The Auburn Tigers missed the cut for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. One of the tournament committee members explained the main factors that led to the decision.
Auburn enjoyed a Final Four run in 2025 during Bruce Pearl's final year as the program's head coach. Seeing him retire and his son Steven take over the reins as the next leader, Auburn won some big games this season but lost multiple times as it greatly costed them when it came to consideration for an At-Large bid.
The Tigers ended up being the Last Four Out of the tournament, being one of the four teams that just missed the cut. Committee member Keith Gill went over the decision on CBS Sports with journalist Matt Norlander, revealing that the many losses prevented Auburn from having a solid chance.
“I thought they were very close. The first four out was very close. Auburn, obviously, they had a really strong strength of schedule. They had some really good wins. That win at Florida is a great win, but when you look at that winning percentage .515, the 16 losses. When the committee took that all into consideration, they thought they just hadn't done enough to make it inside the field,” Gill said.
NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Committee chair Keith Gill tells @MattNorlander why Auburn did not make the NCAA Tournament. pic.twitter.com/PiYuK3Zpyw
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 15, 2026
What's next for Auburn after NCAA Tournament snub
Just because a schedule was difficult doesn't excuses the number of losses a team racks up. Auburn felt its punishment greatly, seeing they must win more games next year to secure an At-Large bid.
The Tigers have a 17-16 overall record, going 7-11 in its SEC matchups. They finished sixth-to-last in the conference standings as the squad attempted a run in the SEC Tournament. They prevailed in the first round over Mississippi State but saw their efforts end after losing to Tennessee in the second round.
The Tigers might want to continue this season with an invitation to the National Invitational Tournament or the College Basketball Crown. If they don't have interest in either of those tournaments, they will move forward to the offseason in preparation for the 2026-27 campaign.
