AUBURN, Ala. –With two crucial night games in the next four days at Neville Arena, head coach Steven Pearl is asking Auburn fans to do what they do best.
“Our fans have been unbelievable all year, our students have been unbelievable all year,” Pearl said Friday on the eve of Auburn’s home game against Ole Miss. “It would be incredibly appreciated if that place was full in both games, as it has all year. We understand the importance of both games, especially this one on Saturday.
“Our guys feed off the energy and the environment. It helps them perform and it was a big reason why we were able to beat Kentucky last Saturday. I would encourage all our fans, as they’ve done all year, to continue to show up, be loud and give our guys the juice they need to beat a really good Ole Miss team.”
The Rebels have struggled, bringing a 10-game losing streak to the Plains.
“They’re in every single game,” said Pearl, noting that Ole Miss has won road games at Georgia and Mississippi State. “They’ve won in two environments that we weren’t able to this year. They’re very capable.”
After Auburn lost Tuesday at Oklahoma, the Tigers had what Pearl called a “very spirited film session,” resulting in what he said was one of Auburn’s best practices of the year.
“To have hope with a team like this, after everything we’ve been through, is huge. That’s all you can ask for at this point,” said Kevin Overton, who had 26 points and seven rebounds while playing all 40 minutes against the Sooners. “It’s not about talking about it. It’s about literally giving your all to the job that needs to be done. We’ve let a lot of opportunities slip and we can’t allow that to happen anymore.”
Pearl showed the Tigers how Auburn defended Ole Miss in the Tigers’ 78-66 road victory Jan. 20 in Oxford.
“We were connected, we were playing with a purpose, we were flying around and we were playing desperate,” he said. “For us to beat anyone in this league, that’s how we have to play for 40 minutes. I thought we did that against Kentucky.
“You can’t beat anyone in our league if you don’t play with great effort and energy. It was good for them to see, and they practiced that way yesterday.”
Seeking an 11th consecutive series win over the Rebels, Auburn (15-13, 6-9) hosts Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network, where Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will call the action for listeners.
“Everyone understands the urgency that’s needed over these next two weeks,” said Pearl, noting that Auburn is one of 42 teams in contention for 37 at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. “Take advantage of it. We’ve put ourselves in position to be in position. We’ve got to go win some games now. That’s on us as a coaching staff and as a team to perform and finish this thing off the right way.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer