After years of staying busy as an assistant, Pearl admits he's struggling with pregame downtime, even wondering if "it's inappropriate to watch a TV show" before tipoff.

His impact was felt beyond the stat sheet in his second game in the orange and blue, creating havoc on the defensive end and staying active on the glass throughout all 40 minutes. He finished the game with a plus-24 rating in the plus-minus metric, meaning the Tigers outscored Memphis by 24 points while Jovic was on the floor.

This is Steven Pearl's first head coaching job, an opportunity Auburn athletic director John Cohen said "has been earned."

Has Auburn's newest QB saved the season? And Can Auburn save Hugh Freeze, and its offense or do they have to choose?

Though new Auburn basketball skipper Steven Pearl suffered a loss in his first official game as the Tigers’ head coach, recruits don’t seem to be all that worried. Case in point, the Tigers landed a new commit on Friday in four-star combo guard Caleb Williams, the first recruit of Steven Pearl’s tenure.