Urban Meyer took a team that already had the foundation laid at Utah, he has never stayed more than 2 years at a school as an HC therefore you don't know what his recruits were like since he used mostly the other coaches players, Obviously at both stops he inhereted good players and favorable schedules. He did good things at those schools but once again those school don't play in a dog eat dog like the SEC, they don't have the speed or the athletes the SEC has. Winning in Basketball most times is easier than in football due to the number of players and the impact they can make. 1 or 2 players in Basketball can make the difference between a .500 club and a tournament team, while in football 1 or 2 players can help you become abit better they won'y for the most part help you win championships due largely to the number of players on the field.
Pearl on the other hand has been at programs for a long time and built them to be successful whether as an assist under Dr. Tom Davis or on his own.
The difference between Pearl and Meyer is track record as an HC. Short term a coach can look good, but 7 or 8 years later not so good and in some instances 3 years later be shown the door.
Meyer is now in a league full of superior coaches and is not the lone superior coach.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
86 wins in four seasons
2005 Horizon League Champions
2005 NCAA Tournament - Advanced to Sweet 16
2004 Horizon League Regular Season Champions
2004 NIT Participant
2003 Horizon League Champions
2003 NCAA Tournament
Three-time Horizon League Coach of the Year
Southern Indiana
231 wins in nine seasons
1995 NCAA Division II National Champion
1994 NCAA Division II National Runners-Up
Six NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances
Four Great Lakes Valley Championships
Ranked #1 nationally six different times
Nine consecutive 20-win seasons
Nine consecutive NCAA appearances
Division I Assistant Coach
NCAA Sweet 16 and Elite Eight as assistant coach at the University of Iowa
NCAA Sweet 16 and Elite Eight as assistant coach at Boston College
Named one of the top assistants in the country by Basketball Weekly in 1988
Coached for 14 seasons alongside Dr. Tom Davis
Coached numerous future NBA players, including B.J. Armstrong, Brad Lohaus, Kevin Gamble, Acie Earl and Matt Bullard
Honors and Awards
Third winningest coach currently in Division I
Fastest coach to 200 wins at one school
Named one of 10 finalists for the 2005 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award
2003, 2004 and 2005 Horizon League Coach of the Year
2000 NABC Great Lakes Coach of the Year
Named one of five "Head Coaches On The Rise" by Sport Magazine in 1999
1995 NABC Coach of the Year
1995 NABC Great Lakes Coach of the Year