Auburn did not qualify for the 2026 NCAA Tournament after ending the 2025-26 season with a 17-16 record (7-11 in the SEC). Under new head coach Steven Pearl, the Tigers lost nine of their last 12 games before Tennessee eliminated them from the SEC Tournament.
This season’s result was very different from last year, when Bruce Pearl — Steven’s father — coached Auburn to the Final Four. After retiring in September 2025, Bruce stayed closely connected to the team and started working as a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports and TNT.
Bruce Pearl Insists Auburn Should Have Qualified for the 2026 NCAA Tournament
The 65-year-old bench tactician, who previously coached Southern Indiana, Milwaukee, and Tennessee before taking the Auburn head coaching position in 2014, learned from the CBS Sports studio that the Tigers missed the tournament.
He also listened as NCAA Tournament selection committee chairman Keith Gill explained that the Tigers missed the tournament, joining Oklahoma, San Diego State, and Indiana as the first four teams left out. Meanwhile, SMU, NC State, Texas, and Miami (Ohio) secured the last four spots in the big dance.
Gill noted that SMU’s wins against Texas A&M, North Carolina, and Louisville, along with the expected return of Mustangs guard BJ Edwards, placed the ACC team in the Field of 68. He apparently believed that SMU’s victories outweighed Auburn’s notable wins over Florida, Arkansas, and St. John’s.
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Bruce Pearl responded to Gill’s explanation by defending Auburn on social media. He emphasized Auburn’s tougher schedule, higher-quality wins, and the Tigers’ top ranking in most metrics against SMU.
“I asked the question and that was the answer the commissioner gave. Nobody got screwed here as it’s always close but Auburn was better than SMU in 5 out of 7 metrics and the number and quality wins aren’t even close,” Pearl said. “AU beat 3 Power 5 Conference Champs! SMU OOCSOS (out of conference strength of schedule) 191 AUBURN 16.”
After hearing the chairman’s explanation for the Tigers’ exclusion, Pearl pinpointed the February 28 loss to Ole Miss as the setback that ultimately crushed Auburn’s NCAA Tournament hopes.
“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. I don’t know if they were rewarded for it,” Pearl said of Auburn. “It’s hard to get another couple of SEC teams in when the SEC already has 10 (teams).”
Earlier in the season, Auburn started strong, winning 14 of its first 21 games. However, the Tigers struggled down the stretch, losing 9 of their last 12 games before finishing 17-16 (7-11 SEC). They won in the first round of the SEC Tournament against Mississippi State before falling to Tennessee in the second round.
Nevertheless, the Tigers are set to continue their 2025-26 men’s college basketball season, as they have received an invitation to the NIT and will host South Alabama in the first round on Tuesday, March 17, at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
