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SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTMarch 16, 2019Bruce PearlJared HarperSamir DoughtySt. Louis, Missouri Auburn-65, Florida-62 THE MODERATOR: We will begin with Auburn. We will take some opening thoughts on the game from Coach Pearl. BRUCE PEARL: Florida is a tough opponent. We played really well against Florida the first time around, played really well defensively. I knew then what a great win it was. I told the team beforehand, I'm not sure we can defend as well as we defended. And we didn't. If you look at the stat sheet, it's really hard to look at that stat sheet and explain an Auburn victory. Get dominated on the boards, give up 60% shooting, 40% from three. It just doesn't add up, except two things. One, we were able to turn them over 19 times. Florida is a team that averages only 11. We're small, we're quick. We try to make it difficult on people to run their offense. Then probably this guy right here who continues to show why he shouldn't have been left off the Bob Cousy list for best point guards in the country. I grew up in Boston. Bob Cousy was not a big man, but he had amazing courage, was a tremendous leader. More than anything, he was a winner. Jared will go out every night and he'll be challenged, challenged again tomorrow against Bone or Hagans, two of the best defensive guards you'll face. I trust that he will give it everything he has. THE MODERATOR: We'll take your questions for Jared or Samir. Q. You had a sensational first half, then didn't hit a shot till the three in the second half. What goes through your mind as you take that game winner? JARED HARPER: I think during the actual play, I was looking to attack the basket. A couple seconds left on the shot clock. I was trying to get to the rim, see if I could create something for myself or somebody else. Backed up, have confidence in my shot, got a good look and made it. Q. Samir, I think you were on Nembhard there at the end. After he made the shot to beat LSU yesterday, how important was that? SAMIR DOUGHTY: We were originally supposed to foul on that play. That's something we didn't want to happen or chance for him to even make that shot. We just wanted to foul, put him at the free-throw line, rely on our free-throw shooters to make free throws. But it didn't happen like that. Unfortunately they didn't call a foul or he didn't make the shot. Q. Samir, what were you able to do defensively to turn them over 19 times? SAMIR DOUGHTY: We a quick team, like coach said. That's something we had in our game plan, to turn them over. We just really tried to focus on that, fight through ball screens, stuff like that, just little things we've been doing all year. We just tried to continue to do that tonight. It actually worked for us, forced 19 turnovers. Q. Jared, how does it feel to be having a chance tomorrow to play for a tournament title? JARED HARPER: It's great, just knowing this is my first year of being able to win a game in the SEC tournament. To get to the championship game is just a tribute to the team, the effort that we have. I think when Austin came in the game, he gave us a big push. A couple of plays that he made, the dunk, something on defense. We were able to get baskets. That push right there, that was led by Austin, helped us get over the hump for this game. Q. Samir, what has changed since that Kentucky loss? You haven't lost a game since then, haven't lost in March. What's been different? SAMIR DOUGHTY: We just been really focused each and every day. Just been trying to take it one game at a time. Focus on the scouts. Coaches usually do a great job at that, letting us know certain players' personalities, how to defend players. It's a team effort, honestly. We've just been trying to stay focused on each and every opponent, learn they tendencies so we can learn how to stop those players. THE MODERATOR: We'll excuse the student-athletes and continue with questions for Coach Pearl. Q. You're big on talking about the history of this program. What does it mean for this program to get back to the SEC Championship game for the first time since 2000? BRUCE PEARL: First of all, it's an honor to be in the final four, to be able to play on Saturday with programs like Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky. That's just not words, it's from the heart. My staff and I wanted to come to Auburn and just bring respect and credibility back to that program. We win in everything else. I mean, Auburn athletics and the university itself is in such a great spot. Now men's basketball is, too. So I'm proud to be able to hold up our end a little bit. I know all the former letter winners, it matters. Jared Harper hadn't won an SEC tournament game in his first two years. It mattered to him to win for Auburn. We get that. There's a difference between having a top 25 team and having a top 25 program. The more we win, the more we have both. Q. Does everybody have a green light at the end of a game like that, like Jared? What does he have to do to earn that? BRUCE PEARL: You notice the ball was in his hands, it wasn't in Horace's. I think at the end of the game, you put the ball in the hands of your point guard and you trust him. I think Jared knows in that situation that he's probably going to get downhill. At the same time I believe it was Nembhard was guarding him, was backing up just enough. Nembhard has really good size. You can't really complain about open, non-contested -- it was contested, but there's no contact. Those are good shots. Obviously don't think Jared is not in the gym all the time. For years the kid going three, two, shot clock down, he's going to make more than he's going to miss. Q. There at the end you didn't get the fouls called, but it looked like they were trying. What were you hoping happened? The result the only thing that matters? BRUCE PEARL: No, I don't think so. It's a good question. In front of our bench about a minute or two to go, Bryce Brown had a three pull. KeVaughn Allen was up on him, kind of like a hardened play. He rose up, contact, they passed on it. Later in the game, maybe a couple minutes later, you have that situation. I told Bryce to foul Nembhard as he was bringing the ball up the floor if Jared had missed the free throw, where it would be a three-point game. I wanted a foul. Bryce waited until Nembhard got a little too close to the basket, then began to start his moving to shoot the basketball. Whether Nembhard got tied up cleanly or there was some contact, obviously they passed on it, and we were fortunate. Late in the game there, we got a 10-second violation, that was pretty close, too. Q. Knowing that you're going to be playing one of these two teams tomorrow obviously, what do you think the atmosphere will be like tomorrow and how equipped are your guys to handle that? BRUCE PEARL: We were equipped to handle three in a row. I would imagine that fatigue will be a factor tomorrow. It wasn't for us because we pride ourselves on playing our bench. Nine guys played double-digit minutes, and Austin made the 10th guy. It will be Jared, it will be Bryce, it will be those two probably, maybe even Chuma a little bit, those three guys that play heavy minutes. I think the rest of them are going to be okay. We'll be playing a team that has a chance to play in a Final Four. We're playing a top five team for the SEC Championship, so... Without question, it will require our greatest effort. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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