What Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl said about transfer portal ahead of Sweet 16
ATLANTA — Auburn men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl doesn’t shy away from voicing his opinions.
Pearl, whose team faces Michigan in the Sweet 16 of March Madness on Friday, opened Thursday’s media availability with a statement regarding the state of college basketball and the transfer portal.
“I'm also not a big fan of this transfer every year,” he said. “We're teaching the kids to flee, not fight. I think the one-time transfer is great. I think the grad transfer is great. I always had guys transfer and come in, and in that year where they were not eligible to play, they got caught up academically, they got caught up physically, and they were so much more valuable after spending a year on campus understanding the system. It would be like bringing back another veteran.”
Watch Auburn vs. Michigan on Fubo (free trial)
Pearl, in his 11th season at Auburn, also touched on the importance of winning now and not preemptively looking at building a roster for next season.
“I'm not spending any time on it. I'm focused on, like (head) coach (Tom Izzo) said, what we're doing,” Pearl said. “I've made a couple calls, but not many, just to reach out. We've got a big staff, so our guys are just letting the potential prospects know that we've got work to do.”
Despite this, he acknowledged the benefits of the portal opening earlier in the season — despite the frustration it can cause for Sweet 16 teams.
“If you're a student-athlete and you're at another Division I institution and your season was over at the beginning of March, you're supposed to have to wait three or four weeks until the Final Four's over before you can move on with the rest of your life?” Pearl said.
Switching gears, Pearl went on to acknowledge Izzo’s impact on the game, noting his ability to “speak for all coaches.”
“I love Coach Izzo because of his authenticity. I love him because he's so 100 percent real. And I love him because he speaks for the coaches. He represents us extremely well,” he said about Izzo’s tenure in college basketball. “But at the same time, nobody loves their student-athletes more than Tom Izzo.”
Auburn vs. Michigan date, start time, where to watch
- Game Day: Friday, March 28, 2025
- Game Time: 9:39 p.m. ET
- Location: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
- TV Channel: CBS
- Live Stream: Fubo - Watch Now!
Auburn vs. Michigan odds
Odds as of Monday, March 24 via BetMGM.
- Spread: Auburn -8.5 (-115)
- Moneyline Favorite: Auburn -400
- Moneyline Underdog: Michigan +310
- Total: 153.5
Andy Mathis is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.