Bruce Pearl was Coach Auburn Needed, and Pearl Needed the Auburn Family

Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl cut his teeth in the Midwest before making his name in the SEC. If you talk to coaches from that area, Pearl’s name evokes a myriad of responses.

In one area, you hear stories of the man that made the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee basketball relevant. Head south to Illinois, and Pearl is the villain for his exploits when he was an assistant coach at Iowa. 

Despite Tennessee changing course under Rick Barnes, the Pearl exit still elicits anger from fans. Yet to those in eastern Alabama, Pearl is the coach that Auburn needed to put basketball on the map. 

It Took Some Time

Auburn hadn’t had a winning basketball season in five years when Pearl took over in 2014. It took him two years before Auburn went 18-14 in his third season and made the NCAA Tournament his fourth.

Then in the 2018/19 season, Pearl took Auburn to its first-ever Final Four. The winning didn’t stop, but had the Tigers reached their ceiling under Pearl?

Bitten by Yale

With Auburn heading into last year's tournament, you could see all of the advantages the Tigers would possess over Yale. However, the Bulldogs played composed while Pearl's team fell apart, choosing selfish play and eschewing the togetherness that made them successful. 

In the press conference, you could see the pain of that loss and how things devolved weighing on the head coach’s face. The offense sputtered down the stretch and couldn't find the basket. 

"Give Yale credit for making those plays. This has nothing to do with us not taking them seriously. Nothing,” said Pearl “They outplayed us in many categories, they made shots, they guarded us, they know how to fall, you know, they know how to get the whistle to blow. And the whistle blowed a lot. They went to the line 31 times. That’s a lot."

The Next Two Games

Auburn must beat the Florida Gators who handed the Tigers their first conference loss of the year. The Gators' pace and 13 three-pointers neutralized anything the Tigers tried to accomplish in the 90-81 loss. Pearl didn't have any answers for the Gators who played faster and more actively. 

Now, with a NCAA Tournament championship in sight, Pearl will need to erase the ugly February loss. After that, it will be either the defensive-minded Houston or Duke, whose rotations don't feature anyone shorter than six-foot-five. Auburn split their games earlier this year, beating Houston but losing to Duke. 

Bottom Line

For years, people thought that Bruce Pearl's career would flame after the three-year show cause issued by the NCAA while at Tennessee. Like a basketball Rasputin, he survives and endures.

11 years as the most successful coach in Auburn Tigers history has already erased much of the negativity that followed him to the Plains. The coach that many schools claim they would not hire, can become a national champion. The validation that Bruce Pearl will never say he wants, needs, or desires stands two Auburn wins away.