The Auburn Tigers earned a big road win over the Texas Longhorns on Tuesday night, holding on for a 87-82 victory to get to 2-0 in SEC play and continue their push towards the No. 1 ranking.
While a conference victory on the road against a good team was important on its own, it was also a very special victory for Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl. It was his 214th win at Auburn since being hired a decade ago in 2014, a number that gives him the record for most wins in the history over the program and passes a record set by Joel Eaves which stood since his departure in 1963.
In a video shared to Auburn’s social media pages, Pearl was showed a video compilation of former and current players like Walker Kessler and numerous others, Auburn greats like Charles Barkley, and coaching legends from around the country including Kelvin Sampson and Tom Izzo all congratulating him on the momentum achievement.
Cherish the moment 🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/b3aZXA1fLG
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) January 8, 2025
For all his victories with the Tigers program, Pearl might just have his best team yet this season. Auburn has dominated at the start of the season en route to a 14-1 record and will likely claim the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll next week after Tennessee’s loss to Florida.
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Pearl has done it all already on The Plains including SEC titles both regular season and tournament and even a Final Four appearance, but has yet to capture the elusive national championship.
This season might just be his best shot.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.