The Auburn Tigers will not be competing in this spring’s NCAA Tournament, making them one of the most notable teams to miss out this year.
Head coach Steve Pearl, along with his father, former head coach Bruce Pearl, hoped to secure a spot for the team among the 68 selected. Unfortunately, Auburn found itself alongside other teams like Oklahoma, San Diego State, and Indiana as part of the initial group unable to make the cut.
Another surprising miss was New Mexico State, which narrowly missed the tournament after a loss to San Diego State in the Mountain West Tournament.
Let’s examine some of this year’s March Madness snubs.
Auburn Tigers
The Tigers were a hot topic leading up to the Selection Sunday, mainly due to their former coach making headlines on various platforms, fervently advocating for Auburn’s inclusion. In the end, they needed an at-large bid after falling short in the SEC Tournament, finishing with a record of 17-16.
On the season, Auburn struggled against stronger opponents, going 4-13 against Quad I teams. They were 4-9 in their last 13 matches, despite a surprising victory over the defending national champions, the Florida Gators. Their record against Quad II opponents stood at 3-2, with a solid 6-0 against Quad IV teams. This marks the first time since 2021 that Auburn won’t appear in the NCAA Tournament.
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma was quick to exit the field on Selection Sunday, which dashed their hopes for NCAA Tournament inclusion. After a rough patch that included nine consecutive losses, the Sooners managed to turn things around, winning eight of their last 11 games. Unfortunately, this will be the fourth time in five seasons that they’ve missed out under head coach Porter Moser, who is set to return for the 2026-27 season after a 19-15 campaign.
San Diego State Aztecs
San Diego State faced challenges as well. They fell short in the Mountain West Tournament finals, losing the chance for an automatic bid right before March Madness. This year, they finished with a record of 22 wins and 11 losses, but a significant defeat to Utah State in the championship impacted their NET rankings detrimentally.
Indiana Hoosiers
Under coach Darian DeVries, the Hoosiers had an 18-14 season but struggled towards the end, losing six of their last seven games and finishing 9-12 in conference play. Early in the season, they appeared to be a tournament-worthy team, but after February 9th, their performance severely declined. Various media reports indicate that Indiana will not be accepting an invitation to any postseason tournaments.
New Mexico Lobos
It has been a challenging year for the Mountain West, with only one team making it to the NCAA Tournament. After losing to San Diego State in the conference tournament semifinals, they faced an uphill battle for an at-large bid. Their record against Quad I and II opponents was a combined 8-8, but they had only two wins against Quad I counterparts and suffered losses against Quad III teams.
