Published Jan 6, 2025
Pearl wants Tigers better in transition
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Bryan Matthews  •  AuburnSports
Senior Editor
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@BMattAU

AUBURN | For No. 2 Auburn to be at its best in March, Bruce Pearl knows it has to keep improving.

One of the biggest opportunities the 11th-year coach sees for the Tigers is in transition. AU is just 133rd nationally in offensive fast-break points and Missouri exploited AU for 17 fast-break points in Saturday’s SEC opener.

“When we get all five guys back, we're pretty good defensively. So, if I'm playing against us, I'm going to try to get the ball down there and score,” said Pearl.

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Auburn’s transition defense has been pretty solid for most of the season. In the five games before Missouri, AU allowed just 7.6 fast-break points per game.

But it’s been a different story against some of the best teams on the schedule. AU gave up 21 fast-break points to Iowa State, 15 to North Carolina and 16 in the loss at Duke.

Tuesday night’s opponent, Texas, should be another test. The Longhorns have averaged 16.2 fast-break points in their last five game including 16 in an 80-60 loss at Texas A&M Saturday.

“They're great in transition. They're great athletes. They're committed to it. They push it,” said Pearl.

Offensively, Auburn ranks 133rd nationally averaging 11.4 fast-break points per game. With teams having to work hard to keep AU’s bigs off the boards, there should be more opportunities for fast breaks.

“Just want to run the floor better and take advantage of our creating turnovers and just doing a good job of taking advantage of an opponent's because … very few teams are great at transition defense. So that's why I'd like to be a better transition offensive team,” said Pearl.

Tip-off at the Moody Center is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

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