Auburn HC Bruce Pearl makes strong statement about Tennessee Vols basketball

The Tennessee Vols finish the 2023-24 regular season with a tough four-game stretch that will play a big role in determining this year's regular season SEC champion. 

Tennessee will host Auburn before traveling to take on Alabama and South Carolina on the road. The Vols will finish the regular season with a home game against Kentucky. 

The first of those games, against Auburn, will be played on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM ET. 

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, who was the head coach at Tennessee from 2005 to 2011, met with reporters on Tuesday and he made quite the statement about the Vols. 

Pearl suggested that Tennessee is the best team in the SEC. 

"Tennessee, I've been saying all along, they're the best team in the league," said Pearl. "But I haven't played them yet. We're fixing to find out. They're experienced. So well coached." 

Pearl also complimented Vols head coach Rick Barnes, telling reporters that Barnes was one of the best young coaches in the sport 30 years ago and now "he's just one of the best basketball coaches" in college basketball.