Bruce Pearl got his 10th victory over John Calipari on Wednesday. Here's what Calipari said separates this Auburn basketball team from Pearl's others.

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is on the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time, as announced by the Naismith Awards on Friday. Pearl is in his 30th overall season and 11th at Auburn.

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The No. 1 Auburn Tigers returned to Neville Arena on Wednesday and exited with a 67-60 win over Arkansas to improve its SEC record to 12-1 and 24-2 overall. However, the win was not easy to come by. The Tigers were limited to 40% field-goal shooting and 16% from three-point territory.

Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl made a bold statement about his team after its home victory against SEC rival Arkansas

Here's a closer look at why Auburn basketball's Bruce Pearl was fired by Tennessee in 2011, leading to his hiring as the Tigers' coach:

Calipari departed from Lexington for the job in Fayetteville after last season. His time at Kentucky has had him enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Kentucky won the national championship in 2012.

The No. 1 Auburn Tigers are coming off a massive road win over in-state rival and then-No. 2-ranked Alabama last Saturday. However, head coach Bruce Pearl wants the team to now stay focused as it is set to welcome in a sneaky yet desperate Arkansas team Wednesday.