Bruce Pearl warned that Vermont was a “Yale-like” opponent for Auburn to open its highly anticipated season — and he had good reason to, considering the Catamounts have been to three straight NCAA Tournaments and were picked to win their league again this preseason.
But even if Vermont wasn’t a tournament-caliber squad, Auburn’s 94-43 win in Wednesday’s season opener would have been extremely impressive against anybody. The Tigers locked down on defense early and caught fire from 3-point range in the second half en route to the most lopsided win of the Pearl era.
“I think the outcome and the margin really have everything to do with the respect that we have for Vermont,” Pearl said postgame. “We took them very seriously. We prepared very seriously. And I promise you that Vermont came in here with a game plan to win this game…