SALT LAKE CITY — Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl would prefer that his players get the attention. That people write about and read about their improved graduation rates, about the good they have done in the community, about the wins they have piled up, even in this tumultuous season. After detailing the credentials of those assistants to explain why he hired them, Pearl, 59, will concede that it is fair to question his judgment. “It’s not a cheap shot,” he said on Wednesday, after a news conference the day before his fifth-seeded Tigers got past New Mexico State, 78-77, in the opening round of the N.C.A.A. tournament.

Source: New York Times March 23, 2019 18:00 UTC