Everything Bruce Pearl said after Auburn tossed Creighton out of March Madness

Bruce Pearl shared his thoughts after the Auburn Tigers registered an 82-70 victory over the Creighton Bluejays in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. With this win the Tigers have now booked their tickets for the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019. They featured in March Madness in the last three years but failed to go beyond the first week.

It was a hard-fought win for the Auburn Tigers as Creighton (37-35) led at the break after dropping nine three-pointers in the first half. The Tigers had to dig deep in the second half and came out all guns blazing to register a win over the ninth-seed team.

Bruce Pearl opened the post-game press conference by highlighting his team's performance:

"Very proud of my team. We played Auburn basketball. We played, acted and prepared like the No. 1 team in the country. We talked a little bit about Game 1 of not giving the effort and energy which was required.

"Not trusting one another and sharing it, and the sacrifices that needed to be made. But tonight, we put all that behind us and the guys did a phenomenal job on both ends of the floor."

The Auburn Tigers have participated in March Madness in the last three years, but this is the first time they have reached the second week since 2019. Bruce Pearl was pretty satisfied with the team's performance and believes his team will build on it:

"The first day was the first NCAA win for many of our guys. We haven't been past the first weekend since 2019. So being the No. 1 seed, we would be disappointed if we didn't do it this time. But we played a team in Creighton tonight that would be as good as the teams that we will play in Atlanta. Hopefully, this is something that we can build on."

When asked about his seniors, Peal quickly pointed out that his players haven't reached this stage, whereas Creighton has made the Sweet 16 four times out of the last five years. He shared that while experience on the roster is important, it wasn't the sole factor that guided Auburn to victory.

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament Second Round-Creighton at Auburn - Source: Imagn

Creighton made nine threes in the first half but Auburn restricted them in the second half as they finished the game with only 12 triples. Bruce Pearl credited his bigs for working hard and felt fatigue was a factor.

"We really worked hard at getting our bigs up to the level. In the first half our bigs were playing too far back from their men and weren't able to get out there and impact those ball screens and keep Creighton on the perimeter," Pearl reasoned.

"I would say fatigue could have been a factor in the sense that the way we guard it made them work very hard to get looks. It does take its toll a little bit."

Bruce Pearl explained that his halftime talk was easy as he felt that Auburn was well placed at the break despite Creighton playing exceptional basketball. He highlighted how his team was dominant in the second half and made some crucial offensive boards to turn the tide in their favor.

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Bruce Pearl requests the release of American hostage Edan Alexander from Gaza

Known for his outspoken nature, Bruce Pearl started the post-game press conference with a heartfelt plea. He requested the release of Edan Alexander, who is considered the last living American held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.

According to reports, Alexander is among the 59 hostages held by Hamas. out of which most of them are dead. However, Edan's father, Adi Alexander places his trust in US President Donald Trump and believes that he can help his son return home. Edan is a 21-year-old soldier of Israeli descent, who grew up in America.

"I get asked a lot, how this basketball program has become so competitive over the last eight years," Pearl began. "But for me, I believe it was God's plan to give us success, success beyond what we deserve.

"To give us this platform, to give us this opportunity to start this conference briefly and remind the world that Edan Alexander is still held hostage in Gaza right now. An American held hostage and not enough people in this country know his name."

Bruce Pearl's top-seed Auburn Tigers will lock horns against the fifth-seed Michigan Wolverines in the Sweet 16 round of March Madness on Friday at State Farm Arena, Atlanta.