Auburn Basketball Makes Decision on Postseason after Missing NCAA Tournament

Despite significant efforts from Steven Pearl, Bruce Pearl and others to help plead its case, the Auburn Tigers have missed out on the NCAA Tournament just one year after making it all the way to the Final Four.

This came as disappointing, but not surprising, to the Tigers, who struggled all throughout the year. However, Auburn will have one last breath for the postseason.

Auburn announced late Sunday evening that it is accepting a bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), where the Tigers, who are a No. 1 seed in the tournament, will take on South Alabama on Tuesday at 9 p.m. CT in Neville Arena.

The decision to accept a bid comes as other programs such as Seton Hall and Indiana have declined postseason bids after missing the NCAA Tournament. The bid also marks Auburn's seventh appearance in the NIT and first since 2009.

Auburn is a 1-seed in the @NITMBB and will host South Alabama on Tuesday night inside Neville Arena pic.twitter.com/Ka6LD7Glzq
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) March 16, 2026

Auburn ultimately missed the NCAA Tournament after being bounced out of the SEC Tournament with a 17-16 record and being listed as the second team out of the NCAA Tournament behind the likes of other bubble teams such as Texas, NC State, Miami (Oh.) and SMU.

After the bracket was revealed, Selection Committee Chair Keith Gill explained why other bubble teams were chosen over Auburn.

“The first four out was very close. You mention Auburn,” Gill said on the broadcast. “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 – 51.5% – you know, 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.”

This decision will further the collegiate careers of Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy, both of whom were seniors in their final year of eligibility. Hall will head into the tournament averaging 16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists across his career, while Murphy will head in averaging 8.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists across his career.

The future of this Tiger team still remains uncertain, with big-time decisions coming up for many players. For players like Filip Jović and Sebastian Williams-Adams, who were both freshmen this year, transferring away from the team that led them to this disappointing season is an option, while Tahaad Pettiford, who is a sophomore, may weigh his chances in the NBA Draft, transfer or stay on the Plains.

For Kaden Magwood, the situation is a bit more complex. Magwood sat out most of the season in favor of Blake Muschalek, who averaged less than a point per game, as Pearl argued Muschalek provided defensive structure that Magwood was unable to provide.

Magwood, who was a five-star in last year’s class, may transfer due to a lack of playing time, or he could stay with an opportunity for more minutes next season.

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Help is on the way for a Tiger roster that won just seven of its 18 conference matchups, as three-star shooting guard Caleb Williams has committed to Auburn for the 2026 season. Though he may fill a much-needed depth position on the team, the Tigers’ backcourt will need all the help it can get with the departure of Murphy.

Williams is set to be the only incoming Tiger at the time of this article, so Pearl and company will likely need to hit the recruiting trail and transfer portal hard to avoid a repeat of the disappointment of the 2026 season, though maybe they can save face somewhat with an NIT win.