Auburn's 2026 March Madness Resume Discussed by Fans After SEC Tournament Loss, Updated Bracketology

Auburn is projected to be outside the NCAA men's basketball tournament bubble after blowing a late lead in Thursday's second-round SEC Tournament matchup against No. 25 Tennessee.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi listed Auburn as one of the first four teams out of March Madness following the Tigers' 72-62 loss to the Volunteers.

Fans were left to debate whether Auburn or other teams like Miami (Ohio) are more deserving of a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Auburn racked up a 49-39 lead over Tennessee through the first three quarters of Thursday's conference tournament matchup.

The Volunteers went on to outscore the Tigers 33-13 over the last 12 minutes, including a 19-0 stretch, to claim the comeback win and officially put Auburn in danger of going from a Final Four appearance to an NIT invite in less than a year.

Auburn will now finish the season with a 17-16 overall record and 7-11 SEC slate.

Miami (Ohio) is also a bubble team looking for a way into March Madness after the mid-major team went undefeated in the regular season but lost in the MAC quarterfinal to UMass.

Miami coach Travis Steele said after the loss he would be "very, very surprised" if his team didn't make the bracket after becoming the first men's DI program to record an undefeated regular season since Gonzaga in 2021.

Lunardi said earlier Thursday that Auburn could have climbed into the field with a win over Tennessee, but that he didn't believe the team the Tigers knocked out would be Miami.

Auburn would have instead taken a spot from SMU, Texas or VCU, all three of which retained their spots in the Last Four In category after the Tigers' loss, per Lunardi.

Which side of the bubble Auburn ends up on will be finalized this weekend during Selection Sunday. March Madness starts when the First Four kicks off the following Tuesday in Dayton.

Should Auburn ultimately get an invite, the Tigers would be the first 16-loss team to receive an at-large bid in NCAA Tournament history.