Auburn Coach Steven Pearl Embraces NIT Bid

Pearl says he won't "take his ball and go home" after missing NCAA Tournament

Mar. 16, 2026 at 7:38pm

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Auburn basketball coach Steven Pearl says he accepted the team's invitation to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) because he doesn't want to "take his ball and go home" after missing out on a fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. Several high-profile programs declined their NIT invitations, but Pearl views the situation differently and wants his team to "go play" and "go hoop and have some fun with it."

Why it matters

Auburn's decision to compete in the NIT stands in contrast to other prominent programs that opted out, highlighting Pearl's commitment to providing his team with postseason opportunities even when they fall short of the NCAA Tournament. This speaks to his coaching philosophy and the program's culture.

The details

Auburn missed out on an NCAA Tournament bid on Selection Sunday, but received the top overall seed in the NIT. The Tigers will host their first-round game against South Alabama on Tuesday night. While several high-profile programs like Oklahoma, San Diego State, Baylor and Stanford declined their NIT invitations, Pearl said he wants his team to embrace the opportunity to keep playing and competing.

  • Auburn missed out on the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday (March 16, 2026).
  • Auburn will host South Alabama in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday night (March 18, 2026).

The players

Steven Pearl

The head coach of the Auburn Tigers basketball team.

South Alabama Jaguars

Auburn's opponent in the first round of the NIT.

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What they’re saying

“I'm not going to duck away from an opportunity to go out there and prepare and compete and play basketball because that's what we're here to do. I'm not going to take my ball and go home because we didn't make the (NCAA) Tournament. Let's just go play, let's go hoop and have some fun with it.”

— Steven Pearl, Head Coach, Auburn Tigers

What’s next

The winner of the Auburn-South Alabama game will advance to the second round of the NIT.

The takeaway

Coach Pearl's embrace of the NIT opportunity, in contrast to other high-profile programs that declined, demonstrates his commitment to providing his team with a chance to keep competing and improving, even when they fall short of their ultimate goal of making the NCAA Tournament.