Auburn coach Bruce Pearl did not mince words following his Tigers' 79-68 loss to rival Alabama on Tuesday night.
"That's about as bad as we've played this year," Pearl said. "I told the players we've got to be accountable. It starts with me. I did not have a very good game tonight."
While many of the team's recurring issues, such as a lack of rebounding or size, Pearl pointed to the defensive end of the court as the main problem.
"We couldn't stop them," Pearl said. "They drove right around us. They posted us up. They killed us on the boards."
Shooting guard Antoine Mason, who scored 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, echoed his coaches concerns.
"It's not about the offense, it's our defense," Mason said. "Our defense, we didn't stop anybody in the second half."
While Pearl and Mason both said defensive struggles ultimately sank the Tigers, the Tigers also suffered from a lack of team contributions, as KT Harrell, Mason and Cinmeon Bowers scored all but nine of Auburn's points on the night.
"I only had three guys that could score," Pearl said. "They had all but nine of our points and that's just an example of our roster, our limitations and our lack of depth. It's the things we've struggled with all year."
Pearl said the loss to Alabama will weigh heavy on him until his next shot at the Crimson Tide next season.
"I think if you're going to be successful anywhere, you have to beat your rival," Pearl said. "I couldn't beat them this year. I think that's a negative mark on this team and this program as we try to rebuild."
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