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Dylan Cardwell praises Bruce Pearl for recruiting players that ‘have big balls’
By Mark Kern
Published:
Dylan Cardwell and Auburn are one game from the Final Four after knocking off the Michigan Wolverines in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. The Tigers were trailing by 9 in the second half, but then went on a devastating run to pull away for the 78-65 win.
The score was 48-39 Wolverines when the Tigers took the game over down the stretch. Point guard Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones both caught fire from the 3-point line, scoring 20 points apiece and hitting 6 3-pointers between them. While they started to take over scoring, it was the physicality and defense that helped put the Wolverines away.
When talking to the reporters about that killer instinct, Cardwell said the way coach Bruce Pearl recruits his players played a big role in the mentality of this team.
“These guys got big balls, bro,” Cardwell told reporters. “At the end of the day, we got Tahaad Pettiford, who’s from Jersey. We got Chad (Baker-Mazara), I don’t know where you’re from, Dominican Republic or wherever you’re from.”
“No, BP does a great job of recruiting guys with that mentality that don’t want to lose. He always tells us you just have to hate losing,” said Cardwell about Pearl’s message to the players. “These guys hate losing, and it’s just been cool to see over the past couple of months how, before the Texas A&M game, we were 8-0 on the road in the SEC. These guys keep competing and keep competing, and we end up being down nine and go on a however many run.
“It’s just cool to see these guys just buy in and just have the kind of killer mentality.”
The toughness of the Auburn Tigers will be tested in a big way on Sunday as their opponent is the Michigan State Spartans. To beat the Spartans, you have to have a team that isn’t scared to get physical.
These 2 physical teams are coached by Bruce Pearl and Tom Izzo with a Final Four berth on the line, and a classic could be in store. Tipoff will be at 5:05 p.m. ET on Sunday from Atlanta.
