ATHENS - It wasn't until the tail end of Mark Fox's meeting with the media on Tuesday afternoon that the Georgia head coach was asked about Auburn's hiring.

"Who'd they hire?" Fox said.

Then he smiled.

"Just kidding," he said.

Of course Fox knew Bruce Pearl was the new coach at Auburn, marking the return of a coach fired from Tennessee three years ago after an NCAA investigation.

"I don't know. Good for Bruce," Fox said. "I mean I don't really have a whole lot of thoughts about it. I know he wanted to coach again. I'm happy he gets to do that."

Fox then was asked if Pearl's hiring made it a bit harder on the recruiting trail.

"Not necessarily," Fox said. "It's a challenge no matter what. He did a good job at Tennessee, and I'm sure he'll do a good job at Auburn."

Otherwise, it was clear the subject wasn't at the top of Fox's list to talk about.

Georgia (19-13) plays a first-round NIT game against Vermont on Wednesday at 8 p.m.