Bruce Pearl becomes winningest men’s basketball coach in Auburn history
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It was already a historic trip to Austin for the Auburn Tigers as the men’s basketball team was taking on Texas for the first time ever in SEC play.
But by the final buzzer, the night became about another bit of history.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl surpassed Joel Eaves as the winningest coach in program history, grabbing his 214th victory as the Tigers defeated Texas, 87-82.
Bruce Pearl era on The Plains
During his introductory press conference in 2014, Bruce Pearl set a goal for himself to become the winningest coach in program history and he accomplished that just under 11 years later.
Pearl’s total currently sits with an overall record of 214-120 which has including one 30-win season when the Tigers went to the Final Four in 2019. He has also led the Tigers to three straight seasons of 20+ wins and a 14-1 start to this season.
Since Pearl took over, Auburn has:
- 2 SEC regular season championships
- 2 SEC Tournament championships
- 92-83 SEC record
- 6 NBA Draft picks
- 7 NCAA Tournament victories
Pearl could have passed this record mark earlier in the season but the Tigers had to forfeit 12 of his wins from the 2016-17 season.
While Pearl is the winningest coach for the men’s basketball program, he has a ways to go to become the winningest coach in Auburn basketball history. That mark is held by Joe Ciampi who won 568 games across 25 seasons with the Auburn women’s basketball program.
What’s next for the Tigers?
Auburn currently ranks second in the country in the AP Poll but the door is open for the Tigers to take on the No. 1 spot with a win at South Carolina this weekend.
After Tennessee’s loss Tuesday, Auburn is in the prime position to take the top ranking for just the second time in program history and the first time since 2021.
Here’s what you need to know about Auburn’s road trip this weekend:
- No. 2 Auburn Tigers (14-1, 2-0) at South Carolina Gamecocks (10-4, 0-1)
- 12PM | Saturday, Jan. 11
- SEC Network
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