Tennessee basketball had an incredibly disappointing Friday afternoon as Mississippi State defeated the Vols 73-56 in their worst loss of the season to date.
Former Tennessee forward and current Auburn assistant coach Steven Pearl was quick to throw salt on the wound. After Auburn knocked off South Carolina 86-55 in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals, Pearl took a shot at Tennessee during the Auburn Radio Postgame when asked about facing Mississippi State in the semifinals.
“I was walking to the game today and some Tennessee fans asked me if I was going to a barbecue, trying to throw a little shade,” Pearl said. “And that’s what we watched, Mississippi State barbecued Tennessee. A bunch of grown men went out there and punked Tennessee and Tennessee’s hard team to punk.”
Steven, the son of former Tennessee and current Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, referenced the scandal that led Tennessee firing his dad.
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Pearl hosted recruits on an unofficial visit at his house for a barbecue which was against NCAA rules at the time. The former Tennessee head coach then lied to NCAA investigators about the violations which led to the institution handing him a three-year show cause and Tennessee terminating him.
Steven played for his father from 2008-11 at Tennessee where he played in 101 games and averaged 1.2 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Bruce Pearl hired Steven as an assistant coach at Auburn when he got the head coaching job ahead of the 2013-14 season. Bruce promoted Steven to the associate head coach position ahead of this season.
Tennessee and Auburn met once this season with the Vols outlasting the Tigers 92-84 in a thriller at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. The father-son duo at Auburn are 8-9 against Tennessee in their 10 years coaching at Auburn.
Auburn faces Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament Semifinals on Saturday while Tennessee awaits its NCAA Tournament fate on Selection Sunday.
6 Responses
Well there goes his VFL! He was real quiet at Knoxville when grown men whipped his team. Oh well life goes on.
Too bad he had to rely on nepotism for a job. You’d think he would have more respect.
Love Bruce Pearl but Steven was a joke as a player and should keep his mouth shut. He couldn’t have gotten off the bench in a D 2 program without daddy.
Wow 11 rebounds a game
ANTHILL FROM A MOLEHILL- failed attempt to start a feud over these benign remarks ““I was walking to the game today and some Tennessee fans asked me if I was going to a barbecue, trying to throw a little shade,” Pearl said. “And that’s what we watched, Mississippi State barbecued Tennessee. A bunch of grown men went out there and punked Tennessee and Tennessee’s hard team to punk.”
Tennessee’s a hard team to punk TRUTH AND A COMPLIMENT
BAWHAWHAWHAW –
How’d that Yale game go for you guys Stevie??