How the controversy involving a former Tennessee Vols guard may have cost Auburn a spot in the NCAA Tournament
The Auburn Tigers were one of the first teams left out of the NCAA Tournament.
A controversy involving a former Tennessee Vols guard may have been the primary reason the Auburn Tigers were left out of the NCAA Tournament.
Auburn finished the season with a 17–16 record, which usually wouldn’t be enough to warrant NCAA Tournament consideration. But the Tigers played a tough schedule, so the metrics suggested they were a true bubble team.
The Tigers, though, ended up being among the first four teams left out of the tournament (much to the dismay of Bruce Pearl).
One big reason is that SMU snuck into the tournament after the school announced that guard BJ Edwards, who suffered an ankle injury in late February, would be good to go for the tournament.
The only problem is that Edwards, an East Tennessee native who started his college career with the Vols, didn’t return to action Wednesday night for SMU’s First Four matchup against Miami (OH).
If SMU hadn’t grabbed the last spot in the tournament, there’s a good chance that Auburn would’ve been the last team in (Auburn’s net rank was 38th and SMU’s was 37th).
SMU lost to Miami (OH) Wednesday night in Dayton without Edwards on the floor.
After the game, SMU head coach Andy Enfield told reporters that Edwards didn’t feel game ready.
“He looked really good in practice today, last couple days, he shot the ball well,” said Enfield. “He’s moving well, but I think there’s a thing called game readiness, and he just didn’t feel like he was quite game ready. He said, ‘I could definitely play on Friday, if we win this game,’ definitely going to play on Friday, but just not quite game ready….Really, that was probably a day short.”
SMU obviously announced that Edwards was returning to help their chances of making the tournament. And that’s clearly why they grabbed the last spot.
Had SMU beaten Miami (OH), it would’ve resulted in a matchup with Tennessee on Friday in Philadelphia.
Instead, the Vols will have to deal with a Miami (OH) team that loves to shoot threes.
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