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For better or worse, Auburn will have a spotlight on it during Selection Sunday

With the Tigers on the bubble and Bruce Pearl on the CBS show, Auburn's image could take a hit on Sunday night.
ByBrian Stultz|
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Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl acknowledges the crowd after the game as Auburn Tigers men's basketball takes on Texas A&M Aggies at Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. Auburn Tigers defeated Texas A&M Aggies 75-58.
Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl acknowledges the crowd after the game as Auburn Tigers men's basketball takes on Texas A&M Aggies at Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. Auburn Tigers defeated Texas A&M Aggies 75-58. | Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In all likelihood, Auburn will not earn a bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament after a season in which the Tigers went 17-16, 7-11 in conference play and were bounced from the SEC Tournament in the quarterfinals after a total collapse against Tennessee.

Usually, a team that sees its bubble burst on Selection Sunday is mentioned for a few seconds, then everyone moves on to the teams that will be playing in one of the greatest sporting events of the year. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), Auburn won’t be one of those teams.

The brou-ha-ha started two weeks ago when former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl spoke out against Miami (OH) receiving an at-large bid if the RedHawks didn’t win the MAC Tournament. Both Miami’s athletic director and head coach, Travis Steele, responded to Pearl’s claim, stating that the perfect regular season Miami had just finished was good enough for a bid. 

Things ratcheted up on Thursday when the RedHawks lost to UMass in the quarterfinals of its conference tournament.

Bruce Pearl's presence on CBS's Selection Sunday could be a distraction

Again, that argument would have gone away except for CBS Sports’ decision to have Pearl on the Selection Sunday show, which airs at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday. The double-edged sword of Pearl being on the show, plus the fact that Miami is likely to get in, while Auburn, which is coached by Bruce’s son, Steven, will make for great television and commentary, only if just to see Pearl’s face when the Tigers’ name goes unannounced. 

Of course, Bruce played a part in Auburn’s struggles this season, retiring on the first day of practice and forcing Auburn athletic director John Cohen’s hand in giving his son, with no head coaching experience whatsoever, the job. What followed was a season of dysfunction, undisciplined players, and a team that never looked like they were having fun playing together.

When Charles Barkley is doing his thing during the NCAA Tournament, hyping up Auburn and giving the university free marketing, it should be considered priceless. Auburn is held in a great light, and Barkley wins everyone over.

That will unlikely be the same come Sunday evening, when the Tigers, despite all the propaganda and pleas, are left out of the tournament, and Pearl is sitting there, red-faced, on national television, wondering why. 

If the former coach wants the real reason why, he should take a look in the mirror. 

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