Auburn Associate Head Coach Takes Shot at Alabama Ahead of Blockbuster Matchup

Auburn assistant coach Steven Pearl, the son of the Auburn head coach. just showed the world that he is not scared to give an honest opinion. As he spoke about why he thought Alabama made the Nate Oats hire back in 2019. 

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Steven Pearl made an appearance on the “Stingray Show," this week and was asked about Alabama head coach, Nate Oats. When asked about why Alabama brought in the brand-new coach:

He said, “I don’t think Alabama goes and hires Nate Oats if Bruce Pearl isn’t at Auburn,” said Pearl.  

Steven Pearl went on to praise the Oats hire by saying, "That's no shade towards anyone, but what Coach Pearl has been able to do at Auburn raised expectations of other schools in this league. They said, 'If Auburn can do it, we can do it at a high level, too.' Alabama got the right person. Nate Oats is one of the best coaches in the game. His stats and accolades back that up. He's done an incredible job.” 

The Crimson Tide are set to take on the Auburn Tigers in the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 regular-season game in the history of SEC basketball. Auburn is currently ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25, whereas Alabama sits in the No. 2 spot. However, in the coaches' poll, the ranking is flipped, Alabama has the No. 1 spot, with Auburn right behind them. The Tigers have maintained their spot as the No. 1 seed this week, even after a devastating defeat to the Florida Gators last Saturday. However, Alabama is the hottest team in college basketball right now, with wins in 15 of its last 16 games.

 The two Titans will square off on Saturday (3 p.m. ESPN) at Coleman Coliseum. It will undoubtedly be one of the biggest games of the entire season and has the potential to be one of the biggest games in college basketball history. 

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