Bruce Pearl asked to have Auburn basketball game time changed due to football conflict

Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl asked to have the time of tomorrow night’s Memphis game changed due to a scheduling conflict with Auburn football.

Bruce Pearl has your back Tiger Nation. For fans of both Auburn basketball and football, Pearl didn’t force anyone to have to choose which game to choose from on Saturday, with Gus Malzahn’s football squad taking on the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 6:30. Instead, he was the one who spearheaded the men’s basketball game against Memphis being moved from 8:30 to 4:

With all due respect to Pearl, the choice wouldn’t have necessarily been a tough one. Auburn football has had an underwhelming season by all accounts, but they were still a ranked squad just two weeks ago before their Iron Bowl beatdown at the hands of Steve Sarkisian’s Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa.

Not only that, but they are still eligible for NCAA FBS’ bowl season playoffs. Pearl’s 2-2 Auburn basketball Tigers won’t be eligible for the postseason due to a self-imposed ban that stemmed from accepted bribery allegations against former assistant coach Chuck Person.

Per ESPN:

"Person, a former Auburn star who joined Pearl’s staff as an assistant coach in 2014, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to steer players to a financial adviser. He was also accused of helping facilitate money to players’ families. The government alleged he provided $11,000 to one player’s family and $7,500 to another’s. Person was sentenced in 2019 to community service and two years of probation."

With less to play for with Pearl’s squad, the Mississippi State matchup takes precedence with the people of the Plains. Auburn football projects to be a participant in the Citrus Bowl, with Northwestern projected to be their most common opponent. Other projections have them in the Armed Forces Bowl, with the Wisconsin Badgers and Washington Huskies being their two other projected bowl game opponents.

Auburn basketball is awaiting the reinstatement of Sharife Cooper, whose father’s consultancy company is heavily involved with the Person allegations. In the interim, the likes of Jamal Johnson and Justin Powell have been carrying the torch for the offense.

Thankfully because of Pearl, we won’t have to choose between the two teams this Saturday. So when the basketball Tigers tip-off in the Philips Arena, Auburn basketball fans can cheer on the lads uninterrupted before the football Tigers kick-off at Davis Wade stadium…uninterrupted.

War Eagle, and thank you Bruce Pearl!