After all the tournament conferences were played, the Auburn Tigers basketball team was left out of the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. Auburn was the second team out of the tourney behind Oklahoma.
However, the Tigers' season isn't over yet. Auburn basketball has accepted a bid to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), and as the second team out of the big dance, the Tigers will be the No. 1 overall seed. Auburn will host the first three rounds of the tournament at Neville Arena.
Auburn's first matchup will take place on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. CST against the South Alabama Jaguars, and they will play the winner of the Seattle vs. St. Thomas game on Saturday. The Auburn region features South Alabama, Seattle, St. Thomas, Liberty, George Mason, Nevada and Murray State.
The NIT semifinals and championship games will be played in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 5, after the NCAA Final Four and before the championship game.
This is the first time that Auburn basketball has missed out on the NCAA Tournament since a self-imposed postseason ban in 2021. The Tigers haven't played in the NIT since 2009, and this is their seventh appearance in the tournament in program history.
Overall, Auburn's losing skid late in the season was enough to keep them out of March Madness, but the opportunity to end the season on a high note at home still exists.