AUBURN, Alabama — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl doesn’t want fans at Auburn Arena giving Kentucky assistant Tony Barbee a hard time. The Tigers former coach could be in attendance when Barbee’s current team visits the Plains on Wednesday (8 pm, ESPN 2).

Barbee hasn’t been back for a game at Auburn since he was fired after the 2013-14 season. He was on Kentucky’s staff when the program visited Auburn Arena in 2016, but didn’t attend the game because of a recruiting trip.

“I’ll tell the fans right now in preparation of that, I know what’s it like in coaching for better or worse you give your heart and soul,” Pearl said. “For better or worse you give everything you have. I think it would be only fitting, fitting with Auburn and be classy. He was our basketball coach for four years. He moved his family here. He was a part of this family.”

Barbee was fired four years into a six-year deal after going 49–75 with no tournament appearances. He reunited with John Calipari — Barbee was an assistant for Calipari at Memphis — after being let go. Barbee came to Auburn after leading UTEP to a tournament appearance and earning coach of the year honors in Conference USA.

“I want to get after Kentucky really hard, but that other stuff? I would be really disappointed,” Pearl said.

Pearl is considering reaching out to the leadership of the Auburn Jungle — the student fan section — to deliver the same message.

“There should be nothing else,” Pearl said.

Kentucky (17-8, 6-6 SEC) visits No. 10 Auburn (22-3, 10-2 SEC) on a three-game losing streak. It’s the first time the program has lost three in a row during Calipari’s tenure.

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