The stunning collapse of a team you so dearly coached for years is one thing, and the collapse happening with your son in charge is another thing. For the legendary Bruce Pearl, two worst things rolled into one as Steven Pearl’s Auburn is on the brink of elimination in the regular season. He had to make his feelings clear about the situation.

The Tigers’ hopes of making the NCAA Tournament are hanging by a thread after they went 1-6 in February. Steven Pearl took over the program after his father, Bruce, retired. Now, the former head coach has to decide if his son’s team deserves a spot in March Madness over other bubble teams, which puts him in a tough spot.

Bruce Pearl was brutally honest on Wake Up Barstool about how Auburn could get to the tournament. “It’s a last four in, and you never want to be the last four in because any upset in the tournament and you’re the first four out. So they’ve got LSU tomorrow. They’ve got to beat LSU,” Pearl said. When asked if he would vote for Auburn or a 1-loss Ohio team for the tournament, Pearl made it clear with a point: “Now there’s no love for my son. I mean, there’s no nepotism involved here.”

The numbers show a picture that explains Pearl’s cautious hope. The Tigers have five Quad One wins and one of the best road wins in college basketball history, and a win over Florida.

Besides, their numbers stack up well when compared to LSU’s average. Their average of 7.8 three-pointers per game is almost the same as LSU’s average of 8.2 three-pointers per game. The Tigers gave up 79.9 points per game, while LSU scored an average of 81.3 points. This will be a good matchup for Auburn’s offense against LSU’s defense.

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Auburn’s February collapse has marred Steven Pearl’s first season. The Tigers lost six games in the month, including two last week and then again to Ole Miss, a team that had lost ten in a row. The loss at home was Auburn’s first in Quad III, which hurt their tournament resume. In this situation, Tuesday’s LSU game is more than just important; it’s existential.

Auburn’s path forward doesn’t leave much room for mistakes. If the Tigers lose to LSU, they will be .500, and their hopes of making the NCAA Tournament will be over. They will probably have to go to the NIT for the first time since 2009.

Bruce Pearl questions undefeated Miami (Ohio) tournament credentials

As Auburn fights to stay in the tournament, Bruce Pearl has set his sights on the postseason credentials of another team. The Miami Ohio Redhawks started March with a perfect 29-0 record, making them one of only 20 teams in NCAA Tournament history to do so. Gonzaga was the last team to do it, but they couldn’t finish the job and lost to Baylor in the national championship game.

Miami Ohio’s perfect run continued when they beat Western Michigan 69-67 in a close game. Toledo and Ohio are the only teams that can stop the Redhawks from having a perfect regular season in the Mid-American Conference before the tournament starts. But Pearl isn’t impressed by the perfect record alone.

“If we’re selecting the 68 best teams, then Miami (Ohio) is going to have to win its tournament to qualify as a champion. Because as an at-large, they are not one of the best teams in the country,” Pearl said following the Western Michigan win.

Pearl’s harsh stance makes things slightly ironic. While his son’s 15-14 Auburn team fights for that spot, he’s saying that an undefeated team doesn’t deserve an at-large bid.