The video of Dylan Cardwell speaking following Auburn's victory in the Maui Invitational Championship went viral for many reasons, including the fact that he has become a fan favorite for Tigers fans during his stay on the Plains. The center talked about realizing that Johni Broome, currently in the running for National Player of the Year, was not an enemy when he arrived but a teammate who could help the Tigers reach their goals.

On Wednesday night, following No. 1 Auburn's rout of Ole Miss, Bruce Pearl brought up the video again while adding more information about Cardwell's journey to becoming a formidable force on the best team in college basketball.

"I think the thing from Dylan Cardwell's standpoint: He barely played as a high-school junior because he was at Oak Hill Academy playing behind Kofi Cockburn," Pearl said. "Then he transfers to McEachern to try to play with Sharife Cooper and some dear friends of his. Some athletic board in Georgia thought it was a good idea to not let the kid play because he didn't transfer the right way. That was a great decision, pal. So he doesn't play as a senior. We take him anyways -- because we saw a young man that wanted to work hard, that had been overlooked. But he had that size, he had some speed, he had some ability. He kept on chopping wood. He kept on working at his game. He's one of our hardest workers."

The two decided to return to Auburn and work together, something that took time with both on the floor at the same time.

"Last year in the spring, if Johni was going to come back, he's got to go, right?" Pearl said. "But I promised him if they both come back, I'll start you together. And we'll play you together. We worked on it all summer long. And it was not working at all. At all. Those guys, to their credit, absolutely made it work."

Now, Cardwell and Broome form one of the best frontcourts in the nation, often hooking up for lobs, or as some call it, No. 4 to No. 44. That was on display again in Auburn's victory against the Rebels.

But some things go unnoticed behind the scenes, and an example of that comes from what Pearl said Cardwell told him on Sunday, three days prior to the game.

"Dylan called me Sunday, and I saw him at church; I thought he wanted to talk about the scriptures," the coach said. "But instead, he says, 'Coach, we've got to win this game Wednesday. What do we need to do to get our guys to lock in, right?' Talk about leadership, you know."