It was always going to be a long shot for the Auburn Tigers to make the 2026 March Madness bracket. Now, it’s been confirmed that there was no miracle. The writing was on the wall for the Tigers, and Selection Sunday in the NCAA only spelled out what no one in Toomer’s Corner wanted to hear.
Auburn is the second team left out of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. Because of its 17–16 overall record (7–11 in the SEC), Auburn didn’t make the cut for March Madness in 2026. Reaching the second round of the SEC Tournament and the program’s past season success wasn’t enough for the Tigers to convince the Selection Committee they deserved a spot.
During the Tigers’ first year without Bruce Pearl, they missed the NCAA Tournament. Auburn had made it into the 68-team bracket in each of the past four college basketball seasons. The last time Auburn’s season ended this early was in the 2020-21 campaign.
Auburn’s resume in NCAA Tournament
As the 2025-26 NCAA season comes to a close for the Tigers, the school in The Plains failed to secure its 15th March Madness appearance in program history. Auburn has yet to win its first NCAA Tournament. As it stands, the best the Tigers have done is reaching the Final Four in two occasions (2019 and 2025).
Multi-bid conferences in NCAA Tournament
Out of every conference with multiple bids in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, the SEC reigns supreme. The Southeastern Conference has 10 representatives in the 68-team bracket.
Closing out the podium is the Big Ten conference, with 9 programs, and the ACC and Big 12 with 8 schools each. The SEC could have added two more schools with Oklahoma and Auburn. The Sooners and Tigers were the first and second teams left out, respectively.
SEC programs in the 68-team bracket
- Florida
- Arkansas
- Alabama
- Vanderbilt
- Tennessee
- Texas A&M
- Georgia
- Missouri
- Kentucky
- Texas (First Four)