AUBURN, Ala. – Remaining atop the Associated Press poll, No. 1 Auburn looks to rebound from its first loss in more than two months when the Tigers visit Vanderbilt Tuesday night.
The Commodores are 12-1 at home with Top 10 wins over Tennessee and Kentucky. It’s a road loss – at No. 3 Florida – that first caught Bruce Pearl’s eye when he started preparing for Vanderbilt.
“All I’ve got to do is show them the Florida-Vanderbilt game, which we will,” Pearl said of last Tuesday's 86-75 Gators’ win in Nashville. “Very close game very late. They physically hung in there with the most physical team in our league.”
Memorial Gymnasium, Vanderbilt’s home for 73 years, has caused trouble for the Tigers until recently.
“We’ve won seven out of eight against Vanderbilt, and prior to that, we’d lost 13 in a row,” said Pearl, elaborating on the challenges of the Commodores’ configuration. “Vanderbilt’s been a tough place for us to play, historically.
“It would be like if we asked Coach Freeze to coach our football team from the end zone. It’s very different for the players. It’s very different for the coaches, but if Coach Freeze coached half the season from the end zone like Vanderbilt does there, he’d get used to it. Big advantage.”
With a revamped roster and first-year head coach Mark Byington, Vanderbilt rebounded quickly after finishing 4-14 in SEC play last season.
“You can’t get nine guys out of the transfer portal unless you’re committed to NIL,” Pearl said. “They’ve made a huge commitment. As a result of his coaching and Vanderbilt’s commitment, they’re able to beat anybody in the country. You couldn’t say that a year ago.”
Jason Edwards, a transfer from North Texas, leads the Commodores in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game.
“They’ve got a good team,” Pearl said. “Offensively, they’re really good. Defensively, they turn you over.”
Speaking to reporters Monday before the Tigers left for Nashville, Pearl praised All-American Johni Broome for returning two weeks after an ankle injury and leading the Tigers in scoring and rebounding while still recovering instead of putting his individual stats ahead of the team by delaying his return.
“Auburn family, not one ounce of that from Johni Broome,” said Pearl, recounting Broome’s approach. “’Tape me up, let me get out there. I’ll play as many minutes as I possibly can. I’ll play as hard as I can.’”
Seeking to improve to 6-0 in SEC road games, No. 1 Auburn (21-2, 9-1) visits Vanderbilt (17-6, 5-5) Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will provide play-by-play and analysis for listeners on the Auburn Sports Network.
“I’m 64 years old,” Pearl said. “I’ve never seen the league this good, and I’ve never seen it this physical.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer