Ten years ago, the NCAA Tournament was an afterthought for the Auburn men’s basketball program.
The Tigers hadn’t made the big ball in 12 years and were more concerned with finishing a season above .500 than making the playoffs.
Fast forward to 2025, and Auburn playing in March Madness is a no-brainer. The program has appeared in five of the last six NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four berth in 2019. With the Tigers now 22-2 and No. 1 in the nation, this season could be poised for an even better finish.
As Auburn continues to become a force in the world of college basketball, the expansion of the NCAA Tournament has begun to become a hot topic among members of the media and college basketball administrators. The tournament currently has 68 teams, but Yahoo Sports reported in June 2024 that NCAA officials presented field models of 72 and 76 teams to conference commissioners.
The report said any expansion would begin, at the earliest, during the 2025-2026 season, and add additional at-large selections as well as at least one additional First Four site.
When asked about the possibility of an NCAA Tournament expansion in a recent interview with AL.comAuburn athletic director John Cohen said he would have to be convinced it would be in the best interest of the Southeastern Conference.
“I’ve seen the evolution of SEC men’s and women’s basketball, and I’ve seen the progress, and I think that progress needs to be reflected in the NCAA arena,” Cohen told AL.com. “I will therefore reserve my comments on field expansion until I am satisfied that it would indeed be in the best interest of the Southeastern Conference.”
Although Cohen did not directly say whether or not he favored expansion, he questioned the current automatic tournament bid system, particularly for teams in smaller conferences that play comparatively weaker schedules.
“One of the things I love most about intercollegiate athletics is the Cinderella story, the opportunity for the little guy to take down the big guy. I totally understand that,” Cohen said. “But more than that, I believe in the body of work, and that’s why I have so much admiration for Coach (Bruce) Pearl. He knows that. So what does he do? He schedules, basically the toughest schedule in college basketball.
“If someone is competing in a league that’s not very strong and they’re not attacking their non-conference schedule in a certain way, I think they have to be responsible for all those decisions,” Cohen continued. “And there are great examples of teams that might not play in a traditionally strong league, that are playing really good non-conference competition, and they deserve it.”
Based on these reasons, Cohen said he “should be convinced with a strong argument” that the current automatic bidding system should reflect the NCAA Tournament field.
Auburn men’s basketball was recently the victim of an NCAA Tournament Cinderella, losing to Yale in the first round of the 2024 tournament.
Changing the selection process or removing automatic bidding altogether would make it much more difficult for schools like Yale and other mid-tier programs to enter the tournament.
“You increase the numbers, are you diluting what a league like ours has done by allowing other schools in? » Cohen asked. “What’s the competition from these other leagues? And if you win a league that’s not strong, does that automatically give you the right to go to the NCAA tournament? I think all those things matter.”
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m
