Every coach, at some point in his career, has worried about getting fired. For most, it’s an inevitable day that’s never fun. But it also doesn’t have to represent the end. And the way this college basketball season is unfolding has served as a nice reminder of such.
Look at the top of the Top 25 And 1.
No. 1 Tennessee is coached by Rick Barnes, who was fired by Texas in March 2015. No. 2 Auburn is coached by Bruce Pearl, who was fired by Tennessee in March 2011. On the days those men were let go, nobody knew if Barnes or Pearl were done as relevant figures in the sport. But both found homes in the SEC and have proven to be terrific hires.
Barnes has had two different teams ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, won two SEC regular-season titles, one SEC Tournament title and made the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, which represents the farthest any coach has ever taken the Vols. Pearl has had a team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, won two SEC regular-season titles, two SEC Tournament titles and made the Final Four, making him the first coach to ever take the Tigers that deep in the NCAA Tournament.
Either could win a national title this season.
The Vols and Tigers are only scheduled to meet once this regular-season — on Jan. 25 inside Neville Arena on campus at Auburn. In theory, the result of that matchup could determine the SEC champion and perhaps which school will be the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
