When Auburn and Florida tip off this Saturday, it won’t just be another SEC showdown-it’ll be a full-circle moment between two coaches whose basketball journeys have been intertwined for over a decade.
Steven Pearl, now in his first season as Auburn’s head coach, will be squaring off against Florida’s Todd Golden, his longtime friend and former colleague. The two go way back to 2014, when they were both cutting their teeth on Bruce Pearl’s first staff at Auburn.
Golden served as an assistant coach, while Steven Pearl was just starting out as an assistant strength coach. Fast forward 11 years, and they’re leading two of the SEC’s most competitive programs.
Golden’s rise has been fast and impressive. After taking over at Florida ahead of the 2022-23 season, he led the Gators to both an SEC title and a national championship in just his third year. That run included a Final Four win over Auburn-a game that ended the Tigers’ season and sent Florida on to capture its third national title.
Saturday marks the first time these two will face off since that Final Four clash, and it’ll be Steven Pearl’s first head-to-head with Golden since taking the reins at Auburn in 2025.
“It’s unique, it’s special,” Pearl said Thursday. “He was ops, I was the assistant strength coach at Auburn 11 years ago. Which is kind of crazy how time has flown, and our career paths have come to where they are now.”
There’s a genuine bond here-one that’s remained strong despite the competitive fire that comes with SEC basketball. Pearl shared that the two spoke on the phone earlier this week and plan to connect again when Auburn arrives in Gainesville on Friday.
“He’s been such a valuable resource to me,” Pearl said. “Any chance I need to run something by somebody, he’s been one of my first calls, and he’s always been so gracious with his time.”
Then, with a grin that probably matched his tone, Pearl added, “It doesn’t mean I don’t want to go down there and kick his a**.”
That’s the kind of friendly rivalry that makes college hoops so compelling.
Golden’s Gators are rolling right now. Ranked No. 16 in the country, Florida sits at 5-1 in SEC play and 14-5 overall. After a surprising loss to Missouri, they’ve bounced back in a big way with wins over ranked conference foes in Tennessee, Georgia, and Vanderbilt.
Pearl isn’t shy about his admiration for what Golden’s built in Gainesville.
“I just have so much respect for TG and everything he’s doing down there,” he said. “They’re a top-5 team in my opinion.
They’ve lost five games by a combined 17 points, all away from home. They’re one of the elites in college basketball.
He’s one of the best coaches in college basketball.”
Auburn, at 11-7 overall and 3-3 in the SEC, is still finding its footing under Pearl’s leadership, but there’s no mistaking the significance of this matchup-for the standings, for the rivalry, and for the two coaches who know each other better than most.
Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, live on ESPN. Expect handshakes, hugs-and maybe a few heated possessions between two friends-turned-foes, at least for 40 minutes.