Auburn assistant coach Steven Pearl wasn’t afraid to give a hot take. He recognized that’s what was wanted on the radio show, so he delivered.

Pearl was appearing on the Stingray Show on Tide 100.9 this week and shared this opinion:

“I don’t think Alabama goes and hires Nate Oats if Bruce Pearl isn’t at Auburn,” said Pearl, the son of the Auburn head coach. “That’s not throwing shade on anyone. I just think that what coach has been able to do at Auburn has raised the level of expectations at other schools in this league. They said, ‘listen if Auburn can do it, we can do it at a high level too if we get the right person like Auburn did.’ Alabama got the right person. Nate Oats is one of the best coaches in the game right now. His stats and accolades back that up. He’s done an unbelievable job and the rivalry has only gotten more intense and only gotten better.”

Alabama men’s basketball and Auburn men’s basketball are set to play in the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 regular-season game in SEC history. Auburn, ranked No. 1 in the AP top 25 and No. 2 in the coaches poll, will face Alabama, ranked No. 2 in the AP top 25 and No. 1 in the coaches poll, on Saturday (3 p.m., ESPN) at Coleman Coliseum. It’s a historic moment for the state and the conference, and the fact it’s a rivalry game only takes it to another level.

So, the rivalry has taken center stage this week. And the relationship between the two programs has been examined as well.

Alabama hired Oats the same year (2019) that Auburn went to the Final Four under Pearl, who did so in his fifth season with the Tigers. But Oats was hired (March 27, 2019) just a couple days before Auburn beat Kentucky (March 31, 2019) to earn a spot in the Final Four.

Fast forward to 2024, and Alabama made its first Final Four under Oats, who also accomplished that in his fifth season with the Crimson Tide.

Pearl has coached Auburn since the 2014-15 season. Over his 10 seasons, the Tigers have reached five NCAA Tournaments with the season ending in one round of 64, three Round of 32 appearances, and one Final Four appearance. 2019 is the only time Pearl’s Tigers have made it past the first weekend.

Meanwhile, Oats has led the Crimson Tide to the NCAA Tournament every season except for his first, in which the NCAA Tournament didn’t happen because of COVID-19. Over that time, Oats has watched the season end in the Round of 64 once, the Sweet 16 twice and the Final Four once.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.