Rick Barnes weighs in on whether Auburn should have made the NCAA Tournament
By Mark Kern
Published:
Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers will get their run started in the NCAA Tournament on Friday as the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region when they take on the winner of a First Four matchup between SMU and Miami (OH).
The Volunteers have made the NCAA Tournament in eight consecutive seasons. While many teams from the SEC joined them in the Big Dance, one of the more talked about teams was Auburn, who was left out with a record of 17-16.
Despite having many big wins, Auburn and coach Steven Pearl were left out of the NCAA Tournament in his first season as the coach.
Barnes was asked about whether or not he thinks his conference rival should have made it in the field, and he believes they should have been.
“I do. When you think about our league and how hard it is, and I think Ole Miss just proved it,” Barnes told reporters when asked. “I they had lost how many games in a row, and they go there and make a run. And it is hard. It’s hard to come all the way through.”
The irony of Barnes saying that Auburn should be in the NCAA Tournament is the fact it was the Volunteers who delivered the final nail in the coffin when it came to the Tigers making the tournament. Tennessee was able to overcome a big deficit in a 2nd round game in the SEC Tournament to defeat Auburn, 72-62.
The team looked at as one of the biggest competitors for Auburn to make it was Miami (OH), who finished the regular season with a 31-0 record. If the RedHawks are able to knock off SMU, then Tennessee will have the opportunity to end their season as well.
