Bruce Pearl may have stepped away from coaching, but he is still deeply plugged into the basketball world. He never misses a chance to banter with his rivals, even in retirement. And as you might expect, that does not always sit well with fans. Those comments set the stage for what happened next in Gainesville

This time, it came after the Florida Gators–Alabama Crimson Tide matchup, where coaches Todd Golden and Nate Oats were already locked in a battle off the court. Florida backed it up with a dominant 100–77 win, but the tension had started even before tip-off, with Oats firing the first shot pregame.

Nate Oats was not thrilled with how Florida operated in the lane and did not hide it. “When you can sit in the lane for 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 seconds at a time, it helps your offensive rebounding quite a bit,” he said. Well, that take backfired in a big way.

That gripe about the lane did not age well once the ball went up in Gainesville.

Todd Golden’s side went on to make history, becoming the first SEC team in more than 20 seasons to score 70 or more points in the paint against a high-major opponent. The Gators finished with a staggering 72 points in the paint, and Todd Golden had his own response afterward.

“Beat him on the glass, we scored 72 points in the paint. I thought our guys were in there for one second, two seconds, and then we would have scored. So, we did a good job taking advantage of our catches down there,” Golden said.

That back-and-forth might have stayed between the two benches if Bruce Pearl had not jumped in.

And all of this was unfolding with Bruce Pearl clearly enjoying the moment. Pearl took to X to react to Todd Golden’s comments, posting nothing more than a laughing emoji. The post quickly went viral, but not everyone appreciated his involvement. Many fans felt it should have stayed between the two coaches. Here are some of the reactions aimed at the former Auburn coach.

Bruce Pearl Draws Criticism Across the NCAA Community

The laughing emoji played well with some, but not everyone was amused.

“Safe to say you’re not a Nate Oats fan?,” one fan said, while another joined in to add, “Your last game against Oats was an L.” It was clear from the reaction that many fans were not happy with Bruce Pearl taking digs at Nate Oats, especially after stepping away from coaching.

Bruce Pearl stepped away after 11 years at Auburn, leaving behind a 246–125 record and a program he helped completely reshape. Auburn had gone 131–151 in the nine seasons before his arrival.

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Under Pearl, the Tigers reached two Final Fours, including one in 2025, while also winning three regular-season titles and two SEC Tournament crowns.

Part of that blowback traces back to Pearl’s own recent history with Alabama.

The Auburn–Alabama matchup was always circled on the calendar. Pearl stood as Nate Oats’ first big rival when Oats joined Alabama in 2019, yet the balance of power has tilted his way more often than not. Fans did not hesitate to point that out, with one saying, “Nate Oats owns you btw.”

Since Nate Oats took over at Alabama, Bruce Pearl has gone 5–7 against the Tide. While Pearl swept the Alabama–Auburn series three times overall, only one of those sweeps came against Oats. The teams also battled into overtime three times during that stretch, with Auburn winning only the first, a 95–91 result in 2019–20.

In fact, Pearl’s last meeting with Alabama ended in a 93–91 loss at Neville Arena, with Mark Sears knocking down a buzzer-beating floater.

Even since stepping away from the bench, Pearl has discovered that life as a retired coach with a live microphone comes with its own risks.

When he announced his retirement in 2025, social media did not just celebrate his Final Four runs at Auburn; plenty of fans resurfaced his most controversial moments and labeled him “the sport’s biggest snitch” over the old Deon Thomas recruiting scandal.

That reaction showed how quickly public conversation around Pearl can flip from his on-court success to his off-court baggage whenever he reenters the spotlight.

That history explains why Pearl found humor in Golden’s response, even if it did not sit well with everyone. As one fan bluntly put it, “Not a good look Bruce.”

Things look different at Auburn now. The Tigers are 5–4 in SEC play and no longer part of the title conversation, a clear shift from past seasons under Bruce Pearl as his son tries to guide the program through these rough times.

It is hard not to think that coaching is something Bruce Pearl misses. His involvement in the back-and-forth between Todd Golden and Nate Oats, even with fans labeling them the “two most annoying coaches in the SEC,” suggests there might still be some coaching fire left in him.

In today’s SEC, the real postgame show often starts once the coaches put their phones to work.

That said, there is nothing to suggest Bruce Pearl is itching for a return to the sidelines.

He currently holds an ambassador role with the program and seems more than content in his role as an analyst on TNT, where he still gets to break down and stay connected to everything happening in the college basketball world.