Former Tennessee basketball head coach Bruce Pearl offered kind remarks toward Rick Barnes on Sunday following the Vols’ win over Texas on Saturday.
In the hours following Tennessee’s win over Texas, ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla posted a lengthy message on social media about Barnes’ connection to the Longhorns.
“So happy for Vol Hoops’ Rick Barnes,” Fraschilla wrote. “Trust me, he loved Texas. While he was unceremoniously getting dumped, he was offered & accepted Vols’ job. At his going away press conference at UT (Texas), he was asked if he’d coach again. He smiled & said, ‘Sooner than you think.’ He was introduced (at Tennessee) the very next day.”
Pearl, dealing with the ongoing injury situation to star Auburn forward Johni Broome, took a moment out of his Sunday to comment and add to Fraschilla’s post.
“Rick Barnes as a Hall of Fame coach and person,” Pearl wrote on X. “One of the best in our business! I’m proud of our league and the commitment to Men’s Basketball, it does just mean more! Of course that doesn’t make it easy on us all every night out! @SEC”
Rick Barnes is a Hall of Fame coach and person. One of the best in our business! I’m proud of our league and the commitment to Men’s Basketball, it does just means more! Of course that doesn’t make it easy on us all every night out! @SEC https://t.co/Yp2fzC54Ki
— Bruce Pearl (@coachbrucepearl) January 12, 2025
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The SEC has a wealth of talent right now in the men’s basketball scene, both on the court and on the sidelines. With players such as Zakai Zeigler, Johni Broome, and Mark Sears combined with coaches such as Rick Barnes, Bruce Pearl, and Nate Oats, it’s hard to find better top-end talent. But unlike SEC football at times over the last decade, the SEC basketball slate isn’t just top-heavy. Prior to the next AP Top 25 poll later on Monday afternoon, the conference had nine teams in the AP Poll this week from Tennessee and Auburn at 1 and 2 to Ole Miss at 23. It’s sure to be a wild ride in the south over the next few months.
Pearl coached at Tennessee from 2005 to 2011 and made the NCAA tournament every year while on Rocky Top. The ex-Tennessee coach took the Auburn job just one year before Rick Barnes took the Tennessee job in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Pearl’s Tigers and Barnes’ Vols have matched up 14 times over the years with Tennessee holding wins in six of those games. At one point from 2018 to 2022, Auburn held a six-game win streak as Tennessee just couldn’t seem to climb past Pearl and the Tigers. Since then, though, Tennessee has taken three out of its last four matchups against Auburn.
2/28/24 – Tennessee 92, Auburn 84
3/4/23 – Auburn 79, Tennessee 70
2/4/23 – Tennessee 46, Auburn 43
2/26/22 – Tennessee 67, Auburn 62
2/27/21 – Auburn 77, Tennessee 72
3/7/21 – Auburn 85, Tennessee 63
2/2/20 – Auburn 73, Tennessee 66
3/17/19 – Auburn 84, Tennessee 64
3/9/19 – Auburn 84, Tennessee 80
1/2/18 – Auburn 94, Tennessee 84
1/31/17 – Tennessee 87, Auburn 77
3/9/16 – Tennessee 97, Auburn 59
2/9/16 – Tennessee 71, Auburn 45
1/2/16 – Auburn 83, Tennessee 77
Their next meeting, though, could present one of the best games the series has seen under Barnes and Pearl.
Again, these standings are set to shift just a few hours after this publication, but as things stand now, it’ll be No. 2 Auburn hosting No. 1 Tennessee in a Saturday night SEC showdown on Jan. 25. The Tigers do not play in Knoxville this season but the two could meet up in the SEC or NCAA tournaments.
Tennessee will return to the court on Wednesday as they host the Georgia Bulldogs in Knoxville.
