View source for Bruce Pearl

{{Short description|American basketball coach (born 1960)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Bruce Pearl
| image = Bruce Pearl (cropped).jpg
| alt = 
| caption = Pearl in 2019
| current_title = [[Head coach]]
| current_team = [[Auburn Tigers men's basketball|Auburn]]
| current_conference = [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]]
| current_record = {{Winning percentage|244|123|record=y}}
| contract = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|3|18}}
| birth_place = [[Boston, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| alma_mater = [[Boston College]]<!-- Did not play college basketball -->
| coach_years1 = 1982–1986
| coach_team1 = [[Stanford Cardinal men's basketball|Stanford]] (assistant)
| coach_years2 = 1986–1992
| coach_team2 = [[Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball|Iowa]] (assistant)
| coach_years3 = 1992–2001
| coach_team3 = [[Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles men's basketball|Southern Indiana]]
| coach_years4 = 2001–2005
| coach_team4 = [[Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball|Milwaukee]]
| coach_years5 = 2005–2011
| coach_team5 = [[Tennessee Volunteers basketball|Tennessee]]
| coach_years6 = 2014–present
| coach_team6 = [[Auburn Tigers men's basketball|Auburn]]
| overall_record = {{Winning percentage|706|268|record=y}}
| bowl_record = 
| tournament_record = 21–13 ([[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I]])<br>1–1 ([[National Invitation Tournament|NIT]])
| championships = {{Plainlist|
* 2 [[List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach|NCAA Division I regional – Final Four]] ([[2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2019]], [[2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2025]])
* [[NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division II tournament]] ([[1995 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament|1995]])
* 4 [[Great Lakes Valley Conference|GLVC]] regular season (1994, 1996, 1997, 2001)
* 2 [[Horizon League men's basketball tournament|Horizon League tournament]] ([[2003 Horizon League men's basketball tournament|2003]], [[2005 Horizon League men's basketball tournament|2005]])
* 2 [[Horizon League]] regular season (2004, 2005)
* 2 [[SEC men's basketball tournament|SEC tournament]] ([[2019 SEC men's basketball tournament|2019]], [[2024 SEC men's basketball tournament|2024]])
* 4 [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] regular season (2008, 2018, 2022, 2025)
}}
| awards = [[NABC Coach of the Year|NABC Division II Coach of the Year]] (1995)<br>[[NABC Coach of the Year|NABC Division I Coach of the Year]] (2025)<br>[[Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year|AP co-Coach of the Year]] (2025)<br/>[[Sporting News]] Coach of the Year (2006)<br>[[Adolph Rupp Cup]] (2008)<br>2× [[Great Lakes Valley Conference|GLVC]] Coach of the Year (1993, 1994)<br>3× [[Horizon League]] Coach of the Year (2002, 2003, 2005)<br>4× [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] Coach of the Year (2006, 2008, 2022, 2025)
| coaching_records = 
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's [[basketball]] (head coach)}}
{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Maccabiah Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2009 Maccabiah Games|2009 Tel Aviv]]|Team}}
}}
'''Bruce Alan Pearl''' (born March 18, 1960) is an American [[college basketball]] coach who is currently the head coach of the [[Auburn Tigers men's basketball]] team, where he is the school's all time leader in wins.<ref name="s585">{{cite web | last=Grunert | first=Ben | title=Auburn head basketball coach Bruce Pearl offers emotional thoughts on making history with win over Texas | website=Sporting News | date=2025-01-08 | url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/auburn-head-basketball-coach-bruce-pearl-offers-emotional-thoughts-making-history-win-over-texas/4e226e52a87e4caa0d9ede70 | access-date=2025-03-07}}</ref> He previously served in the same position for [[Tennessee Volunteers basketball|Tennessee]], [[Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball|Milwaukee]], and [[Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles men's basketball|Southern Indiana]]. Pearl led Southern Indiana to a [[NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship|Division II national championship]] in 1995, during which he was named Division II Coach of the Year by the [[National Association of Basketball Coaches]].

In Division I, his teams have won four conference championships and four conference tournament championships, and qualified for eleven [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]] appearances and two [[2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|Final Four]]s. Pearl is the second-fastest NCAA coach to reach 300 victories, needing only 382 games to reach this mark ([[Roy Williams (basketball coach)|Roy Williams]] needed 370 games at Kansas to reach this milestone).

Pearl was named Coach of the Year by [[Sporting News]] in 2006 and was awarded the [[Adolph Rupp Cup]] in 2008. He also served as the head coach for the Maccabi USA men's basketball team that won the gold medal at the [[2009 Maccabiah Games]]. Most recently, Pearl was named Co-AP Coach of the year in 2025 alongside Rick Pitino. 

==Personal life==
A native of [[Boston]], Pearl attended [[Sharon High School (Massachusetts)|Sharon High School]] in [[Sharon, Massachusetts]]. He is one of the few Division I basketball coaches who never played high school basketball, even at the [[Junior varsity team|junior varsity]] level (being the only head coach in the [[2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2022 NCAA tournament]] with that distinction{{efn|Two other head coaches in the 2022 tournament played on their high school junior varsity teams, but never played at any higher level.}}); a shoulder injury while playing [[American football|football]] in his first year of high school prevented him from further pursuing sports as a player.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/33253706/ranking-2022-ncaa-tournament-men-basketball-coaches-players-1-68 |title=Ranking 2022 NCAA tournament men's basketball coaches as players, 1-68 |first=Tony |last=Moss |website=ESPN.com |date=March 15, 2022 |access-date=March 15, 2022}}</ref> Pearl is a 1982 graduate of [[Boston College]], where he served as the manager of the [[Boston College Eagles men's basketball|men's basketball team]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fanduel.com/theduel/posts/video-bruce-pearl-discusses-being-team-manager-during-boston-college-point-shaving-scandal-01d7n7qnge9q |title=Bruce Pearl Discusses Being Team Manager During Boston College Point-Shaving Scandal |website=fanduel.com |date=April 5, 2019 |access-date=February 15, 2023}}</ref>

Pearl is [[Jewish]].<ref name="USAToday">{{cite news |last1=Peter |first1=Josh |title=Auburn's Bruce Pearl 'proud' that he's fourth Jewish head coach to reach Final Four |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/tourney/2019/04/05/final-four-auburn-coach-bruce-pearl-judaism/3381675002/ |access-date=August 15, 2023 |work=[[USA Today]] |date=April 5, 2019}}</ref> His Hebrew name is [[Mordecai|Mordechai]], after [[Esther|Queen Esther]]’s uncle Mordechai from the Jewish holiday of [[Purim]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_nRO8KEEFo|title=Bruce Pearl gives his thoughts on the war in Ukraine and its parallels with the festival of Purim|website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Pearl was the first president of the [[Jewish Coaches Association]], and in 2019 became the fifth Jewish head basketball coach to lead a team to the [[Final Four]].<ref name="USAToday" /> ''[[The Algemeiner]]'' named Pearl one of 100 people positively influencing Jewish life in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pearl Named One of the Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life |url=https://auburntigers.com/news/2022/12/6/mens-basketball-pearl-named-one-of-the-top-100-people-positively-influencing-jewish-life.aspx |access-date=August 15, 2023 |work=AuburnTigers.com |date=December 6, 2022}}</ref>

==Coaching career==
Pearl has also been the head coach at [[Tennessee Volunteers basketball|Tennessee]], [[Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball|Milwaukee]] and, prior to that, at [[Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles men's basketball|Southern Indiana]], where he won a [[NCAA Division II|Division II]] national championship. He also served as an assistant coach at Stanford and at [[Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball|Iowa]] under then-head coach [[Tom Davis (basketball coach)|Tom Davis]].

Against division rival [[Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball|Kentucky]] and in-state rival [[Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball|Vanderbilt]], Pearl chose to wear a brightly colored orange jacket in honor of the late [[University of Tennessee]] coach [[Ray Mears (coach)|Ray Mears]]. Pearl also wore the jacket during the 2009 [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] Men's Tournament Final.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 27, 2007|agency=Associated Press |title=Body-painting Pearl goes shirtless to promote UT basketball |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire/_/section/ncb/id/2744789 |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref>

===Assistant Coach (1982–1992)===
Pearl served as an assistant coach at both [[Stanford University]] from 1982-1986 and at [[University of Iowa]] from 1986-1992 under Coach [[Tom Davis (basketball coach)|Tom Davis]]. Davis had served as head coach at [[Boston College]] from 1977-1982, where Pearl had served as his team student-manager.

===Pearl/Thomas incident (1988–1989)===
During the 1988–89 basketball season, Pearl, then an assistant coach at Iowa, was at the center of a recruiting scandal involving [[Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball|Illinois]]. Both Illinois and Iowa were recruiting [[Deon Thomas]], a top high school player from [[Chicago]]. Pearl lost this recruiting battle when Thomas committed to Illinois.  Thereafter, Pearl called the high school student and recorded a phone conversation with Thomas, which may have been illegal depending on where Pearl originated the call (Illinois requires prior consent of all participants to monitor or record a phone conversation according to Ill. Rev. Stat. Ch. 38, Sec. 14–2; Iowa, where Pearl was coaching at the time, only requires one party's consent to record a phone conversation.). During the conversation, Pearl asked Thomas if he had been offered an [[Sport utility vehicle|SUV]] and cash by Illinois assistant coach [[Jimmy Collins (basketball)|Jimmy Collins]], and Thomas seemed to indicate that he had. Pearl then turned over copies of the tapes to the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]], accompanied by a memo describing the events. During the subsequent NCAA investigation, Thomas denied the allegations and said the story was false, that he was agreeing with Pearl only to try to get rid of him. Thomas later passed a [[Polygraph|polygraph test]] in which he denied Pearl's accusation of Illinois's offering cash and a car. The NCAA did not find Illinois guilty of any wrongdoing relating to Thomas's recruitment, finding that the purported evidence provided was not "credible, persuasive and of a kind on which reasonably prudent persons rely in the conduct of serious affairs".<ref>{{cite press release | title = University of Illinois, Champaign, Infractions Report | publisher = NCAA Committee on Infractions | date = November 7, 1990 | url = https://goomer.ncaa.org/wdbctx/lsdbi/LSDBi.MajorInfPackage.ProcessMultipleBylaws?p_Multiple=0&p_PK=93&p_Button=View+Public+Report&p_TextTerms=ThisIsADummyPhraseThatWillNotBeDuplicated&p_TextTerms2=ThisIsADummyPhraseThatWillNotBeDuplicated&p_Division=1 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  Because the investigation uncovered other violations, however, including Illinois's third major violation in six years, the NCAA cited Illinois with a "lack of institutional control" charge and implemented several recruiting restrictions and a one-year postseason ban.

When Pearl and Collins were both head coaches for four years in the [[Horizon League]], the two men never engaged in the traditional postgame handshake, reportedly due to lingering feelings over the incident. When Thomas was asked about forgiving Pearl in a 2005 interview, he was quoted as saying, "It's hard to forgive a snake."<ref>Landman, Brian [http://www.sptimes.com/2005/03/24/Sports/Cinderella_fitted_for.shtml Cinderella fitted for a bull's-eye]. St. Petersburg Times. March 24, 2005</ref> Thomas went on to become the University of Illinois's all-time leading scorer.

===Southern Indiana (1992–2001)===
In 1992, Pearl got his first head-coaching job, at [[Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles men's basketball|Southern Indiana]] (USI). He inherited a Screaming Eagles team that had won just 10 games in the previous season.  Pearl posted a 22–7 record in his first season and led the Eagles to 9 consecutive [[NCAA Division II|NCAA D-II]] tournaments in addition to winning 4 [[Great Lakes Valley Conference]] titles.

In 1994, USI finished with a 28–4 record in route to a loss in the D-II championship game; in 1995, the Eagles won 29 games and claimed the D–II championship behind National Player of the Year [[Stan Gouard]]. A team from the GLVC played for the National Championship every year after his first season at USI. Pearl was named the NABC Division II coach of the year after his national championship. He left USI with a 231–46 record over nine years.

===Milwaukee (2001–2005)===
Despite Pearl's success at turning Southern Indiana into a major power, it took him almost a decade to return to Division I. Reportedly, he was [[blackballing|blackballed]] by the Division I college coaching fraternity for his role in revealing violations at Illinois by submitting a different accusation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Forde |first=Pat |date=March 18, 2008 |title=Forde: Pearl survives Division II purgatory |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&sportCat=ncb&id=3299331 |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>

Pearl took over as head coach of [[Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball|Milwaukee]] (UWM) in 2001. In just four seasons, he compiled 86 wins (including a school-record 26 in 2005, and a new [[Horizon League]] record for winning percentage) and led Milwaukee to their first [[NCAA]] tournament appearances in 2003 and 2005. Pearl led them to the Horizon League tournament title in both of those years. He also led the school to its first ever [[National Invitation Tournament|NIT]] bid, as well as its first-ever NCAA D–I postseason victory, in 2004. Milwaukee's [[2005 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2005 NCAA Tournament]] run capped the best season in school history, as the Panthers won both the regular season and conference tournament titles, defeating the [[Detroit Mercy Titans|Detroit Titans]] in the championship game. Using an intense [[full-court press]], the Panthers scored two upsets in three days over [[Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball|Alabama]] and [[Boston College Eagles men's basketball|Boston College]] to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where they fell to eventual national runner-up Illinois. The Panthers finished their season 26–6 and were ranked in the [[Coaches Poll|coaches poll]] at the end of the season for the first time ever (#23). Pearl left UWM after the 2005 season, his fourth, as the Horizon League's leader in all-time winning percentage (51–13, 79.7%).

===Tennessee (2005–2011)===

====2005–06====
On March 28, 2005, Pearl was named as the new head coach at [[Tennessee Volunteers basketball|Tennessee]], succeeding [[Buzz Peterson]]. [[Tyler Smith (basketball, born 1986)|Tyler Smith]] had signed with the Vols under Peterson, but decided not to attend Tennessee.  [[Jamont Gordon]] went to conference rival [[Mississippi State]]. Smith opted for a season of prep school before heading to Iowa, though he later transferred to Tennessee and became a starter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Low |first=Chris |date=October 24, 2007 |title=Low: Smith cherishing father's memory |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/columns/story?id=3075198 |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> Pearl stirred up more controversy when he released [[Matthew Dotson]] from his scholarship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pearl releases Dotson |url=https://247sports.com/college/tennessee/article/pearl-releases-dotson-104201827/ |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=247Sports |language=en}}</ref>

Expectations were low for the Vols in Pearl's first season. Having lost their two leading scorers from a team that had been just 14–17 the previous season, Tennessee was picked to finish fifth in the six-team Eastern Division of the [[Southeastern Conference]]. The season started off well, however, and Tennessee entered the national rankings in December 2005 when it routed then No. 2-ranked [[Texas Longhorns men's basketball|Texas]], 95–78.

The Vols went on to lead the SEC East for virtually the entire season, with other highlights being a win over [[Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball|Kentucky]] at [[Rupp Arena]] and two wins over eventual national champion [[2005–06 Florida Gators men's basketball team|Florida]]. But after entering the [[Associated Press|AP]] Top-10 in February of 2006, the team lost 6 of its last 9 games and dropped to a ranking of 18th in the AP Poll. Although Tennessee won the SEC East, it was upset in the second round of both the SEC and [[2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]]s, the latter as a no. 2 seed and being upset by [[Wichita State Shockers men's basketball|Wichita State]] in the round of 32.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2006 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, records {{!}} NCAA.com |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2020-05-07/2006-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=www.ncaa.com |language=en}}</ref> The team's 22–8 record was one of the best in school history. Following the season, Pearl drew accolades from national recruiting services for signing one of the nation's best recruiting classes, featuring three top-50 recruits in [[Duke Crews]], [[Wayne Chism]] and [[Ramar Smith]].<ref>[http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=585769 Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting – Early enrollee, school switch change team rankings]. Rivalshoops.rivals.com. Retrieved on November 17, 2011.</ref>

====2006–07====
On January 22, 2007, Pearl attended a [[Lady Vols]] game with his upper body painted orange. He and a few of his players spelled out "V-O-L-S" (Pearl was the "V"). Pearl stood in front of the student section and cheered for the Lady Vols as they came out. Pearl's actions brought national media attention to the Tennessee program, and highlighted efforts to support women's collegiate athletics. Lady Vols basketball coach [[Pat Summitt]] returned the favor on Senior Night for the men's team on February 27, 2007.  Before the game, Summitt came out as a [[cheerleader]], complete with uniform, and she led the crowd in a rendition of ''[[Rocky Top]].'' The seventh-largest crowd in school history also witnessed Pearl's squad rout the then No. 4-ranked defending and eventual back to back national champions [[2006–07 Florida Gators men's basketball team|Florida Gators]].

Pearl's team went on to finish tied for second in the SEC East with [[Vanderbilt Commodores|Vanderbilt]], earning a No. 5 seed in the [[2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]]. The Vols crushed [[Long Beach State 49ers men's basketball|Long Beach State]] by 35 points in the first round, then rallied to upset [[Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball|Virginia]] to reach Pearl's second Sweet 16. The Vols were defeated in the Elite Eight by the nation's top-ranked [[2006–07 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team|Ohio State Buckeyes]], losing by a point despite the Volunteers being ahead for the majority of the game. Tennessee's 24 wins were then ranked third in the program's history. Pearl was rumored as a candidate for the head coaching position at Iowa, but indicated on March 27, 2007, that he was not interested in leaving Tennessee.<ref>[http://www.kcci.com/sports/11404205/detail.html Report: Bruce Pearl Turns Down Iowa Coaching Job – Sports News Story – KCCI Des Moines] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201229/http://www.kcci.com/sports/11404205/detail.html |date=September 27, 2007 }}. Kcci.com (March 27, 2007). Retrieved on November 17, 2011.</ref>

====2007–08====
On February 23, 2008, Pearl led the second-ranked Vols into in-state, undefeated rival [[Memphis Tigers men's basketball|Memphis]] to play the # 1 ranked Tigers. After a back and forth, emotionally heated contest, Tennessee defeated Memphis 66–62, handing Memphis its first loss of the season and its first home loss in 47 games. The win also cemented UT with a # 1 rank the following week—the first No. 1 ranking in the school's 100-year basketball history. One day after the rankings were posted, however, the # 1 Vols were upset by the [[2007–08 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team|Vanderbilt Commodores]] 72–69.

On March 5, 2008, Pearl's team defeated the [[2007–08 Florida Gators men's basketball team|Florida Gators]] 89–86 to claim Tennessee's first outright [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] Regular Season Championship in 41 years. On March 16, 2008, Tennessee was chosen as a #2 seed in the East region of the [[2008 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2008 NCAA basketball tournament]].  Pearl's Volunteers advanced to the Sweet 16 of the East Regional, beating Pearl's former Horizon League rival and 7-seed [[Butler Bulldogs men's basketball|Butler]] in the second round. They ended their season losing to the [[Louisville Cardinals men's basketball|Louisville Cardinals]] by a score of 79–60. The 31 total victories that season are the most in school history.

====2008–09====
December 3, 2008, marked a significant date for Pearl as he was able to win his 400th game by defeating [[UNC Asheville Bulldogs men's basketball|UNC-Asheville]]. In doing so, Pearl became the 6th-fastest basketball coach to ever reach the 400 mark and 2nd-fastest among active head coaches (behind [[Roy Williams (coach)|Roy Williams]]). The night was also very important for the Tennessee basketball program. It marked the 35th consecutive victory at home for Pearl and the Vols, beating the previous streak of 34 wins, which extended from January 2, 1966, to February 24, 1968. In addition, Tyler Smith recorded the school's first ever [[triple-double]] when he had 12 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. In March 2009, Pearl would lead the Vols to their first SEC Tournament Final in 20 years, where they would lose in a controversial finish to [[Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball|Mississippi State]]. The Vols went on to earn a 9 seed in the NCAA tournament where they were eliminated by [[Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball|Oklahoma State]] 77–75 on March 20, 2009. Tennessee announced that they and Pearl just agreed to a six-year extension for Pearl to stay with the university.

====2010–11====
[[File:Bruce Pearl 2010 Get Motivated! seminar (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Pearl in Knoxville in 2010]]
On November 17, 2009, Pearl was able to record victory number 100 at Tennessee, the second fastest UT coach to reach the century mark, as his team defeated [[UNC-Asheville]] 124–49. The 124-point total was the most ever scored by Tennessee in a regular season game. Tennessee's 34 assists also set a school record and its 16 3-pointers tied another.

On January 10, 2010, Tennessee defeated the #1 ranked [[Kansas Jayhawks]] in [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]], 74–68.  This was the first time that Tennessee defeated a #1 ranked team at [[Thompson–Boling Arena]].

On February 27, 2010, Tennessee defeated the #2 ranked [[Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball|Kentucky Wildcats]] in Knoxville, 74–65, cementing the Vols (all 5 years that Pearl has coached) for its 5th straight NCAA tournament appearance.

On Pearl's 50th birthday, March 18, 2010, Tennessee defeated [[San Diego State]] in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament by a score of 62–59. The Vols followed this victory with a second round defeat of [[Ohio Bobcats men's basketball|Ohio]], 83–69, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years and Pearl's fourth Sweet 16 in six years.

On March 26, 2010, the Tennessee Volunteers advanced to their first Elite 8 in school history with a 76–73 defeat of the [[Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball|Ohio State Buckeyes]]. On March 28, the Volunteers narrowly missed a trip to the Final Four, losing 70–69 to the [[Michigan State Spartans men's basketball|Michigan State Spartans]] in the Midwest Regional Final in [[St. Louis]].

Early in the 2010–11 season Tennessee beat nationally ranked [[Villanova Wildcats men's basketball|Villanova]] and [[Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball|Pittsburgh]], reaching a 7–0 record and #7 AP ranking. However, controversy from an NCAA investigation took its toll on the team. The Vols went only 4–8 in their last 12 games. After limping to an 8–8 conference record, Tennessee was blown out by 30 points in the second round of the 2011 NCAA tournament by [[Michigan Wolverines men's basketball|Michigan]]. This was the largest margin of defeat in the history of the NCAA tournament between a #8 and #9 seed. As it turned out, this would be the last game Pearl would coach at Tennessee.

====NCAA investigation====
In the summer of 2008, Pearl invited high school junior [[Aaron Craft]] and members of his family to a cookout at his Knoxville home while Craft was on an unofficial visit to Tennessee. At the cookout, Pearl said that Craft wasn't allowed to be there under NCAA rules, but encouraged all those in attendance not to tell anyone about it. When the NCAA began an investigation of the affair, Pearl not only lied about the cookout, but also told Craft's father to lie as well.<ref name=Showcause>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6892118/tennessee-volunteers-former-coach-bruce-pearl-assistants-punished-ncaa |title=Three-year show-cause for Bruce Pearl |first=Andy |last=Katz |author-link=Andy Katz |work=[[ESPN.com]] |date=August 25, 2011 |access-date=August 27, 2011}}</ref>

On September 10, 2010, Pearl acknowledged the violations in the Craft affair, and also admitted lying about it to the NCAA. As a result, Tennessee imposed sanctions on Pearl and his entire staff including $1.5 million in salary reduction over the next 5 years and a delayed retention bonus. His off-campus recruiting was also restricted completely from September 4, 2010, to September 23, 2011.<ref>[http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/sep/13/transcript-fridays-press-conference-ncaa-investiga/ Transcript of Friday's press conference on the NCAA investigation of the men's basketball program]. GoVolsXtra. Retrieved on November 17, 2011.</ref> On November 20, 2010, the SEC ordered Pearl to sit out Tennessee's first eight SEC games.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 19, 2010 |title=Tennessee's Pearl banned for first 8 SEC games |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=5824966 |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>

After finding out about additional NCAA violations, as well as a violation of the school's substance abuse policy by a player, Tennessee fired Pearl on March 21, 2011—three days after the Vols' blowout loss to Michigan.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=14278996 | title= UT fires Bruce Pearl | publisher= [[WATE-TV]] | date= March 21, 2011 | access-date= March 21, 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110323030132/http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=14278996 | archive-date= March 23, 2011 | url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>Beth Rucker,[http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/42198480/ns/sports-college_basketball/ Tennessee Fires Coach Bruce Pearl] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322145339/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/42198480/ns/sports-college_basketball/ |date=March 22, 2011 }}, ''Associated Press'' via [[NBC Sports]], March 21, 2011</ref><ref>Kelly, Rob (March 21, 2011). [http://bleacherreport.com/articles/641278-ncaa-tournament-barry-bonds-tiger-woods-and-mondays-midday-sports-buzz/entry/55308-bruce-pearl-fired-does-jim-tressel-deserve-the-same-fate-at-ohio-state "Bruce Pearl Fired: Does Jim Tressel Deserve the Same Fate at Ohio State?"]. [[Bleacher Report]].</ref>

On August 23, 2011, Pearl was given a three-year [[show-cause penalty]] for lying to the NCAA, effective until August 23, 2014. This meant that the sanctions imposed on Pearl would remain in force if he was hired by an NCAA member school within that period. Specifically, he was prohibited from engaging in any "recruiting activities", which meant he could not contact recruits, although he could evaluate talent during that period. If a school chose to hire him and challenged the NCAA restrictions, it had to appear before the NCAA Committee on Infractions and "show cause" for why the sanctions imposed on Pearl should not follow him to that school.<ref name=Showcause/> In imposing the penalty, the NCAA said that Pearl's lies turned what would have been a minor case into a major one.<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Neil |first=Dana |date=August 24, 2011 |title=In the end, the right people were punished |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/34543/in-the-end-the-right-people-were-punished |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> His assistant coaches were also given one-year show-cause orders, in effect until August 23, 2012.

On August 30, 2011, Pearl accepted a position as Vice President of [[Marketing]] for Knoxville wholesaler [[H. T. Hackney Company|H. T. Hackney]].<ref>Beth Rucker, "[http://www.wkrn.com/story/15360964/pearl-takes-job-as-vp-for-knoxville-company Pearl Takes Job as VP for Knoxville Company]," ''WKRN.com'', August 30, 2011.</ref>

===Auburn (2014–present)===
Pearl was named [[Auburn Tigers men's basketball|Auburn]]'s head basketball coach on March 18, 2014, replacing [[Tony Barbee]]. At the time he was hired, he still had five months remaining on his show-cause order for violations at Tennessee. As a result, he could not have contact with recruits during the summer recruiting period, but could evaluate them. Pearl was greeted by 100-plus fans when he arrived at the [[Auburn University Regional Airport]] that afternoon.<ref name="goodman">{{Cite web |last=Goodman |first=Jeff |date=March 18, 2014 |title=Pearl 'back in the game' as Auburn coach |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/10626778/bruce-pearl-accepts-auburn-tigers-head-basketball-coaching-job |access-date=February 25, 2016 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref> Pearl was formally introduced as Auburn's 20th head basketball coach at a [[press conference]] in [[Auburn Arena]] that evening.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 19, 2014 |title=Bruce Pearl greets Auburn basketball fans at first press conference |url=https://www.wbrc.com/story/25011793/bruce-pearl-greets-auburn-basketball-fans-at-first-press-conference |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=WBRC.com |language=en}}</ref> On the opportunity, Pearl said, "I’m humbled and blessed to be back in the game that I love. I don’t know how long it will take, but it’s time to rebuild the Auburn basketball program, and bring it to a level of excellence so many of the other teams on campus enjoy. I’m thrilled to join the Auburn family and appreciative of this opportunity and the challenge that awaits."<ref>''The War Eagle Reader'', March 18, 2014.</ref> Pearl signed a 6-year contract worth $2.2 million per year with a $100,000 annual escalator.<ref>Staff, "[http://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/index.ssf/2014/03/bruce_pearl_signs_6-year_deal.html/ Pearl's Buyout Clause Protects Auburn From Tennessee] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320172651/http://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/index.ssf/2014/03/bruce_pearl_signs_6-year_deal.html |date=2014-03-20 }}," ''The War Eagle Reader'', March 18, 2014.</ref>

Pearl won his first game as Auburn's head coach on November 14, 2014, against his former school, [[Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball|Milwaukee]], 83–73.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sinor |first=Wesley |date=November 15, 2014 |title=Auburn basketball rallies to defeat Wisconsin-Milwaukee in season opener |url=http://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/index.ssf/2014/11/auburn_milwaukee.html |access-date=February 25, 2016 |website=AL.com}}</ref> Despite failing to finish with a winning record for the first time in his career as a head coach, Pearl's first two seasons at Auburn were not without some significant wins. He led Auburn to the [[SEC men's basketball tournament|SEC tournament]] semifinals in 2015 as a 13-seed and ended Auburn's 18-game losing streak to [[Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball|Kentucky]] in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Slovin |first=Matt |date=March 14, 2015 |title=Kentucky clobbers Auburn in SEC Tournament semifinals |url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/2015/03/14/kentucky-clobbers-auburn/24763827/ |access-date=September 6, 2016 |website=[[The Tennessean]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mastroianni |first=Jake  |date=January 16, 2016 |title=Auburn basketball ends 18-game losing streak to Kentucky with 75–70 upset |url=http://flywareagle.com/2016/01/16/auburn-basketball-ends-18-game-losing-streak-to-kentucky-with-75-70-upset/ |access-date=September 6, 2016 |website=Fly War Eagle}}</ref> He earned his 500th career win as a head coach on January 18, 2017, after defeating [[LSU Tigers basketball|LSU]], 78–74.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stevens |first=Matthew  |date=January 29, 2017 |title=Bruce Pearl gets 500th career win over LSU at home |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburnauthority/2017/01/19/bruce-pearl-gets-500th-career-win-over-lsu-home/96757106/ |access-date=March 6, 2024 |language=en |newspaper=USA Today}}</ref>

Pearl led the [[2017–18 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|2017–18 team]] to its best record since 1999 while winning the SEC regular season championship.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scarbinsky |first=Kevin |date=January 26, 2018 |title=This Auburn basketball team parties like it's 1999 |url=https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2018/01/this_auburn_basketball_team_pa.html |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=AL.com |language=en}}</ref> A player, [[Bryce Brown (basketball)|Bryce Brown]], credits the recent team success to Pearl's taking them to [[Italy]] to build team 'chemistry', opponent preparation by Pearl, and the head coach's strong belief in each player.<ref>Katz, Andy. (January 30, 2018). "Video: Bryce Brown talks about Auburn's surprise rise." [https://web.archive.org/web/20180201090807/https://www.ncaa.com/video/basketball-men/2018-01-30/mbk-andy-katz-auburn-bryce-brown NCAA website]  Retrieved January 31, 2018.</ref>
[[File:Bruce Pearl 2019.png|thumb|Pearl in 2019]]
In 2019, Pearl's team tied for 4th in the conference and won the SEC Conference tournament by beating [[Tennessee Volunteers basketball|Tennessee]] handedly in the championship game 84–64, giving Auburn their 2nd SEC tournament championship. In the 2019 [[2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]], Pearl's Auburn team narrowly defeated #12 seed [[New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball|New Mexico State]] 78–77 in the first round. Auburn subsequently topped #4 seed [[Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball|Kansas]] 89–75 to advance to its first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 16 years. Auburn then beat No. 1 seed [[North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball|North Carolina]] 97–80 to advance to the [[Elite Eight]], before defeating #2 seed [[Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball|Kentucky]] 77–71 in overtime to advance to Auburn's first ever [[Final Four]]. Auburn became only the second team in NCAA history to defeat the three winningest programs in college basketball history, (Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky) in the same season. Auburn lost to [[Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball|Virginia]] in the Final Four, 63–62.<ref name="d697">{{cite web | title=Guy sinks FTs on disputed foul, Virginia shocks Auburn 63-62 | website=AP News | date=2019-04-07 | url=https://apnews.com/article/1f089cdc0f7240c0a872234e3be32415 | access-date=2024-12-24}}</ref>

The [[2019–20 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|2020 season]] would be successful for Pearl and the Tigers with the team finishing second in the SEC with a 25–6 record before the cancellation of the season due to [[COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2019-20 Auburn Tigers Men's Roster and Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/auburn/men/2020.html |access-date=2024-11-05 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2019-20 Men's Southeastern Conference Season Summary |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/sec/men/2020.html |access-date=2024-11-05 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

2021 was a dip in form for Pearl, after previous success. The Tigers fell from 25-6 in the preceding year to 13-14, which was only Pearl’s second losing record as a head coach.

In December 2021, the Tigers were placed on four years' probation for violations involving failure to monitor his assistant coaches while not promoting an atmosphere of compliance. Pearl was suspended for two games as well.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schlabach |first=Mark|date=December 10, 2021 |title=Auburn Tigers men's basketball placed on 4 years' probation; coach Bruce Pearl suspended 2 games |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/32837077/auburn-tigers-men-basketball-placed-4-years-probation-bruce-pearl-suspended-2-games |access-date=April 2, 2025 |website=ESPN.com |language=en-US}}</ref> This was Pearl's second NCAA sanctioning in less than a decade, the first one coming in 2011 while at the University of Tennessee.

[[2021–22 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|2022]] was a historic season for Pearl and Auburn, Pearl led the Tigers to the programs first ever #1 ranking in the [[AP Poll]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Durando |first=Bennett |date=January 24, 2022 |title=Auburn men's basketball ranked No. 1 for first time in school history |url=https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburn/2022/01/24/auburn-mens-basketball-ranked-number-1-first-time-program-history/6539794001/ |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=Montgomery Advertiser |language=en-US}}</ref> The Tigers would win the SEC regular season championship and set a program record for regular season wins, but would fall in the Round of 32 to [[Miami Hurricanes men's basketball|Miami]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Tom |date=March 22, 2022 |title=Revisiting the top moments from Auburn basketball's historic season |url=https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2022/03/revisiting-the-top-moments-from-auburn-basketballs-historic-season.html |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=AL.com |language=en}}</ref> Following the season, Pearl led the Tigers to make draft history as well. Auburn power forward [[Jabari Smith Jr.]] was selected number 3 overall in the [[2022 NBA draft]], making him the highest draft pick in program history. Auburn center [[Walker Kessler]] was also selected in the first round at pick twenty-two, marking the first time that Auburn has had multiple players taken in the first round.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Tom |date=June 24, 2022 |title=Auburn makes history in 2022 NBA Draft: 'It doesn't get much bigger than this' |url=https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2022/06/auburn-makes-history-in-2022-nba-draft-it-doesnt-get-much-bigger-than-this.html |access-date=October 21, 2022 |website=al |language=en}}</ref>

Also during the 2022 season, Pearl signed an eight-year, $50.2 million contract extension. The new deal went into effect after the season and keeps Pearl at Auburn until 2030 at a $5.4 million base salary that increases by $250,000 each year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Tom |date=March 14, 2022 |title=Auburn releases full details of Bruce Pearl's 8-year contract extension |url=https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2022/03/auburn-releases-full-details-of-bruce-pearls-8-year-contract-extension.html |access-date=October 31, 2022 |website=al |language=en}}</ref>

In the 2024 season, Auburn was ranked 11th in the preseason AP poll, but the team would have tremendous success, securing the #1 ranking in the AP poll for 8 consecutive weeks during the season.. Significant wins included over #4 Houston, #5 Iowa State, #12 UNC, #16 [[Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball|Purdue]], [[Texas Longhorns men's basketball|Texas]], #15 [[Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball|Mississippi St]]., #23 [[Georgia Bulldogs basketball|Georgia]], #6 Tennessee, and #2 [[Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball|Alabama]] where [[College GameDay (basketball TV program)|College GameDay]] was being held. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Men's Basketball 2024-25 |url=https://auburntigers.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=Auburn Tigers - Official Athletics Website |language=en-US}}</ref>Pearl won his 214th game for Auburn at [[2024–25 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team|Texas]] on January 7, 2025, surpassing [[Joel Eaves]] for most wins in program history.<ref>{{cite web | last=Grunert | first=Ben | title=Auburn head basketball coach Bruce Pearl offers emotional thoughts on making history with win over Texas | website=Sporting News | date=2025-01-08 | url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/auburn/news/auburn-head-basketball-coach-bruce-pearl-offers-emotional-thoughts-making-history-win-over-texas/4e226e52a87e4caa0d9ede70 | access-date=2025-05-29}}</ref> Securing a 27-4 regular season record, the team was awarded the #1 seed in the SEC tournament. However, the team would be eliminated in just the second round by Tennessee, falling 70-65.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tennessee 70-65 Auburn (Mar 15, 2025) Final Score |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/401744172/tennessee-auburn |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=ESPN |language=en}}</ref> Despite the early exit in the conference champtionship, the team was awarded a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The team would breeze through the first three rounds of the tournament, defeating [[Alabama State University|Alabama State]] 83-63<ref>{{Cite web |title=Auburn 83-63 Alabama State (Mar 20, 2025) Final Score |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/401745957/alabama-st-auburn |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=ESPN |language=en}}</ref> in the round of 64, [[Creighton Bluejays men's basketball|Creighton]] 82-70<ref>{{Cite web |title=Auburn 82-70 Creighton (Mar 22, 2025) Final Score |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/401746042/creighton-auburn |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=ESPN |language=en}}</ref> in the round of 32, and Michigan 78-65<ref>{{Cite web |title=Auburn 78-65 Michigan (Mar 28, 2025) Final Score |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/401746069/michigan-auburn |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=ESPN |language=en}}</ref> in the sweet 16. In the elite 8, the team would close out a close game against [[Michigan State Spartans men's basketball|Michigan State]] 70-64<ref>{{Cite web |title=Auburn 70-64 Michigan State (Mar 30, 2025) Final Score |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/401746078/michigan-st-auburn |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=ESPN |language=en}}</ref> to set up a final 4 match up with conference rival Florida. In a back-and-forth game that was highly contested, Auburn would fall short of victory to the eventual national champion Gators 79-73.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Auburn 70-64 Michigan State (Mar 30, 2025) Final Score |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/401746078/michigan-st-auburn |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=ESPN |language=en}}</ref> Pearl ended the 2024-25 season ended with a [[2024–25 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|32-6]] record.

Through the end of the 2024-25 season, Pearl's record at Auburn is {{Winning percentage|246|125| record=y}} and his overall record head coaching career record is {{Winning percentage|477|224| record=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bruce Pearl Coaching Record |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/bruce-pearl-1.html |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> 

==Head coaching record==
{{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = | conference = | postseason= | poll = }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name       = [[Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles men's basketball|Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles]]
 | conference = [[Great Lakes Valley Conference]]
 | startyear  = 1992
 | endyear    = 2001
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season       = 1992–93
 | name         = Southern Indiana
 | overall      = 22–7
 | conference   = 14–4
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | postseason   = [[1993 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division II Regional Third Place]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | season       = 1993–94
 | name         = Southern Indiana
 | overall      = 28–4
 | conference   = 16–2
 | confstanding = 1st
 | postseason   = [[1994 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division II Runner-up]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = national
 | season       = 1994–95
 | name         = Southern Indiana
 | overall      = 29–4
 | conference   = 15–3
 | confstanding = 3rd
 | postseason   = [[1995 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division II champion]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | season       = 1995–96
 | name         = Southern Indiana
 | overall      = 25–4
 | conference   = 18–2
 | confstanding = 1st
 | postseason   = NCAA Division II Sweet 16
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | season       = 1996–97
 | name         = Southern Indiana
 | overall      = 23–5
 | conference   = 16–4
 | confstanding = T–1st
 | postseason   = NCAA Division II First Round
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season       = 1997–98
 | name         = Southern Indiana
 | overall      = 27–6
 | conference   = 16–4
 | confstanding = 3rd
 | postseason   = NCAA Division II Sweet 16
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season       = 1998–99
 | name         = Southern Indiana
 | overall      = 26–6
 | conference   = 18–4
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | postseason   = NCAA Division II Sweet 16
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season       = 1999–00
 | name         = Southern Indiana
 | overall      = 25–6
 | conference   = 17–3
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | postseason   = NCAA Division II Sweet 16
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | season       = 2000–01
 | name         = Southern Indiana
 | overall      = 26–4
 | conference   = 18–2
 | confstanding = 1st
 | postseason   = NCAA Division II First Round
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Southern Indiana
 | overall    = {{Winning percentage|231|46|record=y}}
 | confrecord = {{Winning percentage|148|28|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name       = [[Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball|Milwaukee Panthers]]
 | conference = [[Horizon League]]
 | startyear  = 2001
 | endyear    = 2005
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season       = [[2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2001–02]]
 | name         = Milwaukee
 | overall      = 16–13
 | conference   = 11–5
 | confstanding = 3rd
 | postseason   =
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference tournament
 | season       = [[2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2002–03]]
 | name         = [[2002–03 Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball team|Milwaukee]]
 | overall      = 24–8
 | conference   = 13–3
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | postseason   = [[2003 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Round of 64]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | season       = [[2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2003–04]]
 | name         = [[2003–04 Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball team|Milwaukee]]
 | overall      = 20–11
 | conference   = 13–3
 | confstanding = 1st
 | postseason   = [[2004 National Invitation Tournament|NIT First Round]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = confboth
 | season       = [[2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2004–05]]
 | name         = [[2004–05 Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball team|Milwaukee]]
 | overall      = 26–6
 | conference   = 14–2
 | confstanding = 1st
 | postseason   = [[2005 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Sweet 16]]
 | ranking      = #23
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Milwaukee
 | overall    = {{Winning percentage|86|38|record=y}}
 | confrecord = {{Winning percentage|51|13|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name       = [[Tennessee Volunteers basketball|Tennessee Volunteers]]
 | conference = [[Southeastern Conference]]
 | startyear  = 2005
 | endyear    = 2011
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = division
 | season       = [[2005–06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2005–06]]
 | name         = [[2005–06 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team|Tennessee]]
 | overall      = 22–8
 | conference   = 12–4
 | confstanding = 1st <small>(East)</small>
 | postseason   = [[2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Round of 32]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season       = [[2006–07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2006–07]]
 | name         = [[2006–07 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team|Tennessee]]
 | overall      = 24–11
 | conference   = 10–6
 | confstanding = 2nd <small>(East)</small>
 | postseason   = [[2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Sweet 16]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | season       = [[2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2007–08]]
 | name         = [[2007–08 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team|Tennessee]]
 | overall      = 31–5
 | conference   = 14–2
 | confstanding = 1st <small>(East)</small>
 | postseason   = [[2008 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Sweet 16]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = division
 | season       = [[2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2008–09]]
 | name         = [[2008–09 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team|Tennessee]]
 | overall      = 21–13
 | conference   = 10–6
 | confstanding = T–1st <small>(East)</small>
 | postseason   = [[2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Round of 64]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season       = [[2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2009–10]]
 | name         = [[2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team|Tennessee]]
 | overall      = 28–9
 | conference   = 11–5
 | confstanding = 3rd <small>(East)</small>
 | postseason   = [[2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Elite Eight]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season       = [[2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2010–11]]
 | name         = [[2010–11 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team|Tennessee]]
 | overall      = 19–15
 | conference   = 8–8
 | confstanding = 5th <small>(East)</small>
 | postseason   = [[2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Round of 64]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Tennessee
 | overall    = {{Winning percentage|145|61|record=y}}
 | confrecord = {{Winning percentage|65|31|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name       = [[Auburn Tigers men's basketball|Auburn Tigers]]
 | conference = [[Southeastern Conference]]
 | startyear  = 2014
 | endyear    =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season       = [[2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2014–15]]
 | name         = [[2014–15 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]]
 | overall      = 15–20
 | conference   = 4–14
 | confstanding = 13th
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season       = [[2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2015–16]]
 | name         = [[2015–16 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]]
 | overall      = 11–20
 | conference   = 5–13
 | confstanding = 13th
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season       = [[2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2016–17]]
 | name         = [[2016–17 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]]
 | overall      = 6–14**
 | conference   = 0–11**
 | confstanding = 11th
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | season       = [[2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2017–18]]
 | name         = [[2017–18 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]]
 | overall      = 26–8
 | conference   = 13–5
 | confstanding = T–1st
 | postseason   = [[2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Round of 32]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference tournament
| season       = [[2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2018–19]]
| name         = [[2018–19 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]]
| overall      = 30–10
| conference   = 11–7
| confstanding = T–4th
| postseason   = [[2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Final Four]]
| ranking      =
| ranking2     =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season       = [[2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2019–20]]
| name         = [[2019–20 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]]
| overall      = 25–6
| conference   = 12–6
| confstanding = T–2nd
| postseason   = [[2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Canceled]]*
| ranking      =
| ranking2     =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season       = [[2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2020–21]]
| name         = [[2020–21 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]]
| overall      = 13–14
| conference   = 7–11
| confstanding = T–10th
| postseason   = Ineligible{{anchor|1**a}}[[#**|**]]
| ranking      =
| ranking2     =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| season       = [[2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2021–22]]
| name         = [[2021–22 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]]
| overall      = 26–6
| conference   = 15–3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason   = [[2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Round of 32]]
| ranking      =
| ranking2     =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season       = [[2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2022–23]]
| name         = [[2022–23 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]]
| overall      = 21–13
| conference   = 10–8
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason   = [[2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Round of 32]]
| ranking      =
| ranking2     =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference tournament
| season       = [[2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2023–24]]
| name         = [[2023–24 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]]
| overall      = 27–8
| conference   = 13–5
| confstanding = T–2nd
| postseason   = [[2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Round of 64]]
| ranking      =
| ranking2     =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference 
| season       = [[2024-25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2024–25]]
| name         = [[2024–25 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]]
| overall      = 32–6
| conference   = 15–3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason   = [[2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Final Four]]
| ranking      =
| ranking2     =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Auburn
 | overall    = {{Winning percentage|244|123|record=y}}
 | confrecord = {{Winning percentage|112|83|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
 | overall = {{Winning percentage|706|268|record=y}}
}}

{{small|* The [[2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2020 NCAA tournament]] was cancelled due to concerns over the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]]. Auburn was 2nd in the SEC and a lock to make the Tournament.}}

{{va|**}} ^[[#1**a|<sup>a</sup>]] Due to former assistant coach [[Chuck Person]]'s involvement in the [[2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal|2017-18 corruption scandal]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://auburntigers.com/news/2020/11/22/auburn-mens-basketball-program-to-forgo-postseason-for-2020-21-season.aspx|title=Auburn men's basketball program to forgo postseason for 2020-21 season|date=November 22, 2020 |publisher=Auburn Athletics |access-date=November 22, 2020}}</ref> Auburn was ineligible for postseason play in 2021, Pearl was suspended for two games during the 2021–22 season (both were won by Auburn, one each credited to assistants Wes Flanigan and Steven Pearl), & Auburn vacated 12 wins (including seven SEC wins) achieved during the 2016–17 season as part of the sanctions from the NCAA.

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

==External links==
*[https://auburntigers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/bruce-pearl/3784 Auburn Tigers bio]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060719221115/http://underscorebleach.net/jotsheet/supplementary/bruce_pearl_ncaa_memo.html Bruce Pearl's memo to the NCAA]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearl, Bruce}}
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