The 59-year-old Pearl may not be the most beloved coach in America, but he's certainly considered one of the best, and that was never more evident than this weekend as he led Auburn to its first Final Four in program history -- capped with a 77-71 overtime win against Kentucky in the Midwest Regional final Sunday.
Pearl's Auburn program, one with such little tradition in men's basketball, has reached its greatest heights by beating Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky in consecutive games.
"They're the Cinderellas of this tournament, and that's what makes March so special," Pearl said of his team.
Like Pearl, the Tigers proved to be relentless during their weekend in Kansas City. They overcame a first-half deficit against North Carolina in a Sweet 16 battle Friday, beating the Tar Heels at their own high-tempo game in an eventual 97-80 win. Then came Sunday and an 11-point deficit against the Wildcats early in the game.
Auburn encountered early foul trouble as Pearl had a constant flow of language toward the officiating crew. As the two teams went to their locker rooms with Kentucky leading 35-30 at halftime, Pearl remained on the court to shake his head at the referees. Then the Tigers regrouped and prepared to win.
Guards Jared Harper and Bryce Brown led the Tigers' charge, with Harper scoring a team-high 26 points -- including 11-of-11 on free throws -- and Brown adding 24 points. Auburn increased its ball pressure inside and got results, holding Kentucky to 12-of-29 from the field in the second half and 0-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Auburn received an emotional lift when sophomore forward Chuma Okeke -- who suffered a torn ACL in Friday's win -- surprised his team at Sprint Center in the second half despite the severe pain he felt in the injured left knee. It was something that even broke the intense focus of Pearl during the game, helping build some inspiration for the Tigers.
After all that the Tigers poured into regulation, it wasn't enough. Drained from 40 minutes of a sprint and a run that may have felt like a marathon, Auburn still had more. Harper poured in 10 points in overtime, and the Tigers prevailed.
"Coming into the season, our goals were to go to the Final Four and be able to compete for a national championship," Harper said. "I think our whole work this whole summer and the preseason and during the whole season was for this exact moment right here for what we want to do as a team and how we want to build on our legacy as a team.
"I know I can't do it without any of my teammates, and I know we are all going to be prepared and ready to go, compete for a national championship."
Added Brown: "It's something you dream of. It's unreal."
At this point for Pearl, who's now 562–216 in his coaching career, it's most certainly real. He moved to 32-18 in NCAA Tournament games with the Elite Eight victory, and he has done it at every head coaching stop -- Southern Indiana, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Tennessee and now Auburn.
Pearl's career has been marred with controversy, including a taped phone conversation with prized Illinois recruit Deon Thomas while serving as an assistant coach at Iowa during the 1988-'89 season. It was one in which Pearl got Thomas to admit in a recorded call that he had received an SUV and cash from Illinois assistant Jimmy Collins, only for Thomas to later deny it and the NCAA to later find the Illini weren't guilty of wrongdoing in the recruitment. Pearl later served a three-year show-cause penalty from 2011-'14 after a recruiting violation as Tennessee's coach.
Pearl's passion and words often warrant skepticism, simply part of his past. He hasn't earned benefit to the doubt, but Auburn was willing to give Pearl a second chance as a head coach, hoping he could elevate its struggling program. Look where the Tigers are now.
"We understand that we've got two more games to play in order to win a championship," Pearl said.
Pearl himself certainly is no feel-good Cinderella story -- the scars of his past ever present -- but there's no denying what he has done at Auburn. Love Pearl or hate Pearl, the results certainly deserve respect. So does the passion with which he operates.
After those 45 minutes of basketball were over and Auburn had won, there was Pearl still running, fist pumping, celebrating and thriving.
He's still standing.