It's no secret that LSU coach Johnny Jones greatly underachieved this season at 19-14 with the country's best freshman in Ben Simmons. He may even be the player of the year —- even though he won't be eligible for the Wooden Award —- and he's likely to be the top pick in this year's NBA Draft.
Auburn's Bruce Pearl is trying to rebuild a program and he knows it takes good recruits, but what can you sell recruits on if your team won't make the NCAA Tournament with a superstar playing? Not only that, but LSU declined to play in any postseason tournament to showcase Simmons one last time before he goes pro. Pearl wanted to let the LSU coach know —- not so subtly I might add —- that his coaching was absolute trash this season and for top recruits to be wary of where they sign.
The gauntlet has been thrown down! Now we wait for Jones' response to the one thing everyone else has been saying all year, but Pearl had the cojones to say out loud and without holding anything back.