The Auburn Tigers play their biggest rival, the Alabama Crimson Tide, this weekend on the hardwood.
It’s a big game for both programs. Auburn is 14-8 and new head coach Steven Pearl has his Tigers in the thick of the SEC hunt. Alabama is in the same boat. The Crimson Tide are 15-7 and coming off a big win over Texas A&M.
This weekend’s contest at Neville Arena is going to be massive and the Tigers can use all the help they can get against Nate Oats and the Tide.
That’s what makes Pearl’s comments on the latest update in the Charles Bediako situation almost shocking. Bediako, a former NBA G-League player, came back to Alabama and has played in the Tide’s past four games.
He’s fighting the NCAA, which says he shouldn’t have eligibility, and he was originally granted a temporary restraining order and subsequent 10-day extension in the case that allowed him to play for the Tide.
On Thursday, Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court judge Daniel Pruet ruled against Bediako’s legal team, which was asking for a postponement in the preliminary injunction hearing set for Friday.
Bediako’s eligibility fate will now be determined on Friday, and Auburn’s coach said he’s actually rooting for the 23-year-old.
“I’ve probably spent too much time thinking about this, but I kind of feel for the kid in a way. What happens tomorrow if he gets denied? What does he do? … I hope the decision-makers in that room have thought through that,” Pearl said on Thursday (h/t On3). “Because are we setting this kid up for failure by bringing him back? I’m almost rooting for him to be able to play on Saturday, because I don’t want him to be in a situation where he’s got to make some real difficult decisions if for some reason this new judge says ‘No, you’re not allowed to play.’”
