ESPN’s Joe Lunardi reveals Auburn’s outlook in latest bracketology update following loss at Alabama
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The Auburn Tigers lost 8 of 10 games to end the regular season. They were soundly beaten by their arch-rival, Alabama, on Saturday night. Ahead of their SEC Tournament matchup with Mississippi State, they stand at 16-15. That record would be a death sentence to most teams’ NCAA Tournament hopes. But the Tigers, for better or worse, are not your ordinary team.
According to KenPom, Auburn has played the second-toughest schedule in the country. Steven Pearl’s team also has wins over St. John’s, Arkansas and — most importantly — at Florida. Nobody can deny that the losses have piled up, but as of Sunday morning, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Auburn as the final team in his projected NCAA Tournament field.
Lunardi’s handling of the Tigers has more to do with the rest of the bubble than their own performance. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello succinctly summed up why Auburn (likely) moved back into Lunardi’s bracket late Saturday night.
Fans, of course, don’t always care much for analytical arguments when it comes to NCAA Tournament bids. If they had their way, Miami (OH) would have been a shoo-in for the bracket way before now, and Auburn locked out without a second thought. They let Lunardi know their feelings about the Tigers’ inclusion in his comments.
Auburn will have to win multiple games at the SEC Tournament if it wants to feel remotely safe about making the Big Dance. The Tigers face Mississippi State on Wednesday (3:00 p.m. ET, SEC Network) and would battle Tennessee (3:00 p.m. ET, SEC Network) on Thursday if they can get past the Bulldogs. They’d tussle with Vanderbilt on Friday (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) with victories on Wednesday and Thursday.
Will Auburn make the NCAA Tournament? Kalshi is taking action on bubble predictions for the Big Dance!
