Here’s why some fans were thrilled Bruce Pearl’s team lost in heart-breaking fashion
Auburn was on the wrong side of history Saturday in a 63-62 loss to Virginia in the first Final Four game in Minneapolis.
According to CBS Sports, Auburn was the first team since 1989 to lose at the Final Four on free throws with less than 5 seconds to play. That’s when Michigan beat Seton Hall in the title game.
For some fans in Illinois and Tennessee, the tough defeat for the Tigers was karma for coach Bruce Pearl.
Illinois fans haven’t forgiven Pearl for an incident 30 years ago. Pearl, who was an assistant at Iowa at the time, secretly recording a recruit who insinuated he was offered money by an Illini coach. Pearl shared the recording with the NCAA.
In 2008, Pearl was coaching at Tennessee when he invited a recruit to a barbecue, reportedly knowing it was an NCAA violation. He was later fired.
It seems some fans at Illinois and Tennessee haven’t forgiven Pearl.
To wit:
So, yeah, fans weren’t sad to see Pearl’s team lose in the Final Four in such a tough way. Here is a sample of what they were saying on Twitter (well, the ones without cursing):
This story was originally published April 6, 2019 at 9:02 PM.
