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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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While Auburn thought they may have made a case for the NCAA Tournament this season, this March Madness won't feature Steven Pearl and the Tigers.
As one might expect, former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, part of CBS's Selection Sunday special with the bracket reveal, had something to say about Auburn's omission. Pearl, the winningest coach at the school, recently attended their SEC Tournament game against Tennessee, drawing attention for his yelling from the crowd.
After revealing the four regions of the bracket, CBS's panel turned its attention to the last four teams in and the last four teams out. The last four out included Oklahoma and Auburn, and Pearl felt one of these teams might've deserved a spot over another team in the field.
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Seth Davis, also on CBS’s panel, explained that if Auburn had defeated Ole Miss at home, they would’ve likely been in the field, but that Quad 3 loss hurt their chances.
“You know Auburn beat three champions this year. They beat Florida, St. John’s, and Arkansas,” Pearl contended, adding, “They played the toughest schedule in the country. Don’t know that they were rewarded for it. It’s hard to get another couple of SEC teams in when the SEC already has 10.”
During Selection Sunday, CBS revealed Florida among the four No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament bracket. Other SEC teams to receive spots in the bracket included the SEC Champion Arkansas Razorbacks, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Georgia, Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.
"The first criteria is wins and losses, and I think that ultimately did Auburn in," Clark Kellogg said in his opinion of the situation.
Davis reminded everyone that Auburn was 44th in wins above bubble, which was right near the cut line. However, Pearl believed the Tigers deserved the spot over another team that got in on Sunday.
"There's no question. You've got to win your way in or lose your way out," Pearl said, adding, "If you're gonna put one in, Ok who would you take out. For me, SMU with a 191 out-of-conference strength of schedule. I don't know that they should've been rewarded. They only won five games away from home. For me, it would've been either Oklahoma or Auburn taking that loss spot."
With Auburn out of the NCAA Tournament, they may still have a shot to play in a postseason tournament, with the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) bracket forthcoming, should they accept an invite.
More news: UConn’s Dan Hurley Shares Silas Demary Jr. Injury Update After Loss
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