CBS Sports analyst Bruce Pearl will want this one back.
On Sunday, the former Tennessee and Auburn men’s basketball coach was part of CBS’ coverage of the women’s basketball Big Ten Tournament championship between No. 9 Iowa and No. 2 UCLA. Pearl said, “Iowa women’s basketball! No superstar Caitlin Smith. No Hall of Fame coaches C. Vivian Stringer — you’re right; Caitlin Clark — or Lisa Blunder. But Jan Jansen, they’ve got these Hawkeyes going into the paint.”
While Pearl did correct himself mid-sentence for botching now-Indiana Fever star and former Iowa legend Caitlin Clark’s name, it was a tough watch, and fans online are taking the opportunity to dunk on him. Pearl also mispronounced longtime Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder’s name. Bluder retired in May 2024, and Jansen took over as head coach.
People make honest mistakes. But it is unfortunate for Pearl that this blunder happened on International Women’s Day, and just one day after TNT Sports’ lead U.S. women’s national team analyst Julie Foudy criticized the “lack of respect” in how women’s sports are covered. Unfortunately, more people are discussing Pearl’s 13-second clip than the actual Big Ten Tournament final, which UCLA won 96-45.
Pearl joined CBS Sports and TNT as a college basketball analyst in October 2025. As noted in the official release at the time, it marked a continuation of his spot work as a CBS and TNT studio analyst while he was a coach. Pearl would join the March Madness coverage when his team exited in the earlier rounds of the men’s NCAA Tournament.
With March Madness inching closer, Pearl will have plenty of opportunities to make everyone forget about Sunday’s broadcast. Selection Sunday for both the men’s and women’s 2026 NCAA Tournament is March 15.
Pearl announced his retirement on Sept. 22, 2025. He retired as Auburn’s winningest men’s basketball head coach in the program’s history.
