Florida basketball coach Todd Golden called it a bittersweet feeling when he shook hands with Auburn’s Bruce Pearl after last year’s Final Four.

Golden told reporters at SEC Basketball Media Day in Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday, Oct. 15, that he was unaware that Pearl was planning to retire.

“We were incredibly proud, and an incredible moment for our program, but walking across the court to shake hands with Bruce after the game was bittersweet,” Golden said. “He’s always incredibly gracious when we compete, and in that moment, the same as always. At that time, I didn’t know he was going to move on and understand that was the last game that he coached in college is something that’s going to be a memory of mine for a long time. But I love him.”

Golden, who previously worked with Bruce

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