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Auburn assistant Steven Pearl says Alabama hired Nate Oats because of Bruce Pearl
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Auburn men’s basketball assistant Steven Pearl — son of head coach Bruce Pearl — said during a radio appearance this week that Alabama would not have hired Nate Oats in 2019 if not for Pearl’s success with the Tigers.
Top-ranked Auburn travels to Tuscaloosa on Saturday to face No. 2 Alabama in a massive showdown. Though both schools are trending toward 1-seeds in this year’s NCAA Tournament, the stakes remain high. Both Alabama and Auburn are 10-1 in SEC play and the winner will take a crucial step toward the regular-season title.
Ahead of that matchup, the younger Pearl appeared on the Stingray Show on Tide 100.9 this week to discuss the direction of basketball in the state.
“I don’t think Alabama goes and hires Nate Oats if Bruce Pearl isn’t at Auburn,” Steven Pearl said. “That’s not throwing shade on anyone. I just think that what Coach (Pearl) has been able to do at Auburn has raised the level of expectations at other schools in this league. They said, ‘Listen if Auburn can do it, we can do it at a high level too if we get the right person like Auburn did.’ Alabama got the right person. Nate Oats is one of the best coaches in the game right now. His stats and accolades back that up. He’s done an unbelievable job and the rivalry has only gotten more intense and only gotten better.”
When Alabama hired Oats after the 2018-19 season, it was in the midst of a 13-year stretch that featured only 2 NCAA Tournament appearances and just 1 tournament victory. Prior to Oats’ arrival, the Crimson Tide hadn’t won an outright regular-season conference title since 2001-02.
Oats has taken the program to its first-ever Final Four and made 3 Sweet 16 appearances in his first 5 seasons. Alabama swept SEC titles in 2020-21 and in 2022-23. And Oats set the school record for wins in a season with 31 in his fourth year.
Pearl led Auburn to a 30-10 record the year before Oats’ arrival. The Tigers went to the Final Four and won both regular-season meetings with the Crimson Tide — including a 21-point hammering at home. Pearl had won 5 of his last 6 against the Crimson Tide. Oats is 6-4 against Auburn during his Alabama tenure.
Saturday’s game tips off at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
