FAYETTEVILLE -- Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl was bummed out at the SEC spring meetings about his Tigers not playing in the Big 12-SEC Challenge this season.
"I'm very disappointed," Pearl said in May. "I've always taken great pride in that matchup."
BIG 12-SEC CHALLENGE MATCHUPS
Ole Miss at Texas;1 p.m.;ESPN2
Imagine the rest of the SEC's disappointment now -- with the fifth Big 12-SEC Challenge on Saturday -- that Auburn won't be representing the conference.
Auburn (18-2) is the SEC's highest-ranked team in The Associated Press poll at No. 19 and leads the league with a 6-1 record after a 91-73 road victory at Missouri, but the Tigers will play LSU at home on Saturday instead of being involved in a marquee matchup against a Big 12 team.