Bruce Pearl supports transfer portal window opening during NCAA Tournament: 'These kids are wanting to move'

Last weekend saw a full weekend of basketball with the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. But Monday marked an important day on the calendar – the transfer portal opened.

As teams got ready for the Sweet Sixteen, more than 1,200 names entered the portal as of Wednesday. That’s led to an interesting balancing act for teams still in the big dance, navigating the tournament while working the portal.

To Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, though, it’s a good trade-off. He supported the transfer portal window opening after the Round of 32, pointing out the majority of teams’ seasons are over.

“Back in the day, we waited until the whole season was over,” Pearl said on the TBS pregame show ahead of Maryland vs. Florida. “You have all teams, except 16, whose seasons are over. These kids are wanting to move. They’re wanting to make decisions for the rest of their lives.

“I think it’s good that the transfer portal is open now instead of at the end of the Final Four. Don’t worry about these 16 teams. We’re happy. We’ll recover, and we’ll do fine in the portal when we get to it.”

Multiple people around the sport, such as ESPN’s Dick Vitale and Arkansas coach John Calipari, spoke out about the transfer window opening while games are still being played. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo also went on a fiery rant about not worrying about the portal. while teams in the Sweet Sixteen got ready for their games.

Bruce Pearl said he hasn’t focused on the transfer portal much while preparing to take on Michigan. Izzo also got a stray in his answer, although Pearl said it was all out of love.

“Well, we’ve spent a little bit more time than Tom Izzo’s staff has spent on it,” Pearl joked. “I love Coach Izzo, man. All day, every day, I could listen to him. He’s like, ‘You know what? I’ve got a priority here.’ … I haven’t spent much time on it. I’ve made a couple calls, real briefly.

“I went to these guys to do everything I can. Some of the assistants, we’re scouted it out a bit. When the season’s over, we’ll jump in.”

Auburn cruised past Alabama State in its NCAA Tournament opener and was able to fight off a stingy Creighton team in the Round of 32. That sent the Tigers to the Sweet Sixteen, where they’ll take on Michigan Saturday at 8:39 p.m. ET on CBS.