Just a win away from clinching a share of the SEC regular season title, No. 1 Auburn is set to head up to Lexington, KY to take on the No. 17 Wildcats in an attempt to win the program’s first game inside of Rupp Arena since 1988.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl along with point guard Denver Jones took to the podium Friday morning prior to the Tigers trip North to preview the matchup. Below are the highlights from Pearl and Jones’ press conferences ahead of the top-20 showdown in the BlueGrass state.
Pearl's opening statement:
“I knew Ole Miss could come in here and make a bunch of shots. Yet, I said to the team ‘this might be the easiest of the next four.’ Not that I would call Ole Miss an easy win. They’re a Top 25 team and it’s not going to be easy. We got it and now ‘which one can we get next?
“Can you break the two wins and 31 losses at Rupp Arena record? Can you? Or 2-51 in Lexington, Kentucky. It’s just crazy math. Then you look at Kentucky and they average 91 points per game at home. How many less can we hold Kentucky to, to have a chance to win? They average 19 and a half assists at home, 19 and a half. They shoot 40 percent from three and make over 10 a game at home. They have some great, great pieces.”
Pearl on having a veteran squad:
“Yeah, I think it helps being older. It’s interesting there was something on social media of us being almost as old as OKC in the NBA and yet there are five or six teams in our league that are older than us which is hard to believe because Chad Baker-Mazara is 28. Just kidding.”
Pearl on historic struggles inside of Rupp Arena:
“They’ve always been great and we’ve usually been not great. That’s why it’s 2-31. I’ve brought some really good Auburn and Tennessee teams up to Rupp and not won. Their fans know the game. I’ve never not gone to a game at Kentucky where they didn’t get a good whistle. But, they’ve earned it. And I’m sorry but I feel that way.
“You put 19,000 people every single night, you have a nationally ranked team they’re gonna get a good whistle at home. They’ve earned it. Which means you have to go in there and play great.”
Pearl on Jones’ defense:
“I think that Denver — and I would say it has had a trickle-down effect on the entire team — has relished the fact that he has won his matchup and that he is a really solid, physical defender. But it's had a trickle-down effect. Dylan has always been identified by his defense, because that's what he does best. What Denver Jones has always been identified by is being a bucket-getter and a shooter and more of an offensive player. Now you add this defensive dimension.”
Pearl on Johni continuing to get healthier:
“Well, the fact that he's played with greater effort and energy and more productivity on both ends of the floor — he's shooting a better percentage, and he's finishing, and he's got just more pep in his step, means that he is getting healthier. I think, you know, Johni is one of our guys that, even though he's our best player and he's our Player of the Year, his upside is our upside. When he plays like this, we get to a different level.”
Jones on key to defending Kentucky:
“Man, honestly, just getting a lot of reps in practice guarding their plays. They run a lot of five-out offense. So just getting a lot of muscle memory guarding that. We know the three-ball is very important to them. So we just do the best we can, listen to the scouting report and hopefully lock down the offense.”
Jones on one win away from an SEC championship:
“We talk about winning a championship, but then again, we just say this is the most important game. It’s the next game. After we got done playing Ole Miss yesterday in practice, Dylan came up and was like, ‘Look, this is one of the most important games of the year right here. We win this, we’re good. Just lock in for this next game.’ And I feel like that’s the mindset that we carry over for one game at a time.”
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
