The PA announcer at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am had some fun at Steven Pearl’s expense on Wednesday morning.
As Pearl was preparing to tee off, the announcer made reference to a particularly-painful moment from his first season at the helm as Auburn’s men’s basketball coach.
“I promise, coach, you will not hear the review center say ‘you did not get this shot off in time,'” the announcer said, drawing a reluctant laugh from Pearl.
Here’s a clip from the moment in Birmingham:
Of course, that’s a reference to Auburn’s heart-breaking loss to Texas A&M back in January. KeShawn Murphy hit what appeared to be a buzzer-beater for the win, but it was waved off after replay officials determined he still had possession of the ball when the clock expired.
Here’s how close Auburn came to a win over the Aggies:
Although that game took place in early December, it likely had an impact on Auburn’s NCAA Tournament dreams being dashed. The Tigers were among the first teams left out of the Big Dance, instead settling for an invite to the NIT (which they later won).
Pearl and Auburn will hope to avoid that kind of disappointment in 2026-27.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
