Everything Bruce Pearl, Auburn’s players said after rivalry win over Alabama
The No. 11 Auburn Tigers are finding their stride again and are feeling as hot as any team in the nation. They picked up a huge rivalry win on Wednesday night, defeating No. 16 Alabama, 99-81, in round two of the Iron Bowl. Now, they find themselves in a four-way tie for first place in the SEC.
After the game got off to a back-and-forth start, Auburn took firm control of the game heading into halftime, grasping a 14-point lead. With some halftime adjustments, the Tigers’ defense flustered the Crimson Tide and helped them hold onto that lead and expand it to win by 18.
Auburn’s inside game was a key factor like it has been all season. The front court, led by both Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams, had electric nights, scoring 24 and 26 points, respectively.
Head coach Bruce Pearl was highly impressed with how his team handled the game plan. He spoke on this along with Broome and Williams, and they had to say this.
Pearl's opening statement...
“Alabama, they have a great team. Really, really hard preparation. Our coaching staff in preparation had more discussions and debates about, ‘if we do this, they’ll do that’ and ‘if we cover it this way, then they’ll do that.’ That’s what makes them so good offensively and such a dangerous team. We had the advantage on the inside, obviously, with Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome. We got that going. We were able to handle any of their perimeter pressure and get the ball into a situation where we could get tight catches. Then, they obviously just fouled us which we took advantage of. Again, defensively I thought the kids did a phenomenal job with a very difficult scout and I thought our coaches did an outstanding job in the preparation. I felt like going into this game, it was clearly the biggest regular-season game we’ve had this year. If Alabama gets this one, they’re two games up on us and we’re probably not in the championship race – and we’d like to still be in it. We’ve put ourselves into a position where at least we’re still in it. Crowd was amazing. The environment was tremendous. ESPN goes to a lot of great buildings, a lot of sellout crowds, but this place (Neville Arena) is different.”
On Jaylin Williams scoring a career-high 26 points...
“Well, he is great with his back to the basket. Both he and Johni are able to score over the right shoulder with that left hand. No special scouting report on it, they just can. I thought we ran good action to get them those close touches. They were both able to score through contact. They’re both very unique, because we were able to switch and guard Alabama’s guards with our big and then our guards did a decent enough job of not getting overwhelmed by their athletes when we switched out. We only turned the ball over five times, too, and got the ball where we wanted to get it, which was really, really important.”
On Williams' growing confidence...
“The road trip to Mississippi State and Alabama, Jaylin (Williams) didn’t play very well. He recognizes that he’s one of our best players and one of the better players in league, so if we’re going to win, he has to be able to deliver. I think he really has. He’s kept his focus. Both Johni and J-Will have that inside-out dimension offensively and defensively. They can guard inside, they can guard the perimeter, they can score inside, they can score on the perimeter, and they’re good passers. At the beginning of the year, I did talk about the fact I thought we had a pretty good front line. Probably if you look me up, I said I think we have one of the better front lines in our league. I think Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome could get some discussions about front lines in the country right now.”
Broome on the difference in the team's defense in this game versus the first Alabama game...
“I’d just say the 3-pointers. They (Alabama) made nine threes. The goal was to keep them under eight, but at their place, they had 11-or-12. It was definitely a difference maker. We forced them to drive, and run them off the 3-point line, because that is what they love to do.”
On expanding his game to the perimeter...
“Just working out with guys like Aden (Holloway), Tre (Donaldson), K.D. (Johnson) and Denver (Jones). Guys that can shoot well and building confidence (in my perimeter game). I may win against them once, but it is all fun and games. I missed three today, but they all felt good. My teammates and coaches don’t mind me shooting them, because they’re confident in me like I am with myself, and that is a good thing.”
Williams on scoring a career-high 26 points on the Alabama defense...
“I knew going into the game they were going to play smaller, so I knew I had to be patient and be more aggressive inside.”
On Tre Donaldson's point guard play...
“Tre is a very patient guard. He is not going to try to do too much. If he sees something, he is going to try to get to the spot and if you try to overplay him, he is going to get more aggressive. He is always trying to make sure everyone is in the right spots and running the right plays. It is the little things that matter the most.”
