SAN ANTONIO — Bruce Pearl was named Associated Press Coach of the Year alongside St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino on Friday.
It’s the first tie in the award’s 58-year history, with both Pearl and Pitino receiving 20 votes from the panel of national media that picks the AP Top 25.
Pearl joins former Auburn head coach Cliff Ellis as the only Auburn men’s basketball coaches to win AP Coach of the Year honors and is the first SEC coach to win the award since Kentucky’s John Calipari in 2015.
Auburn is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the program’s second ever Final Four — both under the tenure of Pearl. He is the all-time winningest coach in program history with 227 career wins.
Auburn will face off against Florida for a chance to play in the National Championship on Saturday, April 5. Tipoff is set for 5:05 p.m. CST and will be televised on CBS.
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Grace Heim is a senior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in Political Science. She started with The Plainsman in January of 2023.
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