Barbee Fired at Auburn; Pearl a Candidate

It's no surprise that after Auburn lost in the first round of the SEC Tournament, Tony Barbee would be fired.

And he was. An hour and a half after the loss, as a matter of fact.

Now, that he's gone, Auburn begins its search for a new head coach immediately. Atop that list is former Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl, who has been out of the game for the past few years because of an NCAA violation. According to many, he's ready to get back into the game.

The first sign of that may be his performance as an ESPN analyst. He looks like a lost puppy after each highlight package.

The question is, would Pearl take the Auburn job? It's not a high-profile gig, and the Tigers have struggled mightily over the past few years. In short, it's considered the hardest job in the SEC.

Former Alabama basketball coach Wimp Sanderson seems to think Pearl will jump at the opportunity.

He appeared on  talk show WJOX in Birmingham, and when asked about Pearl and Auburn, Sanderson replied that Peral would be all over it "in five seconds."

We'll see. The strangest part of this story is, on the same radio show, former Auburn great Charles Barkley said he received six texts about the job opening, but one in particular caught his eye.

Although he didn't name names, Barkley hinted a certain national radio talk show host who is also a huge basketball fan said he'd take the Auburn job.

Problem is he has never coached a game in his life.

Who is this mystery talk show host?

Doug Gottlieb.

Barkley didn't say his name outright, but he strongly hinted the man wants the job.

The search continues, and it could get even more interesting if Alabama gets in the mix and fires Anthony Grant.

Stay tuned.