Sources: Bruce Pearl, Auburn meet
— -- Bruce Pearl met with Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs on Monday night in Knoxville, Tenn., and is strongly considering taking the job as coach, sources told ESPN.
Pearl, 54, was fired in 2011 after taking Tennessee to the NCAA tournament in each of his six seasons. He has worked for ESPN as an analyst the past two years.
He was fired for lying to the NCAA in March 2011 in regards to the recruitment of Aaron Craft (who was then a junior in high school and ended up at Ohio State) and given a three-year show cause by the NCAA. The show-cause expires in August and will not allow him to have contact with potential recruits this summer. Pearl, however, will be allowed to evaluate recruits in the all-important July recruiting period.
Auburn fired Tony Barbee last week after the Tigers finished 14-16 and 6-12 in the SEC. The former coach at UTEP was 49-75 in four seasons at Auburn.
Pearl spent four seasons at Milwaukee and took the program to two NCAA tournaments -- including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2005. He was hired at Tennessee in 2005 and was 145-61 in six seasons with the Vols.
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