“I wasn’t happy for him”: Auburn’s Dylan Cardwell makes honest admission about Bruce Pearl helping his relationship with teammate Johni Broome

Auburn senior duo Dylan Cardwell and Johni Broome have powered the Tigers to the Maui Invitational championship, beating Penny Hardaway's Memphis 90-76 in the title game on Wednesday at Lahaina Civic Center, Hawaii.

The duo combined for 39 points, 19 rebounds, 12 assists and four blocks against Memphis, capping off an impressive week in which No. 4 Auburn knocked off two ranked teams — No. 5 Iowa State and No. 12 North Carolina.

After the championship game, Dylan Cardwell made an honest admission regarding his relationship with teammate Johni Broome.

"A year ago, pretty much this week, Johni and I became friends.The first year he was here, I looked at him as an opponent rather than my teammate," Dylan told reporters. "And I kind of showed him on the court. I wasn't cheering for him. I wasn't really happy for him as I should have been."

"Last year, we went on to play in New York and I went six for six from the free throw line and the loudest person cheering in that arena was Johni Broome," he added.

"After that, he earned my respect, and he became a brother to me because I realized that he was not my opposition but a brother and my teammate. And that's something that Coach Pearl has been telling us since we got here."

Cardwell acknowledged that once he let go of his pride, his relationship with Broome took off.

Bruce Pearl sings praise for Dylan Cardwell, Johni Broome's performances

Bruce Pearl's Auburn is not showing any signs of slowing down this season as they are off to a perfect 8-0 start.

Pearl has often praised his starting frontcourt of Dylan Cardwell and Johni Broome, and he did so again after winning the Maui Invitational.

"Big win for our program ... We came here to make history and I’m really proud of our club," Bruce said postgame.

"They're unselfish and they make the extra pass. Both my big men knocked down 3s tonight," he added. "When you have that kind of spacing and you have to guard those guys on the perimeter, it makes everything you run offensively all that much better."

Broome, who was named the tournament MVP, had a double-double for the second game in a row. He ended the game with 21 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and four blocks.

Dylan Cardwell, on the other hand, contributed 18 points, three rebounds and six assists for the Tigers. He had a perfect 8-for-8 shooting performance from the field. Auburn will return to action for the ACC–SEC Challenge against No. 11 Duke on Dec. 4.