Alabama Basketball: True colors shown by Pearlster and Auburn fans

Bruce Pearl is a good basketball coach. Thank goodness he does not coach Alabama Basketball. Many Crimson Tide fans wanted Alabama to hire Pearl a decade ago. Some of us disagreed and in recent seasons it has become clear Alabama made the correct choice.

To Pearl’s credit, he has had some success at Auburn. In four of his nine Auburn seasons, his teams have won 25 or more games. He has taken Auburn to three NCAA Tournaments and a Final Four in 2019. But his winning record at Auburn is a nothing special 62.9%.

Pearl’s passion is transferred to his players. They play hard, with an attitude. Pearl had a good defensive plan against Alabama on Wednesday night. It gave Brandon Miller problems with frequently contested shots. But for the Tigers, a good plan and high intensity were not enough.

Nate Oats has Alabama as the top basketball program in the state of Alabama, in the SEC and perhaps much more. In the last eight games between Alabama and Auburn, the Tigers have lost five. The series has been competitive since Pearl began at Auburn, with Alabama holding a 10-9, win advantage.

Currently Auburn is holding on to a projected 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Though not slated for a play-in game, the Tigers cannot lose to Tennessee on Saturday and fail to win an SEC Tournament game.

Given Pearl’s ‘success’ at Auburn, this would be a great time to give their $5M-plus annually, head coach a lifetime contract. The Aubies love him. His persistent whining about officiating is fully embraced by the Auburn fanbase. They revel in Pearl’s explosive, pugnacious personality. And he is a perfect fit for a program afflicted with chronic victimhood.

Alabama Basketball is Mentally Tough

For all the skills Pearl has as a coach, his teams rely less on skill than they do on physical intimidation. It often works against teams not as motivated to push back. The best description for Auburn’s Pearl style of basketball is ‘bully ball.’ Pearl is a bully on the sideline who always has two or three (or more) bullies on the court. Against a mentally tough team like the Alabama Crimson Tide, ‘bully ball’ is not enough.

In a convoluted way, Pearl can be admired. He took a team into the home arena of the best team in the nation – and tried to bully that Alabama basketball team around. When it didn’t work, he blamed the officiating and stormed away, even though, arguably the most uncalled fouls in the game were made by Auburn.

In fairness to the Auburn players (most of them), they played a great game. Depending on individual perspectives, Auburn, either because of Pearl or despite him, is a dangerous team.