Bruce Pearl Throws Shade at Kentucky and John Calipari before SEC Tournament Championship

John Calipari and Bruce Pearl have never been the best of friends, dating back to their days at Memphis and Tennessee. Each time they face each other, there seems to be a personal piece to the game.

This season, Calipari got the upper hand, with Ketucky giving Auburn their only home loss of the season. While they didn’t get a rematch in the SEC Tournament, Pearl seemingly threw a little shade at Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats before winning the SEC Tournament championship on Sunday.

In an interview with ESPN ahead of the tournament final against Florida, Pearl talked about the importance of the SEC Tournament to the Auburn fans and knocked the teams that got sent home early.

“I know what being here means to our fans,” Pearl said. “They want to spend a weekend here in Nashville, we want to do this for them. We don’t want to go home on the first day.“

That comes after he called on Auburn fans to officially turn the venue into ‘The Jungle’ to support the Tigers, even if they had to miss church on Sunday morning.

“This has become the jungle. Our Auburn fans have turned this into the jungle,” he said. “So right now, if you’re listening at home: Get in your car, drive up to Nashville. There are plenty of tickets available. Kentucky’s not here, Tennessee’s not here. Get in the car!”

Calipari has often downplayed the importance of the SEC Tournament during his time at Kentucky. Even before traveling to Nashville, Calipari said this after the regular season finale, “You know the only tournament that matters to me. After this weekend, that tournament.”

After being sent home early by Texas A&M, Calipari will look to lead the Cats to a deep NCAA Tournament run.