The Auburn Tigers fell just short against the No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Wednesday night. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was irate following the loss and blasted the officials for their lack of calls down the stretch.
Auburn entered the game on the bubble for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. A win over a top team like Alabama would essentially punch its tournament ticket. The incredibly crushing loss led to Pearl screaming in frustration about the officials in a postgame radio interview.
A video of the interview was posted by an Alabama alumni on Twitter, showing Pearl losing his mind about his players “getting smashed” without foul calls being made.
“Obviously they made some plays. We had a hard time staying in front of them at the end of the day. I’m just sick and tired of our guys getting SMASHED down there, SMASHED!”
Got it. Enjoy https://t.co/TtPvTirdrw pic.twitter.com/JrN2qDWsNf
— Chase Thornton (@jcthornton16) March 2, 2023
Pearl went on to say that he believes that was a game that Auburn needed to make the NCAA Tournament. This only added to his frustration.
“We needed that one to make the NCAA [Tournament]. We’ll get ready to play Tennessee. We were incredibly outmanned at the end. Three or four guys on the bench in foul trouble, JOKE,” Pearl screamed as he walked off in frustration.
This all-time rant from Pearl certainly caught the attention of the college basketball world. Many couldn’t help but laugh at this incredibly intense interview.
Bruce Pearl was extremely upset with officiating and lack of calls in the paint during his postgame radio interview.
“I’m just sick and tired of our guys getting SMASHED down there, SMASHED!” pic.twitter.com/nrNp6GLKic
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) March 2, 2023
Bruce Pearl has a complete meltdown after losing to Alabama in Tuscaloosa pic.twitter.com/oEl0lgMeUj
— Ryan C. Fowler (@RyanCFowler) March 2, 2023
Bruce Pearl just chucked the postgame radio headset off him in frustration and Alabama student section booed
— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) March 2, 2023
Bruce Pearl losing his mind over officiating during his postgame radio show (and updating Dylan Cardwell’s status for Saturday against Tennessee) pic.twitter.com/cgHOcsr6iL
— @GrantRamey (@GrantRamey) March 2, 2023
oh my I love Bruce even more after this pic.twitter.com/LrP4hiBnBo
— Auburn Barstool (@WarDamnStool) March 2, 2023
This is glorious! https://t.co/YRKgGmxa6A
— Ben Brandon (@BenBrandonHoops) March 2, 2023
To be fair to Bruce Pearl, the game was incredibly physical. It even featured an altercation between the two teams leading to two Alabama players getting ejected.
Auburn was called for 29 compared to 20 fouls on Alabama in the game, so Pearl may actually have a reason for his frustration. Regardless, he and Auburn will need to keep their focus on their next game against Tennessee. Winning that game could still keep their hopes alive for an NCAA Tournament bid.
