Auburn Tigers point guard Tahaad Pettiford has been averaging nearly 14 points a game this season. The Tigers have shown confidence in his talent, and with an overall good roster, they’ve been 14-7 in the season.
The Tigers won their recent game 88-82 at home against the Texas Longhorns. Pettiford didn’t have the best outing, going for just seven points with three rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes.
The team was carried today by Keyshawn Hall with 31 points and Kevin Overton with 25. Despite Pettiford’s offensive struggles, head coach Steven Pearl has told him to shoot more. The coach has one clear demand from the point guard moving forward.
“HC Steven Pearl says he wants Tahaad Pettiford to keep shooting. Looks to what this team has accomplished without Pettiford shooting well, 14-7, 5-3 SEC,” Caleb Jones reported.
“If he can find a way to flip a switch,” Pearl said.
Pettiford’s season stats show that he’s struggling with shooting efficiency. He has shot 37% from the field to average13.8 points per game. His three-point shooting has been even worse at just 27%.
The numbers from the point guard have declined compared to where he was last season. In the 2024-25 season, Pettiford had a solid 42.1 field goal percentage. He also shot better from the three-point range with 36.6%.
Pettiford averaged just 11.6 points per game last season, which was also because he started just one game out of the 38 he played in. This season, he has already started in 18 of 20 games. So, there are improvements in some areas, but with the coach’s support, Pettiford can develop into an overall good player.
Tahaad Pettiford’s Coach Steven Pearl, Was Confident Before the Texas Game
The Longhorns, before coming into today’s game, were on a roll, having defeated Vanderbilt, Alabama, and Georgia this season. They posed a major threat to the Tigers, but the coach wasn’t worried about losing.
On Tuesday, during a press conference, he spoke on his team’s ability to cause upset when no one expects them to.
“Ole Miss had won three games in a row, and then we came in there and beat them. They might have been feeling good about themselves. Florida had won five games in a row, and they may have been feeling pretty good about themselves because, as they should, they’re really, really good. We came in there and beat them,” he said.
Pearl was adamant that his team could beat Texas if they played their best game. With an 88-82 loss, the Tigers have proved him right.
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