Sports

Mid-Majors Team Up To Troll Auburn As Tigers Beg For March Madness Bid

#College Basketball
by

iStockphoto / © DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


The Auburn basketball team is hoping for good news on Selection Sunday. The Tigers remain firmly on the bubble when it comes to March Madness inclusion.

They are battling a top mid-major for one of the tournament’s final bids. Smaller schools have come together to support one another.

The Miami RedHawks were perfect in the regular season. The team went 31-0 to win the MAC. Still, an NCAA Tournament bid was not guaranteed.

Many believed they needed to win the conference tournament to secure their spot. They did not.

UMass upset the RedHawks in quarterfinals. Their postseason fate hangs in the balance.

Will Miami’s spot be stolen?

At the moment, ESPN projects the RedHawks to be one of the last four teams invited to the field. CBS Sports believes the same.

Many have compared Miami’s resume to Auburn. They are polar opposites.

Miami has one of the softest schedules in college basketball, though maybe due to no fault of its own. The strength of schedule is ranked 296th in the nation. There are zero quality wins.

The RedHawks took care of business against their opponents, but should they be rewarded for beating bad basketball teams?

Auburn doesn’t believe so. It was tested in the non-conference slate and in league play. The Tigers beat the likes of Florida, St. John’s, Arkansas, and Kentucky. It also played close against Houston.

Those wins are impressive. They are outweighed, however, by 16 losses.

Auburn needed a run in the SEC Tournament to ensure its March Madness bid. It went 1-1, capped by a frustrating collapse vs. Tennessee.

For now, it seems the Tigers are on the wrong side of the bubble. ESPN and CBS have them listed among the First Four Out. They are begging for a bid on social media.

Mid-majors are trolling Auburn basketball.

Steven Pearl has been vocal about his team’s NCAA Tournament case. His father, Bruce, has also made a pitch for the Tigers.

“Are we going to select the 68 most deserving teams or the 68 best teams?” the former Auburn coach said when comparing the schools.

“Miami is going to have to win its conference tournament to qualify as a champion, because as an at-large, they are not one of the best teams in the country.”

That criticism landed an immediate reply from the Miami athletic director. Now, others are coming to the RedHawks’ defense.

UMBC booked its NCAA Tournament ticket by winning its conference tournament. It took an immediate shot at Auburn basketball.

Mid-majors believe Miami has earned its spot. It won the games on the schedule. Auburn did not, though that path was much more daunting.

The smaller schools are sticking together. They want to see Miami in the field. They do not want losses to be rewarded.

Both teams’ fates will be revealed on Selection Sunday.