Charles Barkley on Bruce Pearl: Auburn 'Would Be Idiots' to Part with HC

Basketball Hall of Famer and Auburn alum Charles Barkley expressed his support for Auburn men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl on Thursday.

As questions regarding Pearl's future mount due to an FBI investigation into the program, Barkley told Brandon Marcello of 247Sports' Auburn Undercover that the school's decision-makers would be "idiots" to cut ties with Pearl.

The Tigers haven't reached the NCAA tournament since 2002-03, but Pearl has led them to a 24-4 record this season in his fourth campaign with the program.

Auburn fired assistant coach Chuck Person in November after he was indicted on six bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges.

It was alleged in an FBI probe that Person helped funnel money to the families of two Auburn commits, believed to be Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley.

Both Purifoy and Wiley have been ruled ineligible for the entire 2017-18 season.

Barkley is impressed by what Pearl has been able to do with the team despite their absence: "With losing probably their two best players, what they've accomplished this year, I'm loving it from a distance. It's been amazing."

Pearl previously coached Tennessee for six seasons, but the school fired him in 2011 after the NCAA charged him with unethical conduct due to various violations.

Auburn hired Pearl in March 2014 under a show-cause penalty, which expired in August of that year.

Per Marcello, Auburn President Steven Leath and NCAA investigators are waiting to discuss the Person situation with Pearl in the near future.

Auburn is close to winning the SEC regular-season title with a 12-3 mark in the conference, and the Tigers are trending toward a high seed in the NCAA tournament as well.