Auburn heading to NIT
After a disappointing finish to the season, Auburn basketball was the second team left out of the NCAA Tournament field, missing the bracket for the first time since 2020-21.
The Tigers dropped nine of their last 12 games, and one additional win down the stretch likely would have secured a bid and extended the program’s streak of reaching the Big Dance to a school-record fifth straight season.
There will be plenty of time to dissect the miscues in Steven Pearl’s inaugural season on the Plains, but dwelling on them now does zero good.
Instead, Auburn turns its attention to the National Invitation Tournament, where it earned the No. 1 overall seed and will host South Alabama in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday night at Neville Arena.
The appearance marks Auburn’s first trip to the NIT since 2009, when the Tigers advanced to the third round – the furthest they have ever made it in the event.
Sure, frustration and disappointment among the Auburn faithful are warranted. Just a year ago, Auburn was the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance after the best regular season in school history.
But there are still positives to consider.
There will be more home games (if Auburn advances) for fans to attend at an affordable rate. There is more time for players to play and develop under this staff, and a chance for Pearl and this squad to redeem themselves.
It’s not all gloom and doom.
Should Auburn have received an at-large bid?
It’s over now, but the debate still raises a fair question: Was Auburn one of the 68 best teams in the nation?
The Tigers did themselves no favors with their late-season slide, but when you look at the resume, Auburn compared favorely to teams that reached the field.
Auburn defeated two of the First Four teams in – Texas and NC State – while Miami (OH), despite an impressive undefeated regular season, played zero Quad I games, and endured a Quad IIII loss in its conference tournament.
That’s worse than any of Auburn’s losses.
Auburn alone had six wins versus the at-large field. SMU, NC State, and Miami (OH) combined had seven wins vs the at-large field.
At times, Auburn looked capable of competing in the NCAA Tournament.
Ultimately, the Tigers’ late-season struggles made their exclusion understandable, but they still had a strong case for an at-large bid.
Auburn baseball stays hot
Meanwhile, Auburn baseball continues to surge, extending its winning streak to 10 games after a weekend sweep of Missouri.
The sweep marked Auburn’s first SEC-opening road sweep since 2010 at Georgia.
The Tigers’ weekend rotation was dynamite, recording a 0.67 ERA in 26.2 innings of work, carrying the load until Auburn’s bats finally found their rhythm in game three.
The week ahead is a daunting one for Auburn, beginning on Tuesday with a top-five matchup against No. 3 Georgia Tech. Auburn will host No. 2 Texas in a weekend series at Plainsman Park, making it one of the biggest regular-season weeks in the history of the park.
If the Tigers continue to dominate on the rubber, this Auburn team has the pieces in place to host a Super Regional for the second consecutive year and make a run to Omaha for the third time in the last eight seasons.
Until next time… TG
