Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl and Jacksonville State's Ray Harper once had a fierce Division II rivalry. Now they meet in the NCAA Tournament.

Jacksonville State head coach Ray Harper in action against South Alabama in the first half of a NCAA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala.

“The level that Coach Harper’s got them playing at right now is something that doesn’t happen often around here,” said Alex Odam, an all-state basketball performer at Piedmont High School.