Auburn barely missed the NCAA Tournament in Steven Pearl’s first season as head coach, being one of the last four teams out after putting up a 17-16 record, including 7-11 in SEC play, prior to Selection Sunday.
This year’s Tigers were a year too early, as the NCAA announced on Thursday that the tournament will move to 76 teams starting next year, which means that Pearl’s squad would have easily qualified for March Madness.
And two things can be true: Auburn didn’t deserve to be in this year’s tournament, as they struggled down the stretch to put away winnable games that would have made them end up on the right side of the bubble. The Tigers also went on a run to the NIT title, winning five straight games, including the thrilling overtime championship victory over Tulsa, to bring home the consolation banner.
But how would Auburn have fared had the NCAA made the decision a year earlier?
Auburn's chances of going far in last year's NCAA Tournament were slim
There were some feelings that the Tigers might not even play in the NIT, and when KeShawn Murphy decided to opt out of playing in the postseason tournament, Auburn’s chances of making a run seemed unlikely, especially after an up-and-down season that saw the same issues continue to pop up.
With Murphy, and likely being one of the teams playing in the new 12-game opening round, it wouldn’t have been a shock to see Auburn go one-and-done. There wasn't much to suggest that this team could have pulled off a miracle run in the NCAA Tournament.
Truthfully, the so-called “snub” by the tournament committee might have lit a fire under the Tigers, who, when the season started, expected to be another Auburn team that entered the NCAA Tournament with high expectations. Instead, they were playing in college basketball’s version of the minor leagues, and instead of folding, they went out and played inspired basketball.
It was certainly promising to see, and with Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton returning alongside a talented transfer portal signing class, the momentum from the tournament victory could carry over into next season.
So, which ending would Auburn fans want: an early exit from the NCAA Tournament, or a NIT title?
Hopefully, that won’t be a question next March.
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