Former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl rose as the most boisterous voice of 2026 March Madness. He didn't please Miami (OH) with his tournament comments while showing more support for the Tigers. Pearl now ruffled the feathers of one Illinois basketball legend Thursday.
To the point Deon Thomas wants Pearl off his TV.
Thomas ripped Pearl's commentary via the Chicago Sun-Times during broadcasts on CBS, TNT, TBS and Tru TV. Yet the Illini legend questioned the ex-head coach's character and if he's deserving to have a national television platform.
“I am a person of second chances,” Thomas said. “But I don’t understand why you should get a third, a fourth, a fifth. I think character matters. So you ask if I think he should be on television? No.”
Thomas added: “You can’t be on television advocating for your son against other programs that have every right to have an opportunity to get into the NCAA Tournament.”
He's criticizing how Pearl defended his son and former team when it came to tournament resume. But those remarks drew the ire of the RedHawks and other teams that were on the bubble. Miami (OH) athletic director David Sayler blasted Pearl for the nepotism take. Even SMU trolled Pearl on social media after landing into the field of 68 over Auburn.
Circling back to Thomas, he looks at the Illini as a far different team than the one that lost 74-61 to UConn in November. Tomislav Ivisic and Keaton Wagler as two reasons Illinois earns a stronger chance, Thomas cites.
Thomas starred in Champaign during the early 1990s. He averaged 18 points with 1.5 blocks in his four seasons at Illinois.
