Bruce Pearl aiming for ‘shining moment or two’ in Birmingham
As the popularity of Auburn basketball has grown, head coach Bruce Pearl has become accustomed to seeing Auburn fans show up in droves to away games.
It has become difficult to find an affordable ticket to watch the Tigers play home games at Neville Arena, so Auburn fans have hit the road this season to take advantage of cheaper ticket prices at away venues in an effort to watch their favorite team play. The group that has been given the appreciative nickname of “the witnesses” by Pearl will be rewarded this week when Auburn begins the NCAA Tournament at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.
Because this is a great opportunity for Auburn fans to make the short drive to the Magic City, Pearl hopes to make the experience worth the fans’ time.
“For our fans and for our students, I think it’s just awesome,” Pearl said Sunday. “So hopefully we’ll get great support and see if we can have a shining moment or two.”
Not only will Auburn have an advantage in fan support by playing close to home, but the Tigers have also found success in Birmingham. Since Pearl took over the program in the 2014-15 season, Auburn has played four games in Birmingham and has won all of them.
Auburn, the No. 9 seed of the Midwest Region, will face No. 8 Iowa on Thursday at 5:45 p.m. CT on TNT.
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