Bruce Pearl thinks that college basketball is about to reach a breaking point. The Auburn coach loves what’s happening on the court this season, but he’s also worried about what’s going on behind the scenes. NIL money and open transfers have made things so chaotic that coaches can’t handle them anymore. Amidst this, Pearl articulated his concerns directly.

“Our game on the court this season is awesome and we could see four #1 seeds get to the Final Four again. While Coaches are glad the athletes are finally getting paid legally the combo of Transfer portal and NIL have created free agency gone wild. We must make changes for 26/27!”

The numbers back up Pearl’s sense of urgency. This year, high-major programs signed about 20 to 25 players in the middle of the season from professional leagues, taking advantage of looser eligibility rules. T.J. Clark came to Ole Miss from Mexico’s professional league.

Utah signed Lucas Langarita from Spain’s Liga ACB. Dayton signed Sean Pouedet, who had the most assists in the Dutch and Belgian leagues.

Programs structure backloaded 16- to 18-month contracts worth parts of the $20.5 million annual athlete compensation budgets, which helps them manage costs right away while extending payments into 2026-27.

Bruce Pearl’s point of view is especially important because Auburn had a very tough schedule in 2024-25. The Tigers played four teams that were ranked in the top 10 by the Associated Press: Houston, Michigan, Purdue, and Arizona. At different times, three of these teams were ranked number one. Auburn lost three games by an average of 29 points, ending non-conference play with an 8-4 record.

The trend goes beyond just a few programs. Baylor, USC, Virginia, BYU, Louisville, and Washington all brought in players in the middle of the season who can play right away. These aren’t normal transfers; some players came from the G League, while others came from professional leagues in other countries.

Auburn’s brutal schedule proves Pearl’s point

Bruce Pearl’s frustration makes sense when you look at what Auburn endured this season. The Tigers crashed hard before the holidays, dropping to 8-4 after Purdue destroyed them 88-60. Against top-10 teams, Auburn went 0-4, losing by an average of 29 points. Pearl scheduled Houston, Michigan, Purdue, and Arizona—all ranked number one at some point—but the gamble backfired badly.

Auburn had hope because Tahaod Pettiford was their most reliable scorer. The starting point guard scored an average of 20.3 points against Houston, Michigan, and Arizona, showing that he could play with the best teams. Then, things went wrong. Pettiford hurt his ankle against Purdue, but the coaches won’t say how bad it is. His health could make or break Auburn’s year.

The frontcourt has been a mess all year. Auburn was weak inside after Emeka Opurum got hurt and couldn’t play anymore. The numbers speak for themselves: Auburn is 15th in offensive rebounds but 233rd in stopping opponents from getting offensive boards. Keyshawn Hall gets 8.3 rebounds per game, and Murphy gets 5.5, but teams keep getting second-chance points against them.

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The SEC season starts at Georgia on December 29, when Auburn plays Queens College. Pearl probably didn’t think these next eight days would be as important as they are when he made this tough schedule.