Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl will meet a familiar face in the Final Four as the Tigers take on the Florida Gators in San Antonio. The matchup will feature a reunion between Pearl and Florida’s head coach Todd Golden, who got his start in high-major basketball as one of Pearl’s assistants at Auburn.
Golden’s journey began in 2014 when Pearl hired him as the Tigers’ director of basketball operations. Golden quickly earned a spot as an assistant coach in the 2015-2016 season. He left Auburn in 2019 for the head coaching position at San Francisco and eventually became Florida’s head coach in 2022. Now, in a surreal twist, Golden will face off against his former mentor and longtime friend in the NCAA Final Four.
“It’s crazy, to be honest,” Golden said, reflecting on the matchup. “If we would have said this at the beginning of the year, a lot of people would have laughed at us that we’d be meeting in the Final Four. It’s surreal. Bruce is one of my mentors, and Steven, his son, is one of my best friends. We were FaceTiming after the win, shaking our heads like, ‘Really? We’re meeting up again here in the Final Four?'”
For the Auburn Tigers, this is a chance to claim their first national championship in program history. Pearl has been impressed with Golden’s work at Florida, especially with the Gators’ impressive roster. “I’ve been saying for the last two months that I think Florida is the best team in the country,” Pearl said. “They’ve got an incredibly deep front line, and their point guard, Walter Clayton, is the best on the floor almost every night. Their wings, Martin and Richard, are fantastic scorers. Todd does a great job coaching. This is going to be a great challenge for us.”
Florida’s success this season has been driven by a talented group that has been playing at a high level all year. With Golden at the helm, the Gators have surged as one of the most formidable teams in college basketball, and they will be a tough opponent for the Tigers.
The two teams will face off on Saturday at 5:09 p.m. ET, with a spot in the national championship game on the line. The clash between these two teams promises to be a thrilling contest, with history, mentorship, and a chance for glory all on the line.
