Steven Pearl went 3-1 against coaches who won national titles, including his best friend

For much of the early offseason, Auburn head coach Steven Pearl has been taking stock of his debut season at the helm of the program.

While the Tigers missed out on the NCAA tournament, the team finished their 2025 campaign on a high note by capturing the NIT championship. Reflecting on that run during the SEC spring meetings, Pearl noted that the additional high-stakes competition provided a massive boost to his own development as a head coach.

"Getting to 22 wins, John Cohen allowing us to play in the NIT, that obviously doesn’t happen had we not played in that tournament," Pearl told 205focus.com. "The reps I was able to get in those additional five games was instrumental for me in my development."

Pearl credited his roster's character and his staff's commitment for the success, noting, "Winning that number of games in the schedule that we had to play, it just speaks to the volume that we had really high character kids. We have a good coaching staff in place, and we just got to continue to build off of it."

Friendly Banter and Competitive Edge

The SEC meetings saw some lighthearted moments when Florida coach Todd Golden interrupted Pearl mid-interview, jokingly whispering, "Steven Pearl and Auburn undefeated this season." Pearl took the jab in stride, laughing off the comment before continuing.

That playful exchange masks a competitive history between the two friends. Pearl secured a signature 76-67 victory over Golden's squad last season in Gainesville. While Golden ultimately claimed bragging rights during the 2025 Final Four, leading his Gators to a national championship, Pearl proved he could hold his own against the sport's elite.

In fact, that January win against Florida marked Pearl’s third victory over a national championship-winning head coach during his inaugural season, having also notched wins over John Calipari (Arkansas) and Rick Pitino (St. John’s).

Looking Ahead to Year Two

Auburn has officially kicked off summer preparations, with the team focused on applying the lessons from their 2025 journey to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament next year.

"If you work and you’re prepared, that’s really all you can fall back on," Pearl said. "For us, we just stayed consistent with what we did every single day. We didn’t change what we did just because we were losing a couple games. We tried to find areas that we can improve and obviously build those things. I think our low points last year helped us win some of those tough games late in the year."