Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl makes admission that Tennessee Vols fans will love
Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl, who was the head coach of the Tennessee Vols from 2005 to 2011, made an admission this week that UT basketball fans will love (or at least appreciate).
While appearing on SiriusXM College Sports Radio this week, Pearl admitted that he was singing “Rocky Top” on Saturday night after Tennessee’s thrilling win against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Volunteers’ win against Bama clinched the outright SEC regular season title for Auburn.
“It was a good day,” said Pearl. “I want to just share this. I was singing ‘Rocky Top.’ I said, ‘It’s great to be a Tennessee Vol.’ I actually called Coach (Rick) Barnes, and he answered the phone and we had a sweet moment. I’m a big fan.”
Pearl also detailed how he and his team saw Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack’s buzzer-beating three-pointer that won the game against Bama.
“We go beat Kentucky at Rupp and get on a plane,” explained Pearl. “We knew we got a piece of it. Get off the plane, there’s four minutes left to go in the Tennessee/Alabama game. All the kids are on their phones, but it’s time to get off the plane. The players are getting on the bus, the coaches are getting in their cars, and we all kind of scatter. All of the sudden, Mashack knocks that sucker down. Everything that you work for all year long, all the work, all the training, all the challenges, it all comes together in one shining moment.”
The Tigers’ official Twitter/X.com account posted a video on Saturday night of Auburn’s players singing Rocky Top after Tennessee took down Alabama.
Tennessee and Auburn are two of the best teams in the nation, so there’s a decent chance they’ll run into each other on the court again at some point this season.
