Strange: Pearl in the rough

This 21st Century lions' den is in the sprawling suburbs of Chicago. Allstate Arena will be chock full of Illinois fans armed with both the No. 1 college basketball team in the nation and long memories.

Playing the role of Daniel will be Bruce Pearl.

But pardon us, Illinois fans, while we interrupt our biblical metaphor to introduce a timely side plot that is of no interest in Joliet or Peoria.

There are those south of Jellico who wonder if tonight might be Pearl's final performance as head coach at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The answer depends on three contingencies:

One, whether he and his Panthers have the mother of all March Madness upsets in them. It would take nothing less to get past the Illini and prolong the season.

Two, whether Tennessee, or some other big-time program, offers a job. Certainly, no coach has done more to enhance his resume over the past two weeks than Pearl.

Three, whether he would accept such an offer.

Now, back to the story line that has provoked the Rosemont police department to provide beefed-up security for Pearl.

It's not just that Wisconsin-Milwaukee happens to be a dangerous giant-killer standing in the Illini's path to a national title. Or, that the game just happens to be in on Illinois soil.

Pearl and Illinois have a history.

During his press conference Wednesday, Pearl was asked what reaction he anticipated tonight, considering he is regarded as "the devil incarnate" - the questioner's words - by Illinois fans.

It's a long story. The condensed version is that in 1989 when he was an assistant coach at Iowa, Pearl played a pivotal whistle-blower role in a recruiting scandal that landed Illinois on probation.

No one at Illinois it seems has forgotten or forgiven, hence the heightened security.

"My guess,'' Pearl quipped Wednesday, "is that we'll have a nice crowd from Milwaukee, Oklahoma and Arizona.

"Who do you think Arizona and Oklahoma State want to play - Illinois, or the Panthers of Milwaukee, in spite of our vaunted press?''

The Panthers of Milwaukee, a 12 seed, are here by virtue of upsetting Alabama and Boston College.

If Pearl wasn't already on Tennessee's list of candidates to replace Buzz Peterson, he certainly is now.

UMW athletic director Bud Haidet said Wednesday he bumped into Dana Pump on Tuesday night at the team hotel. Interestingly, Haidet didn't know at the time Pump was on UT's search committee and said the topic of Pearl's future didn't come up.

It will, though, as soon as UMW's season is over.

Pump isn't the only headhunter observing Pearl. Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage chatted up Pearl prior to the Panthers' practice session Wednesday.

Littlepage, here in his capacity as a member of the NCAA men's Division I basketball committee, is also looking for a new head coach, although Pearl appears more prominent in UT's scenario than Virginia's.

Pearl says it would take a terrific opportunity to lure him away from Milwaukee.

"The nomadic nature of this business doesn't fit with me,'' he said.

To prove it, he stayed at Division II Southern Indiana for nine years, six of them after his 1995 national title. He turned down a couple of offers, he said, including one from Middle Tennessee State.

"I finally got to the point,'' he said, "where I just wanted to see if I could do it at the next level.''

This is year four at Milwaukee. In 13 years as a head coach he has failed to win 20 games only once, in his first year at UMW.

Having conquered the mid-major world, Pearl, who just turned 45, sounds like a man at a point where he wants to see if he can do it at the high-major level.

"I'm in the prime of my coaching life,'' he said.

"I'm young enough to still work seven days a week. I'm old enough I've called a few timeouts.''

If the right offer comes, that sounds like a yes to me.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.