Bruce Pearl didn’t know where to begin after Auburn’s win against Mississippi State. The verbose coach was at somewhat of a loss for words, opting to forgo opening remarks in his postgame press conference and instead diving right into questions.

Why? Well, as Pearl explained, he wasn’t quite sure how to begin explaining what just unfolded on the court.

Auburn defeated Mississippi State, 69-63, despite being without starting wing Chris Moore (shoulder) and seeing starting power forward Jaylin Williams foul out late in the game. With numbers dwindling in the rotation, the Tigers closed out the game with a lineup that included Allen Flanigan at the four-spot for the first time and walk-on Lior Berman at the three while logging a season-high 13 minutes off the bench.

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It was a snapshot of Auburn’s rotation situation in that moment, but it spoke volumes about the faith Pearl has in Berman, a senior from Birmingham whose role has taken some interesting turns throughout his career, as the scout-team staple has found himself in and out of the Tigers’ rotation as needed over the years.

“Lior is the other team’s best player every day in practice,” Pearl said. “So, he’s actually kept his whole game sharp, because we rely on him so much in practice. So now that he’s in the rotation, he’s just obviously ready.”

Berman could have another opportunity Wednesday night when No. 16 Auburn travels to LSU. Moore, who injured his shoulder last week at Ole Miss, traveled with the team to Baton Rouge, La., but his availability remains up in the air — leaving Auburn potentially shorthanded on the wing once again.

Enter, Berman, the 6-foot-4 former Mountain Brook product who has relished the chances afforded to him and made the most of them.

“Coach always preaches stay right and ready,” Berman said. “That’s something I have taken to heart. But also knowing that my teammates just have trust in me, my coaches believe I can go out there and compete with all the other guys. It’s just a great feeling.”

Berman has seen the court in 41 career games for Auburn, including eight appearances in the team’s 17 games so far this season. Oftentimes, his minutes are limited to mop-up duty late in games, but that hasn’t been the case in Auburn’s last two outings against Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Berman played just four minutes against Ole Miss, providing some relief for Flanigan at the three after Moore injured his shoulder in the game’s opening minutes. While Flanigan logged a season-high 34 minutes that night, Berman afforded him a couple spells of reprieve to catch his breath on the bench, even if Berman finished the game with only a foul to show for his time on the court.

Against Mississippi State, however, Berman saw an increased role thanks to Auburn’s more dire rotation situation. He played 13 minutes — a career-high in SEC play, surpassing the 12 minutes he played against South Carolina last season — and finished with three points and three rebounds off the bench. That included a pull-up jumper off the dribble and some hard-earned wins on the glass, with an offensive board and two on the defensive end.

“Coach Pearl talks about (how) we’ve got to be the most physical team, and I take that to heart,” Berman said. “So, when the ball goes up I’m finding a person that I can check out really hard and get the rebound. You just have to, late in the game, you really have to not make a mental mistake or miss a check out, so I just take that to heart.”

Berman was also the only player other than point guard Wendell Green Jr. to score for Auburn over the game’s final six-plus minutes, splitting a pair of free throws with 48 seconds to play to give Auburn a 10-point lead after he was fouled while grabbing a defensive rebound.

“He was out there at the end of the game, so it shows you what my confidence level is in him,” Pearl said.

How much Berman sees the court against LSU will largely depend on the situation, as has been the case throughout his career. Whenever his number is called, though, he’ll be ready to step in.

“That’s the great part of a team — and we’ve talked to the guys about that,” Pearl said. “What a blessing to be able to have a player like Lior be able to come in off the bench, right and ready, and ready to fill in.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.