Auburn Basketball Coach Laments Slow Starts After Fifth Straight Loss

Steven Pearl, in his first season as head coach, calls out his team's lack of urgency from the opening tip.

Mar. 1, 2026 at 1:47am

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The Auburn Tigers men's basketball team has dropped five straight games, including a recent loss to Mississippi State. Head coach Steven Pearl, who took over the program this season after his father Bruce Pearl's retirement, expressed frustration with his team's slow starts and inability to play with desperation from the opening tip. Pearl acknowledged the team's struggles and the need to address their mindset and approach to start games.

Why it matters

Auburn was a top seed in last season's NCAA Tournament, but the team's current five-game losing streak has put their postseason hopes in jeopardy. As a new head coach, Steven Pearl is facing early adversity and must find a way to get his team to play with more urgency and intensity from the opening tip to turn the season around.

The details

Against Mississippi State, Auburn fell behind early and had to play catch-up the entire game, something that has become a recurring issue for the team this season. After the loss, Pearl called out his players for not playing with enough desperation from the start, saying they can't wait until they're down big to start playing that way.

  • Auburn has now lost five straight games.
  • The most recent loss came against Mississippi State.

The players

Steven Pearl

The first-year head coach of the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team, taking over for his father Bruce Pearl who retired before the season.

Bruce Pearl

The former head coach of the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team, who retired before the 2026 season.

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What they’re saying

“If we continue to have slow starts, we are not going to win any games. We've got to make a decision on how we're going to start games. We can't wait until we're down 18 to start playing desperate. We've got to play desperate when it's 0-0.”

— Steven Pearl, Head Coach

What’s next

The Tigers will look to end their losing streak in their next game against in-state rival Alabama.

The takeaway

As a new head coach, Steven Pearl is facing early adversity with his team's five-game losing streak. His comments highlight the need for the Tigers to play with more urgency and desperation from the opening tip, rather than waiting until they fall behind big to ramp up their intensity.