thanks largely to a 19-point, 14-rebound effort from Broome.

Auburn basketball takes down Michigan State, returns to Final Four

Final score: 1-seed Auburn 70, 2-seed Michigan State 64
Location: State Farm Arena (Atlanta)

After exiting with an injury, Broome returned against the Spartans with 5:29 to go. His day ended with 22 points, 16 rebounds and an emphatic return that pushed the Tigers over the finish line and into their second Final Four.

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Bruce Pearl’s 11 biggest wins as Auburn basketball’s coach

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