Bruce Pearl reacts to Auburn basketball missing an NCAA Tournament bid
· Yahoo Sports
It was just a year ago that Bruce Pearl led Auburn basketball to its second-ever Final Four. This year, he learned the Tigers' NCAA Tournament fate from the desk of the CBS Sports studio.
Pearl, a major advocate for Auburn basketball and his son, Steven Pearl, to make the NCAA Tournament field, was understandably disappointed to learn that Auburn did not make the March Madness field on Sunday evening during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on CBS. Once the dust settled, Pearl reflected on Auburn's loss to Ole Miss on Feb. 28 as the moment Auburn's NCAA Tournament hopes fizzled.
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"That turned out to be a better game than what people thought it was going to be because Ole Miss did so well in the SEC Tournament," Pearl said. "Auburn beat three champions this year. They beat Florida, they beat St. John's, and they beat Arkansas. They played the toughest schedule in the country. I don't know if they were rewarded for it. It's hard to get another couple of SEC teams in when the SEC already has 10 (teams)."
SMU earned the final nod for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, with NCAA Tournament selection committee chair Keith Gill citing SMU's wins over Texas A&M, North Carolina, and Louisville, as well as the expected return of guard BJ Edwards from injury, as the driving force behind the Mustangs earning the final bid. Gill mentioned Auburn's qualifications, but felt the Tigers were ultimately not worthy of a slot.
"The first four out was very close. Auburn, obviously had a really strong strength of schedule. They had some really good wins at Florida, its a great win," Gill said. "But when you look at that winning percentage (.515), the 16 losses, when the committee took all of that into consideration, they thought (Auburn) hadn't done just enough to make it inside the field."
Auburn joined Oklahoma, San Diego State, and Indiana as the "first four out" of the NCAA Tournament, while SMU, NC State, Texas, and Miami (Ohio) were the last four teams to grab a spot in the big dance. Auburn's season is not over, however, as the Tigers will host South Alabama in round one of the NIT on Tuesday at 9 p.m. CT on ESPN 2.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: NCAA Tournament: Bruce Pearl reacts to Auburn basketball's snub