Auburn's NIT title gives a smooth ending to what was a tricky season on the Plains

Two things can be true at the same time: Auburn underachieved this season in basketball, missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years after a tough SEC slate in which the Tigers dropped some crucial games when they needed a win the most. 

The Tigers also overachieved when it came to winning the NIT title, something that seemed like a far-off goal once Steven Pearl’s squad’s name went unannounced on Selection Sunday. For many reasons, Auburn’s players and coaches could have packed it in and spent the offseason ruing what a lost season was. 

Instead, the Tigers sucked it up, did what many major programs wouldn’t do and decided to see if they could finish the season on a better note. And, in the end, thanks to Kevin Overton’s heroics, they did, cutting down the nets in Indianapolis and bringing another trophy back to the Plains.

“I’m really proud of these kids. They found a way to stay together and beat five pretty good teams,” Pearl said. “I’m incredibly grateful to these guys. They could’ve packed it up and they didn’t. These are unbelievable young men with great character from great families. I’m incredibly honored and proud to be their coach.”

It was a rocky first season for Pearl, who took over the job at the last second when his father, Bruce, decided to retire on the first day of fall practice. He was handed a brutal non-conference schedule that included Houston, Michigan, Purdue and Arizona, while trying to manage a whole new roster that had only one key player – Tahaad Pettiford – back from the previous season. 

Steven Pearl, Auburn overcame the odds

At times, it was rough sledding, with malfunctions between players and coaches seemingly surfacing at the worst possible times. Players were benched or downright kept out of games, and the Tigers, who were firmly in the NCAA Tournament after a four-game winning streak in the middle of the SEC schedule, found themselves on the outside looking in.

They rallied, though, and credit goes to those who stayed the course, the players who decided to put it on the line and the coaching staff for believing in them when all signs pointed elsewhere.

Before Bruce Pearl arrived, this NIT title would have been celebrated much more than it is right now, but that is what the elder Pearl did to Auburn and expectations. An NIT championship is fine, great considering the circumstances, but it’s not what the Tigers had in mind coming into the 2025-26 season.

Still, credit is due, and I’m guessing another banner will be hung in Neville Arena soon.