Auburn's Bruce Pearl Explains Why He Chose NCAA Tourney To Speak On American Hostage Edan Alexander: Exclusive

Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl has never been one to mince his words, or worry about how something he says would be interpreted by the sports world. A man who has won at many different levels, along with leading Auburn into the Sweet Sixteen as the overall No.1 seed, this has been an entertaining year for the Tigers fan base. 

Now, after beating Creighton this past weekend in Lexington, the Tigers will take the short trip over to Atlanta to play Michigan for a spot in the Elite Eight. But, basketball is not the only thing on the mind of Bruce Pearl, which was evident by his opening remarks following the win over Creighton. 

Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American from New Jersey, is currently being held hostage in Gaza, caught up in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. While there might not be a massive understanding of Alexander’s current situation, Auburn's Bruce Pearl made sure that his name is not forgotten during this time, using his massive platform this past weekend to hopefully put more awareness on the situation. 

As his team prepared on Tuesday afternoon to play Michigan on Friday, the Auburn head coach reflected on his opening remarks, and went into further detail on how this was not a ‘politics in sports’ situation. This was about coming together as a country to bring one of our citizens home. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Head coach Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers reacts during the first half against the Creighton Bluejays in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 22, 2025. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

As the Auburn Tigers wrapped up their game with Creighton, Bruce Pearl and a few members of the team headed to the postgame press conference. But there was something