The Auburn Tigers earned their biggest win on a basketball court in a very long time on Saturday evening when they defeated the Creighton Blue Jays in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to get to the Sweet Sixteen and the second weekend for the first time since 2019.
Head coach Bruce Pearl has the program in the best position it’s potentially ever been in and has made a habit of finding success on The Plains, but he also never loses perspective on the things he believes are important.
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Frequently using his platform to discuss politics and issues surrounding the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, Pearl made sure to take a moment after the victory to bring awareness to an American who is still being held hostage by Hamas:
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl opens post-game presser by calling to “bring the hostages home.” #israel #hamas #ncaa #marchmadness #auburn pic.twitter.com/Jb93kYXYEd
— WVTM 13 (@WVTM13) March 23, 2025
“I get asked a lot how this basketball program has become so competitive over the last eight years,” Pearl began. “I believe it was God’s plan to give us this success, success beyond what we deserve, to give us this platform, to give me an opportunity to start this press conference really briefly and remind the world that Edan Alexander is still held hostage in Gaza right now,”
“An American held hostage, and there aren’t enough people in this country that know his name. So I asked the players if it was okay if I started out this press conference and just called out the name of an American…bring the hostages home.”
Alexander has been held by Hamas since the attacks on October 7, 2023.
