Busting Brackets Daily Dish: Bruce Pearl show-cause lifted

With college basketball diehards in full desperation mode, anything and everything feels like news at this point. However, this weekend was filled with some tidbits of news.

First, and most prominent, was the end of Bruce Pearl’s show-cause penalty. Three years ago, Pearl was given the penalty after sanctions levied against him while at Tennessee. At 12:01 Sunday night/morning, that penalty was lifted, and Auburn fans knew it. More than 50 students gathered in front of Auburn Arena to greet the emotional Pearl.

Pearl wasted no time getting his recruiting. Hours after his show-cause penalty was lifted, the Tigers gained the commitment of four-star forward Horace Spencer. Spencer is the 75th ranked prospect on ESPN and 12th ranked power forward. It is the second commit for the 2015 class, with fellow four-star forward Danjel Purifoy also joining the class.

In some smaller news regarding recruits and transfers, former Michigan State Spartan Kenny Kaminiski has officially transferred to Ohio University. Three-star guard Dupree McBrayer announced his intention to join the Minnesota Golden Gophers next fall. It is Minnesota and Richard Pitino’s first get for 2015.

Lastly, we took a look last week at the remarkable story of Austin Hatch, a survivor of not one, but TWO plane crashes. The Today Show featured Hatch and his emotional story, one that is well worth the look. It’s a truly, truly amazing story.