ACC school adds to the public mocking of Bruce Pearl for his Auburn grandstanding

It was a disappointing Selection Sunday for Auburn basketball as the Tigers were left out of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five seasons after going 17-16 in Steven Pearl’s first season in charge.

While Auburn’s Twitter account published as many stats as possible showing why the Tigers deserved a bid, the losing record in SEC play and massive collapse against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals proved too much to get Pearl’s squad into March Madness, taking a bid to the NIT instead.

It was especially difficult to watch former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl on CBS’s Selection Sunday show as he relentlessly tried to argue for the inclusion of his son’s team even after all of the bids had been handed out. It was the equivalent of a parent arguing with a cheerleading coach after their daughter didn’t make the squad.

SMU latest team to take a shot at Bruce Pearl

Some teams had already had fun at the expense of Pearl, who caused controversy during the past two weeks by saying that Miami (OH) didn’t deserve a bid despite their perfect regular-season record if the RedHawks didn’t win their conference tournament. While that came to fruition, Miami still earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, and its opponent in the play-in game, SMU, had a little something to say on Twitter on Sunday night after Pearl argued the Tigers belong in over the Mustangs.

Another shot at the Pearl family, which, by now, is the thing to do for college basketball teams throughout the nation. The elder Pearl opened himself up to this mockery by continuing to grandstand for his former team (and his son) while all signs pointed toward the Tigers not being worthy of playing in the NCAA Tournament this season. No team with 16 losses had ever received an at-large bid, and the fact that Pearl and Auburn think they belong in the tournament is bogus.

We will see how the Tigers respond on Tuesday night when they host South Alabama in the first round of the NIT. Let’s hope that there isn’t more room for mocking with a loss.