Why did Auburn basketball decide to play in the NIT?

“I'm not gonna duck away from an opportunity... I'm not gonna take my ball and go home because we didn't make the tournament.”

(Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)

AUBURN — Declining postseason invitations is all the rage these days.

Don’t like the fact you didn’t go where you wanted to go? Want to go ahead and pull the plug? Ready to just turn the page to next season? Just don’t play.

Before Notre Dame football decided not to play in a bowl game at all just because it didn’t get into the playoff late last year, something similar had already been happening in college basketball.

If you’re a high-major who didn’t get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, you probably don’t want to play in the consolation prize known as the NIT. It’s a mark of disappointment, a reminder that you’re not playing in the event that largely defines the sport for most of the country.

Hours after the Selection Show revealed that Oklahoma was the First Team Out of the NCAA Tournament field this year, the Sooners weren’t part of the NIT field.

Indiana, another team that just missed the cut, also declined an invitation. Virginia Tech announced its decision to not go to the NIT days earlier, as soon as it was eliminated from the ACC Tournament. Florida State and Seton Hall also declined.

This even carried over into mid-majors. San Diego State, having missed the Big Dance for the first time since 2019, released a statement from its head coach, saying “I don't feel that playing in another postseason event would benefit us.” Belmont turned down an invitation as well, but that had more to do with its coach leaving for Kansas State.

And yet, sitting at the No. 1 overall seed in the NIT — one year after being the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament — was Auburn. The Tigers were the Second Team Out in the eyes of the Selection Committee, but they decided to keep playing.

It’s not a decision that’s popular among its peers, or even among some members of its own fan base. Auburn is just one of three high-major teams in the 2026 NIT, joining Wake Forest and Oklahoma State. Last year, there were only four high-majors in the NIT. That tournament was eventually won by mid-major Chattanooga.

So why did Auburn do it? Why are the Tigers still playing after their late-season slide? Why did a team that fell short of its standard of playing in March Madness decide that it was worth it to accept an NIT bid?

“I'm here to coach basketball,” Auburn head coach Steven Pearl said Monday afternoon. “The guys on my roster are here to play basketball. We're all here to compete. I'm not gonna 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 gonna take my ball and go home because we didn't make the tournament.”

There’s no doubt that not making the NCAA Tournament makes this a season for Auburn basketball that fell short of expectations. Even with the late change from Bruce Pearl to his son and the challenges of playing with a roster that returned just one player from a year ago, the Tigers had plenty of opportunities to get into the field.

Auburn isn’t happy to be playing in the NIT, considering it spent the entire weekend campaigning to get an at-large NCAA bid. But the Tigers want to make the most of what they’ve been given instead of just looking ahead to next season.