Steven Pearl sees the irony of the NCAA deciding to expand the annual tournament to 76 teams just one year after his Auburn squad was one of the first four left out. Still, the Tigers’ coach isn’t exactly a fan of the expansion.
“Not really," Pearl said last week. "I wish they would have done it a year earlier."
The Tigers missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years after an up-and-down season that was highlighted by bad losses to teams late in the regular season that put Auburn on the wrong side of the bubble.
Some wondered if Pearl’s squad would even take part in the NIT after receiving an invitation, but that was put to rest as the Tigers won five straight games to end the season and win the tournament title.
And while some might think that Pearl would trim Auburn’s non-conference schedule so it is a bit easier after the gauntlet they faced last season, including eventual national champion Michigan, Purdue, Houston and Arizona, the coach says that isn’t part of his plans at all, and he has a great reason why.
"We have to schedule to, one, build our resume, but two, get ready for conference play. … I don't think it burned us last year,” Pearl said.
Steven Pearl has plan to fix NCAA Tournament's mid-major problem
Most of the controversy this past March stemmed from Pearl’s father, Bruce, the former Auburn head coach, stating that Miami of Ohio, despite going through the regular season with a perfect record, didn’t deserve an NCAA Tournament bid unless the RedHawks won their conference tournament. It was seen as a ploy to get Auburn into the tournament, and while it didn’t work, some still believe schools from power conferences get more leeway than those from mid-majors when it comes to receiving bids.
For Pearl, the expansion to 76 teams is a chance to reward both.
I hope they do four (new) mid-majors and four high-majors, if they're going to do it that way," he said. "I think that would allow teams like New Mexico, Tulsa, New Mexico — teams that were on the bubble but not in power conferences — to be able to get in. But then also allow teams like us, Oklahoma."
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