The Auburn basketball team will not play in the NCAA Tournament after being snubbed of an invite. Their season, however, is not over.
The Tigers have accepted a bid to the NIT. That decision offers a stark contrast to the Indiana Hoosiers.
Both teams have been on the Big Dance bubble for the large majority of the season. Auburn was the most controversial team in the discussion due to overall success.
The Tigers went just 17-16 against arguably the toughest schedule in college basketball. Their top wins are better than most.
Bruce Pearl: “Auburn beat 3 champions this year. They beat Florida, they beat St. John’s, and they beat Arkansas. They played the toughest schedule in the country, don’t know if they were rewarded for it.” pic.twitter.com/8aUDmFRBo8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 15, 2026
Auburn beat St. John’s, Florida, Kentucky, and Arkansas this season. The losses, however, proved too much to overlook.
No team has ever received an at-large bid when sitting a game over .500. The Tigers will not buck that trend. They were snubbed of a March Madness invite on Selection Sunday.
Auburn will continue playing basketball.
Ready to keep competing. pic.twitter.com/o5UCnHPi2U
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) March 16, 2026
The Tigers have accepted an invite to the NIT. Players voted to keep the season alive. It’s something that’s growing uncommon in today’s era.
A number of notable teams have turned down NIT opportunities after NCAA Tournament snubs. Indiana is included in that bunch.
The Hoosiers went 18-14. They were one of the top teams left off the list in terms of March Madness inclusion. Joe Lunardi of ESPN had them in his “Next Four Out.”
For both the Hoosiers and the Tigers, the end result was disappointing. The sting was particularly sharp given the investments made in each program.
Auburn and Indiana spent big.
Each team was listed among the sport’s top spenders in the preseason. Indiana was said to have spent more than $10 million on its lineup. Auburn was closer to $8 million.
Neither squad came close to reaching expectations under their first-year head coaches. One team, however, plans to squeeze as much out of its roster as possible.
The players have been paid. Coaches might as well continue pushing them. Host sites will also have the opportunity to cash in with a few extra home games.
The Tigers feel as if they have something to prove. After their campaigning for the NCAA Tournament failed, they’ll look to show the committee that it made a mistake.
An NIT Championship might do that.
As for Indiana, it’s taken its ball and gone home. It will not reduce itself to a lesser tournament. The Hoosiers’ season is over. They’ll get to work on 2026-27.
The post Auburn Basketball Offers Stark Contrast To Indiana After Spending Millions To Miss NCAA Tournament appeared first on BroBible.
Auburn Basketball Offers Stark Contrast To Indiana After Spending Millions To Miss NCAA Tournament
Pinoy Human Rights
0 Comments