Sports

Auburn’s New Basketball Coach Hits Hugh Freeze With Brutal Stray After Escaping Bethune-Cookman

#auburn tigers
by
Steven Pearl, Auburn Tigers

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The Auburn basketball team escaped a season-opening matchup against Bethune-Cookman with an overtime win. Head coach Steven Pearl picked up a victory in his debut.

The performance was a bit unsettling to some as the program transitions out of the Bruce Pearl era. The team’s new leader vowed to fix the issues while taking a jab at Hugh Freeze.

The Tigers have been one of basketball’s best programs over the last few seasons. They’ve won 20 games or more in seven of the last eight years with a pair of Final Four runs.

Bruce Pearl was at the helm for each of those campaigns having roamed the sidelines for more than a decade on the Plains. He called it quits this past offseason.

His son, Steven, was handed the keys to the program. His tenure got off to a bit of a rocky start.

Auburn survived a basketball scare.

Bethune-Cookman went 17-16 last season, though it posted a respectable 13-5 mark in SWAC play. It was a team the Tigers were expected to handle with little resistance.

That wasn’t the case. Auburn found itself in a dogfight during its season opener as a 24-point home favorite.

The Wildcats never trailed by more than six points. They forced overtime with three late free throws. The upset bid fell just short.

Auburn beat Bethune-Cookman, 95-90. Steven Pearl got a game ball during the postgame celebration.

Steven Pearl took a shot at Hugh Freeze.

Pearl addressed the media after the win. His comments sparked a major reaction.

“I know Auburn fans are tired of being told to be patient, so we’re gonna get our a—- to work,” he said. It was a reference to Auburn’s disastrous three-year football run.

Freeze was hired ahead of the 2023 season. He posted a 15-19 overall mark across 2+ seasons.

There was one common theme in Freeze’s outlook on his team. Often, he asked the fanbase for patience, insisting that the program was close to making its breakthrough.

Unfortunately, it never did. Freeze’s request was not granted. He was removed from his post amid a 4-5 start to the 2025 season. The losses were too much to ignore.

Steven Pearl is not asking for patience. He understands the expectations for Auburn basketball are high.

He’ll look to build upon his father’s success and lead the Tigers back to the postseason this March.