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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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March Madness tipped off with conference tournaments around the nation, as teams look to potentially claim a spot in the NCAA Tournament or improve their current chances if they're on the bubble. The power conferences, including the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC, are all in action, leading up to a big weekend.
Conference championships will be decided, and should one of the top-tier teams in this conference make a run to win it all, they would significantly alter the bracket. Fans will officially see what that bracket looks like during the upcoming NCAA Selection Sunday shows, where they reveal all the teams and their seeds.
It's one of the biggest days for college basketball fans who anxiously await where their teams will play, with the East, South, Midwest, and West regions all needing to fill out spots. As excitement builds towards the reveal, fans are taking issue with a recent announcement about Selection Sunday, specifically its panel.
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On X (formerly Twitter), a post shared details about the "NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Show," which will air on CBS and stream live on Paramount+ this Sunday.
According to their announcement, it begins at 6 p.m. Eastern Time. This year's panel features Adam Zucker, Clark Kellogg, Seth Davis, and Bruce Pearl.
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Fans expressed their frustration upon learning that Pearl is associated with the Selection Sunday show, due to his previous rants about college basketball.
"So this is just going to be Bruce Pearl screaming and whining for an hour when his nepo baby son’s team doesn’t make it," a commenter replied.
Another wrote, "We used to have Greg Gumbel and now we have Adam Zucker and Bruce Pearl."
"CBS really thinks America wants to hear Bruce Pearl's insight? Wow," a commenter said.
Others replied with, "Get to watch Bruce Pearl crash out when Auburn isn’t in the Tournament," and "Why tf is Bruce Pearl on here? ABSOLUTE JOKE and a disgrace!!!"
Another X comment said, "NOBODY WANTS @coachbrucepearl ‘s opinion on anything because he’s clouded by nepotism."
Pearl, 65, was a head coach for 30-plus years, including seasons with the Tennessee Volunteers and the Auburn Tigers. He had the best percentage record during his 11 seasons at Auburn, with a 246–125 record.
Since retiring in 2025, he's moved into his analyst and commentary roles with various networks. Meanwhile, his son, Steven Pearl, has succeeded him as the head coach of Auburn.
Adding to the drama of this recent announcement is that ESPN's Joe Lunardi currently has Auburn as the "last team out" in his Bracketology projections. Will that become a major talking point during CBS's Selection Sunday broadcast? Fans believe so and certainly aren't happy about seeing Pearl on their screens.
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