Steven Pearl Explains Auburn's Accepting of NIT Bid After Missing NCAA Tournament

It was a rollercoaster of a weekend for the Auburn Tigers, who narrowly missed out on the NCAA Tournament after a lackluster 17-16 season. However, the Tigers managed to earn a No. 1 seed in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

On Monday, head coach Steven Pearl explained his reasoning for accepting an NIT bid as programs such as Seton Hall, Nebraska and Florida State decline non-NCAA postseason bids.

“The guys on my roster are here to play basketball and compete,” Pearl said. “I’m not going to take my ball and go home because we didn’t make the Tournament… I see it as an unbelievable opportunity for our guys to go out there and compete on a stage.”

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Ready to keep competing. pic.twitter.com/o5UCnHPi2U
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) March 16, 2026

Auburn’s first matchup is against 21-11 South Alabama on Tuesday, and if the Tigers win in Neville, they will take on the winner of Seattle and St. Thomas to continue bracket play.

“Our goal was to play in the NCAA Tournament, but that didn’t happen this year,” Pearl said. “I’m of the mindset of, like, let’s just go play, let’s go hoop and, you know, have some fun with it.”

After the NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed with a notably absent Auburn, 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.”

We have our matchup.

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— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) March 16, 2026

Auburn will have a chance to prove they should have been in the NCAA Tournament, but they will need to make a deep run in the NIT for eyebrows to raise. Though many of the teams in the NIT are those that Auburn would be a heavy favorite against, no favorite is safe in March.

At this time, there has been no indication that any Tigers will opt out of playing in the tournament, though it is always a possibility. For now, Auburn is preparing to take on South Alabama on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. CDT with television coverage on ESPN2.