It will always be a fun fact for Gator fans that Florida was ultimately the team that sent Auburn coach Bruce Pearl into retirement. Alijah Martin’s slam dunks in the Final Four last year were apparently too much for Pearl to handle, and the longtime coach stepped away right before the start of the season, forcing the Tigers to give the job to his son, Steven Pearl.
Auburn may have won the battle this year against Florida, but they are well on their way to losing the war, and Bruce Pearl’s comments over the past week haven’t helped a perception that the Tigers are about to sink back into being one of the doormats of SEC basketball for the foreseeable future.
Florida fans can only laugh at Auburn
The opposite directions that Florida and Auburn have taken have been remarkable. Florida is well on its way to another deep NCAA Tournament run, while Auburn is forced to beg and plead its way into the tournament. Since January 24, when Auburn upset Florida, the Gators haven’t lost a game, while the Tigers have lost seven of their last ten games.
This led Bruce to muse that a team like Auburn is still more deserving of making the NCAA Tournament ahead of undefeated Miami (OH).
He was promptly mocked by the college basketball world for this suggestion.
But apparently having no shame, he then went on “Don’t @ Me” with Dan Dakich and dropped this masterclass of a quote:
"Am I rooting for my son to make the NCAA Tournament? Of course I am. Did I help my son get the (Auburn) job, nepotism? Of course, I did.”
NEW: Bruce Pearl on Auburn and his son Steven sitting on the NCAA tournament bubble:
— On3 (@On3) March 4, 2026
"Am I rooting for my son to make the NCAA Tournament? Of course I am. Did I help my son get the (Auburn) job, nepotism? Of course, I did."
(via @DontAtMeDD) https://t.co/S2Q2mKfMf3 pic.twitter.com/4t6yaL9ryb
Pearl forced Auburn’s hand by stepping away as late as he did, and the Tigers were left with little to no choice but to hire Steven Pearl. The irony of it all is that Bruce Pearl drones on and on about who is deserving and who isn’t, while shoehorning in his own son to an SEC job despite having never been a head coach in his life.
Bruce Pearl himself was a solid coach, but it is not like he is one of the Mount Rushmore members of the sport who deserves an auto pass to do whatever he wants. In 21 years as a D1 head coach, Pearl made the Elite Eight or beyond just three times. Billy Donovan made it seven times, and even he lags behind guys like Tom Izzo or Bill Self.
Bruce Pearl is simply Jim Larrañaga with a more outgoing personality (who also has three Elite Eight apperances).
Do you, Auburn and Pearl family, but Florida fans are glad you did.