Feb 8, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden talks with Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl before their game at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images When Bruce Pearl was hired in 2014 to rebuild Auburn’s program, he lured Todd Golden away from Columbia to serve as his director of basketball operations.
After Golden spent his first year focused on Auburn’s advanced analytics and metrics and a lot of other duties, Pearl promoted him to assistant coach. Though the Tigers suffered through two losing seasons when they worked together, it was enough to put Golden on the fast track.
He was hired as San Francisco’s associate head coach in 2016, promoted to head coach in 2019 and jumped to Florida in 2022. Though Pearl and Golden haven’t worked together in nine years, they’re as close as ever — and they’re each one win away from their first NCAA championship game appearance.
Alas, when Florida (34-4) takes on Auburn (32-5) in Saturday’s first Final Four semifinal in San Antonio, Texas, only the pupil or the mentor will advance to Monday night against either Duke or Houston. While the Tigers earned the No. 1 overall seed from the NCAA Tournament committee, the Gators are regarded as a slight favorite by the oddsmakers.
“It is (awkward) because the relationship is that close,” Pearl said on “The Paul Finebaum Show.” “But if we have to play each other, let’s do it for a championship, you know? I’m so proud of Todd and so happy for him.”
“Bruce and I texted a little bit on Saturday night, Sunday morning,” Golden said. “And then I FaceTimed with Steven (Bruce’s son and an Auburn assistant) Sunday night after they won. We were just kind of giggling, man. It’s pretty incredible, you know?
“Come a long way from the 2014-15 season at Auburn, where we were playing in the only game on the men’s side on the first day of the SEC tournament. It was us against Mississippi State at the bottom of the league. Fast-forward 10, 11 years and now both of us have our teams in the Final Four.”
Then Golden smiled.
“We don’t necessarily enjoy playing each other. It’s not something that excites us. But at the same time, when you’re doing it in the Final Four, it’s a little different.”
When Golden joined the SEC in 2022, he quickly was reminded what a force Pearl and the Tigers are. Both went all-out to reel in a big transfer from Morehead State named Johni Broome.
Broome, of course, selected Auburn and has developed into a first-team All-American and National Player of the Year candidate. Though he’ll be at less than 100 percent Saturday due to an elbow injury suffered in Sunday’s regional final win over Michigan State, Broome enters the Final Four averaging 18.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
“At the time, I probably had just a misunderstanding of kind of what I thought of myself as a head coach,” Golden said. “Comparing Bruce to myself, you know, Bruce was a lot more accomplished at the time.”
But don’t weep too much for Golden. He still managed to reel in a nice recruiting class that included Belmont transfer Will Richard, a three-year Florida starter who averages 13.3 points per game. The following offseason, Golden attracted Iona transfer guard Walter Clayton Jr. (team-high 18.1 ppg), who merely has developed into a first-team all-American, too.
Auburn didn’t need to watch film of Florida’s 84-79 win over Texas Tech in the West Regional final to learn what type of havoc Clayton and the Gators can wreak. The Tigers lived that movie on Feb. 8 when then-No. 6 Florida visited then-No. 1 Auburn for the schools’ only regular-season meeting.
Similar to the way Clayton poured in 13 points in the final 5:24 to turn a 10-point deficit against Texas Tech into Florida’s first Final Four appearance since 2014, Clayton went berserk for 13 points in 3:40 midway through their Feb. 8 clash, which Florida won 90-81.
The Tigers looked almost unbeatable at that juncture of the season. They were 21-1, had won 14 straight by an average of 19.4 per game and owned No. 1 in the national polls for the last month.
Once Feb. 8 was in the books, Pearl believed more in Florida.
“Paul, I’ve been saying for the last two months that I’ve thought that Florida was the best team in the country,” Pearl told Finebaum.
Golden demurs — to a point.
“Both teams have probably changed quite a bit since Feb. 8,” he said. “But I do think our first game gives us some confidence going into Saturday’s tilt that, you know, we’ve played well against this team before. We understand they’re going to have some tricks up their sleeve and some things they want to do differently this time around, and we’re going to have to adjust as well.”
–Field Level Media
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Soud zastavil řízení kvůli daňovému úniku při MS 2006 i proti Zwanzigerovi
„S rozhodnutím jsem spokojený a můžu chodit se vztyčenou hlavou,“ uvedl Zwanziger.Obvinění z daňových úniků při pořádání světového šampionátu v Německu čelili také Wolfgang Niersbach, který Zwanzigera nahradil v čele svazu v roce 2012, a někdejší svazový sekretář Horst Schmidt. Oba se dohodli s úřady na zastavení řízení již loni a zaplatili pokuty.Kauza se táhla od roku 2015 a zabývaly se jí soudy v Německu i ve Švýcarsku. Trojice činovníků čelila obvinění, že zmanipulovali daňová přiznání za pořádání světového šampionátu tak, aby se svaz vyhnul vysokým daním.Podle prokuratury měli Zwanziger, Niersbach a Schmidt na daních zaplatit 13,7 milionu eur (nyní 341 milionů korun). Svaz v roce 2017 za MS, kterému se díky zisku bronzových medailí v Německu přezdívá „letní pohádka“, doplatil zpětně na daních přes 20 milionů eur. V případu figurovala také částka 6,7 milionu eur, která měla podle vyšetřovatelů tvořit tajný fond, jímž si Německo zajistilo vítězství ve volbě pořadatele šampionátu.
Manchester United’s Amad, Matthijs de Ligt return to training before Europa League semi-final
Amad and Matthijs de Ligt have returned to Manchester United training ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Athletic Club.Amad, 22, sustained an ankle ligament injury in February which the club feared could end his season while 25-year-old De Ligt has been out of action since an ankle injury suffered during the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on April 1.AdvertisementHowever, the pair have returned to training ahead of their trip to Bilbao on Thursday.Amad’s potential return comes at a good time following the news of defender Diogo Dalot’s injury. The Athletic reported last week that the Portugal international may not play again this season after suffering a calf injury. Amad + Matthijs de Ligt running the gauntlet after returning to full training following injuries. Amad’s comeback ahead of schedule is a major boost, puts him in contention to […]
Casagrande é direto e crava técnico para seleção brasileira: “O melhor”
Casagrande em entrevista para podcast (Reprodução - YouTube) Casagrande não poupou críticas à CBF pela indefinição no comando técnico da seleção brasileira, após Carlo Ancelotti declinar da proposta ofertada e deu uma sugestão para entidade buscar planos alternativos: Abel Ferreira e Renato Gaúcho. Na visão do comentarista, caso Jorge Jesus, que é segunda alternativa da CBF, declinar de um eventual acerto, os treinadores de Palmeiras e Fluminense, respectivamente, deveriam ser consultados para o cargo. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Na minha opinião, o Abel Ferreira é o melhor de todos e tentaria tudo para convencê-lo a trabalhar com a nossa seleção para a Copa”, disparou Casagrande. “As nossas chances de fazer uma boa Copa são mínimas do jeito que as coisas estão e já estamos no limite de ficarmos sem comando”, complementou o ex-jogador. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Citado por Casagrande, Abel Ferreira tem vínculo […]
Tennis adopted electronic line calling on clay and created a ball-mark monster
“Can you make it make sense?” Alex Eala asked after her defeat to Iga Świątek at the Madrid Open in April.Eala, a 19-year-old emerging talent from the Philippines, was not talking about her three-set loss, but rather a ball mark on the tournament’s red clay courts. Early in the match, Świątek hit a serve that the mark on the clay showed to be out, but no out call came: the electronic line calling (ELC) system determined it to be in.Advertisement“I mean, the mark is the physical, it’s the physical proof,” Eala said.The day after, Arthur Fils experienced an identical situation against Francisco Comesana.“It’s terrible,” the French men’s No. 1 said in an interview after the match.“It’s been a few weeks that now we play with the automatic line judges on clay. I got one serve that was maybe two or three […]
With fewer four-homer games than perfect games, why is one revered, and the other a quirk?
Dodgers manager Jim Tracy planned to pinch-hit for Shawn Green in the ninth inning on May 23, 2002, but the right fielder argued his way into one final at-bat. If a couple guys reached base, Green reasoned, he could have one more chance at history.Tracy relented, Green earned one more trip to the plate, and power met opportunity.AdvertisementThat afternoon in Milwaukee, Green became the 14th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in one game. That number has since swelled to 19, the latest being Eugenio Suárez, who belted four over the fence for the Diamondbacks last Saturday.Whenever the four-homer club adds a member, Green receives a few tweets or a text. He’ll find his name included in some MLB social media post.“It definitely pulls me back into relevance for that one day,” he said.It’s a rare feat, […]
Rozhodnutí, po němž Oktagon přišel o miliony. Derby nevyšlo, Čech míří do Edenu
Losování, ve kterém si bojovníci jen pár desítek minut po skončení akce určili pořadí, v němž postupně přicházeli k plachtě s graficky znázorněným pavoukem, čímž si vybrali čtvrtfinálového soupeře, gradovalo především v jeho samotném závěru. Polák Wawrzyniak svou volbou mohl rozhodnout právě o zmíněném federálním derby mezi Peňázem a Čepem, k čemuž ho hlasitě vybízelo i publikum.„Jotko! Jotko! Jotko!“ buráceli fanoušci jméno jednoho ze dvou „volných“ bojovníků. Jenomže houževnatý polský chasník si takticky vybral devětadvacetiletého českého střelce, jenž pro něj ve čtvrtfinále představuje přijatelnější měřítko. Suma sumárum k bitvě mezi Peňázem a Čepem tak nedošlo. Opět. Zlobu cítí také početný zástup českých a slovenských fanoušků.„Piotr nás asi tímto krokem všechny nas*al. Jeho rozhodnutí nás stojí tak milion eur (téměř 25 milionů korun). Kdybychom měli bitvu Čepa s Peňázem, tak si umím představit, že to něco udělá. Ale asi jsme nečekali, že si Piotr stoupne k Jotkovi,“ mrzí Ondřeje Novotného. Jako poslední v pořadí si totiž […]
Related
Soud zastavil řízení kvůli daňovému úniku při MS 2006 i proti Zwanzigerovi
„S rozhodnutím jsem spokojený a můžu chodit se vztyčenou hlavou,“ uvedl Zwanziger.Obvinění z daňových úniků při pořádání světového šampionátu v Německu čelili také Wolfgang Niersbach, který Zwanzigera nahradil v čele svazu v roce 2012, a někdejší svazový sekretář Horst Schmidt. Oba se dohodli s úřady na zastavení řízení již loni a zaplatili pokuty.Kauza se táhla od roku 2015 a zabývaly se jí soudy v Německu i ve Švýcarsku. Trojice činovníků čelila obvinění, že zmanipulovali daňová přiznání za pořádání světového šampionátu tak, aby se svaz vyhnul vysokým daním.Podle prokuratury měli Zwanziger, Niersbach a Schmidt na daních zaplatit 13,7 milionu eur (nyní 341 milionů korun). Svaz v roce 2017 za MS, kterému se díky zisku bronzových medailí v Německu přezdívá „letní pohádka“, doplatil zpětně na daních přes 20 milionů eur. V případu figurovala také částka 6,7 milionu eur, která měla podle vyšetřovatelů tvořit tajný fond, jímž si Německo zajistilo vítězství ve volbě pořadatele šampionátu.
Manchester United’s Amad, Matthijs de Ligt return to training before Europa League semi-final
Amad and Matthijs de Ligt have returned to Manchester United training ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Athletic Club.Amad, 22, sustained an ankle ligament injury in February which the club feared could end his season while 25-year-old De Ligt has been out of action since an ankle injury suffered during the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on April 1.AdvertisementHowever, the pair have returned to training ahead of their trip to Bilbao on Thursday.Amad’s potential return comes at a good time following the news of defender Diogo Dalot’s injury. The Athletic reported last week that the Portugal international may not play again this season after suffering a calf injury. Amad + Matthijs de Ligt running the gauntlet after returning to full training following injuries. Amad’s comeback ahead of schedule is a major boost, puts him in contention to […]
Casagrande é direto e crava técnico para seleção brasileira: “O melhor”
Casagrande em entrevista para podcast (Reprodução - YouTube) Casagrande não poupou críticas à CBF pela indefinição no comando técnico da seleção brasileira, após Carlo Ancelotti declinar da proposta ofertada e deu uma sugestão para entidade buscar planos alternativos: Abel Ferreira e Renato Gaúcho. Na visão do comentarista, caso Jorge Jesus, que é segunda alternativa da CBF, declinar de um eventual acerto, os treinadores de Palmeiras e Fluminense, respectivamente, deveriam ser consultados para o cargo. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Na minha opinião, o Abel Ferreira é o melhor de todos e tentaria tudo para convencê-lo a trabalhar com a nossa seleção para a Copa”, disparou Casagrande. “As nossas chances de fazer uma boa Copa são mínimas do jeito que as coisas estão e já estamos no limite de ficarmos sem comando”, complementou o ex-jogador. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Citado por Casagrande, Abel Ferreira tem vínculo […]
Tennis adopted electronic line calling on clay and created a ball-mark monster
“Can you make it make sense?” Alex Eala asked after her defeat to Iga Świątek at the Madrid Open in April.Eala, a 19-year-old emerging talent from the Philippines, was not talking about her three-set loss, but rather a ball mark on the tournament’s red clay courts. Early in the match, Świątek hit a serve that the mark on the clay showed to be out, but no out call came: the electronic line calling (ELC) system determined it to be in.Advertisement“I mean, the mark is the physical, it’s the physical proof,” Eala said.The day after, Arthur Fils experienced an identical situation against Francisco Comesana.“It’s terrible,” the French men’s No. 1 said in an interview after the match.“It’s been a few weeks that now we play with the automatic line judges on clay. I got one serve that was maybe two or three […]
With fewer four-homer games than perfect games, why is one revered, and the other a quirk?
Dodgers manager Jim Tracy planned to pinch-hit for Shawn Green in the ninth inning on May 23, 2002, but the right fielder argued his way into one final at-bat. If a couple guys reached base, Green reasoned, he could have one more chance at history.Tracy relented, Green earned one more trip to the plate, and power met opportunity.AdvertisementThat afternoon in Milwaukee, Green became the 14th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in one game. That number has since swelled to 19, the latest being Eugenio Suárez, who belted four over the fence for the Diamondbacks last Saturday.Whenever the four-homer club adds a member, Green receives a few tweets or a text. He’ll find his name included in some MLB social media post.“It definitely pulls me back into relevance for that one day,” he said.It’s a rare feat, […]
Rozhodnutí, po němž Oktagon přišel o miliony. Derby nevyšlo, Čech míří do Edenu
Losování, ve kterém si bojovníci jen pár desítek minut po skončení akce určili pořadí, v němž postupně přicházeli k plachtě s graficky znázorněným pavoukem, čímž si vybrali čtvrtfinálového soupeře, gradovalo především v jeho samotném závěru. Polák Wawrzyniak svou volbou mohl rozhodnout právě o zmíněném federálním derby mezi Peňázem a Čepem, k čemuž ho hlasitě vybízelo i publikum.„Jotko! Jotko! Jotko!“ buráceli fanoušci jméno jednoho ze dvou „volných“ bojovníků. Jenomže houževnatý polský chasník si takticky vybral devětadvacetiletého českého střelce, jenž pro něj ve čtvrtfinále představuje přijatelnější měřítko. Suma sumárum k bitvě mezi Peňázem a Čepem tak nedošlo. Opět. Zlobu cítí také početný zástup českých a slovenských fanoušků.„Piotr nás asi tímto krokem všechny nas*al. Jeho rozhodnutí nás stojí tak milion eur (téměř 25 milionů korun). Kdybychom měli bitvu Čepa s Peňázem, tak si umím představit, že to něco udělá. Ale asi jsme nečekali, že si Piotr stoupne k Jotkovi,“ mrzí Ondřeje Novotného. Jako poslední v pořadí si totiž […]
Be the first to leave a comment