Bruce Pearl hails Tahaad Pettiford as the "best freshman in the country" after 87-58 victory over Monmouth

Bruce Pearl has a strong eye for talent, as shown by his overall success coaching the Auburn men's basketball team. He also gave praise to Tahaad Pettiford for his performances as a freshman.

In the Tigers' 87-59 win over the Monmouth Hawks on Monday, Pettiford put up nine points, five assists, a rebound and a steal in 26 minutes off the bench. Pearl gave the freshman praise for how he has played, averaging 11.2 points and 3.1 assists this season.

“He’s done a good job. He wants to compete. Tahaad wants to be coached. He wants to get better. He asks questions,” Bruce Pearl said.

“He is, I’d say, based on preseason expectations? He’s the best freshman in the country, based on preseason expectations. Let’s just say he was, what, 25th? He’s not the 25th-best freshman in the country.”

How Bruce Pearl, Auburn fared against Monmouth

Monday saw No. 2 Auburn dominate both sides of the ball in an 87-58 blowout victory over the Monmouth Hawks.

They utilized a balanced attack, seeing four players score in double-digits. Johni Broome had the most points with 14 as well as 11 rebounds and four assists, while Chad Baker-Mazara put up 13 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Dylan Cardwell and Chaney Johnson followed suit as they provided 12 points each.

Auburn shot 44% from the field and 27% from beyond the arc as a team; on the other side, Monmouth were successful on less than 40% of their shot attempts. The Tigers overwhelmed them on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 43-22.

The win improved the Tigers to 12-1 on the season. They are putting up 88.3 points on 50.8% shooting from the field and 37.1% from downtown, dominating their opponents by a winning margin of 23.5 points per game. On defense, they hold teams to 64.8 points on shooting splits of 38.8% overall and 32% from three.

Bruce Pearl and No. 2 Auburn await their first matchup of 2025, hosting the Missouri Tigers at the Neville Arena on Jan. 4 at 4 p.m. ET.