Basketball News: 4-8-2026
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Dudley Dent
Apr 8, 2026, 8:01:21 AM (5 days ago) Apr 8
to Tiger Tracks
Auburn Basketball News: 4-8-2026
Filip Jovic enters transfer portal after Auburn’s NIT title run, per reports:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/filip-jovic-enters-transfer-portal-after-auburns-nit-title-run-per-reports.html
Auburn forward Filip Jovic expected to enter transfer portal:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-transfer-portal-steven-pearl-filip-jovic-280682464/
Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter transfer portal:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/04/07/auburn-basketball-transfer-portal-news-filip-jovic-sec/89501175007/
Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter transfer portal:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/auburn-forward-filip-jovic-plans-to-enter-transfer-portal/ar-AA20lU7K?ocid=winp2fptaskbarent&cvid=c65d7d70045a450798a1d411c69f7d2f&ei=24
Kevin Overton announces return to Auburn for his senior season:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/kevin-overton-announces-return-to-auburn-for-his-senior-season.html
Kevin Overton returns to Auburn after breakout shooting surge late in season:
https://www.on3.com/teams/auburn-tigers/news/kevin-overton-returns-to-auburn-after-breakout-shooting-surge-late-in-season/
Roster tracker: Tracking all of Auburn basketball’s roster moves this offseason:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/roster-tracker-tracking-all-of-auburn-basketballs-roster-moves-this-offseason.html
9 names to watch for Auburn basketball in transfer portal:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/9-names-to-watch-for-auburn-basketball-in-transfer-portal.html
John Cohen gives review of Steven Pearl’s first season as Auburn head basketball coach:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/john-cohen-gives-review-of-steven-pearls-first-season-as-auburn-head-basketball-coach.html
Kaitlyn Duhon announces return to Auburn women's basketball:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/womens-basketball/2026/04/07/auburn-womens-basketball-kaitlyn-duhon-announces-return/89492381007/
Ja'Mia Harris is returning for senior season with the Auburn Tigers:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/womens-basketball/2026/04/07/auburn-womens-basketball-jamia-harris-announces-return-sec/89502244007/
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Filip Jovic enters transfer portal after Auburn’s NIT title run, per reports
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
With the transfer portal officially open, Auburn basketball saw its first player move on from the program.
International big man Filip Jovic announced his transfer portal plans Tuesday morning, per Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
The 6-foot-9 Serbian freshman averaged 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in the 2025 season. Filip Jovic had 12 points and a career-high four assists in Auburn’s 92-86 NIT championship victory over Tulsa.
https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/2041546554100625752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041546554100625752%7Ctwgr%5E9f99760fc73d46f335e086e860f459d212eab822%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al.com%2Fauburnbasketball%2F2026%2F04%2Ffilip-jovic-enters-transfer-portal-after-auburns-nit-title-run-per-reports.html
Jovic reached double figures scoring in four straight games during the Tigers’ postseason run. Auburn will now target several frontcourt options in the portal, which will be open through April 21.
Last week, Auburn landed its second commitment for the 2026-27 class in 7-foot French center Narcisse Ngoy.
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Auburn forward Filip Jovic expected to enter transfer portal
By Nathan King
One of Auburn's promising pieces in the frontcourt is on his way out.
Filip Jovic is leaving Auburn after one season and is expected to enter the portal, Auburn Undercover has been informed. ESPN first reported the news Monday morning.
The 20-year-old freshman played professionally in Serbia before coming to Auburn. He averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game this season and started five all games at center during the Tigers' run to an NIT championship.
Jovic was a raw player coming from the international ranks, but Auburn and Steven Pearl hoped to get him for another year to develop his skill set. Pearl spoke on Sunday night after the NIT title game about playing Jovic at his "natural position" next season.
Jovic is the third Auburn player gone from the frontcourt, as starters Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy are out of eligibility.
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Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter transfer portal
By Taylor Jones
Auburn Wire
The first domino of the transfer portal cycle involving Auburn basketball has fallen.
Auburn Undercover reports that Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter the transfer portal after spending one season with the program. Jovic becomes the first member of Auburn's 2025-26 squad to enter the transfer portal just hours after the two-week window opened on Tuesday.
Jovic signed with Auburn last May following a stint in the FIBA European League, where he played for KK MegaBasket in Serbia. In his lone season on the Plains, Jovic averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 64% from the field over 37 games, making nine starts.
Jovic made a special run to end the season by averaging 11.4 points per game during Auburn's NIT run, where he scored over 10 points in Auburn's final four games, including 12 points in Auburn's NIT Championship win over Tulsa on Sunday. Before the NIT, Jovic reached double-digits in points just four times.
Heading into the offseason, Auburn will look to replace several key seniors, including KeShawn Murphy and Keyshawn Hall, with Jovic adding his name to the list. Auburn has already signed an international player in Narcisse Ngoy, a 7-0 center from France. Auburn has also landed a three-star forward, Caleb Williams, from SFA Academy in Tampa, Florida, to its high school 2026 signing class.
The transfer portal window for college basketball opened Tuesday, April 7, and will close on Tuesday, April 21.
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Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter transfer portal
By James Fletcher III
Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, per Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony. The 6-foot-9 freshman spent one season in the program.
During his 35 games at Auburn, Jovic averaged 5.9 points, starting nine contests. He also added 4.1 rebounds, grabbing more offensive boards than defensive in 18 minutes per game.
Auburn finished the season with a 20-16 record, falling just short of the NCAA Tournament bubble as part of the Selection Committee’s First Four Out. In Year One under Steven Pearl, the Tigers accepted a bid into the NIT and played postseason basketball.
Jovic arrived as a three-star prospect in the Rivals Industry Rankings, sitting at No. 198 overall in the 2025 class. Originally from Serbia, he started his career overseas with Mega. There, he averaged 10.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 44 games across two seasons.
Now 21, he still has three years of eligibility remaining in college. Now adjusted to the American game, he could become a valuable pickup for any team that targets the Serbian native in the transfer portal this spring.
Charles Barkley on missing NCAA Tournament
Charles Barkley has grown used to seeing Auburn compete in the NCAA Tournament. Not this year, though, as the Tigers were one of the first teams on the outside on Selection Sunday. Many debated whether or not they deserved to get in. Plenty of metrics favored Auburn, only to hold an overall record of 17-16.
Opinions on the matter did not stop with Barkley, either. He gave his thoughts on whether or not Auburn should have been included in the field. As much as Barkley loves his alma mater, his belief is that the right decision was made.
“Auburn should not have got in,” Barkley said. “I love Steve(n) Pearl but we playing in the NIT tonight. We didn’t deserve to get into the big dance. We were too inconsistent all year. I hate saying that but I didn’t think we deserved to get in… They just didn’t finish well enough.”
Auburn lost eight out of its last 10 games. Kentucky and LSU were the two wins, both of which were on the Plains. What hurt the most is that three of the losses came against non-NCAA Tournament teams. To say the resume took a major dive would be an understatement.
Kevin Overton announces return to Auburn for his senior season
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
The most valuable player from Auburn’s NIT championship run is back for another year.
Starting shooting guard Kevin Overton announced his return to the program on Tuesday, doing so in a post on by Auburn basketball’s X (formerly Twitter) account. Overton becomes the first Auburn player to publicly announce his return since the transfer portal opened.
https://twitter.com/AuburnMBB/status/2041605997945372895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041605997945372895%7Ctwgr%5Ec0d371af06a5f43c9289358b706e867fb9bb5f63%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al.com%2Fauburnbasketball%2F2026%2F04%2Fkevin-overton-announces-return-to-auburn-for-his-senior-season.html
Overton was a vital player for Auburn during the 2025-2026 season, but became especially important during the postseason. He was named the NIT’s Most Outstanding Player, averaging 18.6 points per game and shooting 53.7 percent from 3-point range during the tournament.
The hot shooting started before the NIT, though, as Overton shot 49 percent from 3 over Auburn’s final 10 games of the season.
The 2025-2026 campaign was the most productive of Overton’s career, as he set career highs in points per game (14.1), assists per game (1.3), steals per game (1.1), field goal percentage (44.6 percent), 3-point field goal percentage (41.3 percent) and free throw percentage (86 percent).
Getting him back next season goes a long way for Auburn’s offense, as he became a major part of the Tigers’ success down the stretch in 2026. Next season will be Overton’s final year of eligibility, as he made stops at Drake and Texas Tech before coming to Auburn.
The transfer portal officially opened at 11 p.m. on April 6 and will remain open for players to enter until April 21.
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Kevin Overton returns to Auburn after breakout shooting surge late in season
By Justin Hokanson
Kevin Overton is coming back to Auburn, giving Steven Pearl one of the program’s most important returning pieces as the Tigers begin building next season’s roster.
Overton started 36 of Auburn’s 38 games this past season and developed into one of the team’s most reliable scorers. He averaged 14.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 41 percent from three-point range, providing steady production on the wing and emerging as one of the offense’s most trusted options.
What made Overton’s season especially encouraging was how strong he finished.
After a 1-for-7 shooting performance at Tennessee in late January, Overton caught fire over Auburn’s final 16 games. During that stretch, he knocked down 55 of 115 attempts from beyond the arc, good for 48 percent, and became one of the hotter shooters in the SEC and postseason play.
His best basketball came during Auburn’s NIT championship run.
Overton made 22 threes across the Tigers’ five NIT victories and delivered three performances of 20 or more points, helping Auburn close the season on a high note and showing the kind of impact he can have when he gets into rhythm.
Overton was the NIT title game’s Most Outstanding Player.
He scored 20-plus points in 11 games last season and finished the season with 19 games of shooting 40 percent or better from three.
Overton’s decision to return gives Auburn an experienced scorer, proven shooter and veteran leader to build around as the Tigers navigate another important offseason.
Overton’s return is a major win for Pearl and the Tigers.
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Roster tracker: Tracking all of Auburn basketball’s roster moves this offseason
By Peter Rauterkus and Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
After ending the 2025-2026 season with an NIT championship, Auburn basketball has a big offseason ahead of it.
Head coach Steven Pearl is going into his first offseason as head coach and will look to improve a roster that failed to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021. A handful of players could come back, but the Tigers have work to do in the portal.
Pearl recently hired former Louisville assistant Brian Kloman to be the program’s general manager, which was a major move for Auburn ahead of the transfer portal opening.
The portal officially opened for players to enter at 11 p.m. CT on April 6 and will remain open until April 21. Between transfers and international players, expect Auburn to have a busy offseason.
With that said, you can keep up with all of the Tigers’ roster moves here.
Players out (3)
Out of eligibility (2)
KeShawn Murphy, C
Keyshawn Hall, SF/PF
Expected to enter transfer portal (1)
Filip Jovic, PF/C
Players in (2)
Incoming freshmen (1)
Caleb Williams, SF
International players (1)
Narcisse Ngoy, C
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9 names to watch for Auburn basketball in transfer portal
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball took its first hit in the transfer portal after Filip Jovic announced his plans to leave Tuesday morning.
College basketball players can enter the portal starting today through April 21.
Here are some names for Auburn to watch in the transfer portal:
Aiden Sherrell, Alabama
Sherrell, Alabama’s starting center entered the transfer portal on Monday, joining Taylor Bol Bowen as the second Crimson Tide player to announce his departure from the program.
The 6-foot-10 Sherrell averaged 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.2 blocks while shooting 33.8% from 3-point territory in the 2025 season.
In the two games against Auburn this year, he combined for 16 points and nine rebounds. He will cost a hefty penny to bring onto the Tigers’ roster.
Isiah Harwell, Houston
A five-star signee in Houston’s 2025 recruiting class, Harwell was a key contributor off the bench in the Cougars’ run to the Sweet 16. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard displays great midrange and 3-point shooting, while also having elite feet on defense.
Harwell averaged only 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds, but finished in double figures’ scoring in two conference games against Cincinnati and Baylor. In the game against Auburn, he scored five points and added three rebounds.
Acaden Lewis, Villanova
Lewis, a freshman guard, declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining eligibility to test out the transfer portal.
In 33 games for the Wildcats this past season, Lewis averaged 12.2 points per game, three rebounds per game and 5.3 assists per game, while shooting 45.6% from the floor and 27% from three-point range.
Depending on what Auburn does at that position, Lewis could bring a Kevin Overton style of play to the Tigers’ backcourt.
JP Estrella, Tennessee
Estrella was the Volunteers’ third-leading scorer this past season, averaging 10 points in 18.4 minutes per game. He averaged 5.4 rebounds per game and shot 59.6% from the field.
The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Estrella recorded a double-double in the first round of the NCAA Tournament when he had 14 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Miami (Ohio).
Estrella brings length and elite scoring at the wing position. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Karter Knox, Arkansas
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward averaged 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Razorbacks before undergoing knee meniscus surgery in February that cost him the remainder of the season.
Knox originally committed to John Calipari while the head coach was still at Kentucky in 2024. After Calipari took the Arkansas job, he followed him to Fayetteville.
In his first season with the Razorbacks, Knox played in 36 games and averaged 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds on 46.2% shooting from the field and 35% from 3-point range. He also finished with 11 points and four rebounds in a loss to Auburn that season.
Arterio Morris, Bethune-Cookman
Remember him?
Arterio Morris finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the 2025-26 season-opener vs. Auburn and sent the game into overtime after being fouled on a 3-point heave.
After spending time at Kansas, Texas and South Plains College prior to Bethune-Cookman, Morris averaged 11.5 points while shooting 41.2% from the floor this past season.
With a ton of collegiate experience, Morris brings high level scoring with veteran presence inside the locker room.
Ty Davis, Creighton
Ty Davis, the son of former Mountain Brook head coach Tyler Davis, is a former all-state player from the Birmingham area who won a Class 6A state championship with the Spartans.
Davis spent two years at Creighton before entering the portal Tuesday following the retirement of former coach Greg McDermott. The 6-foot-4 Davis played in 61 career games for the Blue Jays, averaging 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in a little more than nine minutes per game.
Dennis Evans, Grand Canyon
The 7-foot-2 center Evans shot 66.7% from the floor in 25 games played during his redshirt freshman season, in which he averaged about 8.4 minutes per game.
With the uncertainty on center Emeka Oprum’s health with the Tigers, Evans would bring great size to an Auburn frontcourt that will be seeking more length this portal season.
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John Cohen gives review of Steven Pearl’s first season as Auburn head basketball coach
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Auburn basketball didn’t achieve the things it wanted to in Year 1 under Steven Pearl.
The Tigers missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021, but earned a nice consolation prize by winning the program’s first NIT championship. It was a good end to a frustrating season, as Pearl enters his first offseason as head coach.
In an interview with AL.com, Auburn athletic director John Cohen called the NIT wins “significant” as the Tigers look to build going into Pearl’s second season.
“I understand that there can be critics in this world, but no matter how you slice it, our basketball team won out, and they won a championship, and they extended their season and they got really valuable experience,” Cohen said. “When you consider how many new players we had coming in, the fact that they didn’t get to play with each other a lot, the extension of the season and the opportunity to continue those practices and in-game experience, I think it’s invaluable.”
While Auburn will have to replace of a handful of contributors again this offseason, a number of key players will have a chance to come back. Kevin Overton was the first to publicly announce his return, and he was named the NIT’s Most Outstanding Player.
Overton was one of Auburn’s best players as it closed the season strong, but Year 1 under Pearl wasn’t without frustration. Auburn lost 16 games -- the program’s most since 2016 -- and once looked like a lock for the NCAA tournament before a rough end to the regular season.
The Tigers lost eight of its final 10 regular season games, including head scratching defeats against Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Despite those losses, Auburn was still firmly on the bubble going into Selection Sunday, as it stacked impressive wins against teams like Florida, St. John’s, Arkansas, Texas and NC State.
Auburn was the second team out of the NCAA tournament and looked like the most talented team in the NIT as it went on to win the title.
Auburn entered the 2025-2026 season under unusual circumstances, as longtime head coach Bruce Pearl stepped down the day practice officially started.
Steven Pearl, Bruce’s son and former associate head coach, was immediately promoted to be the new head coach, taking over a new-look roster that signed to play for the Tigers while the elder Pearl was still the head coach.
Cohen didn’t blame any of Auburn’s struggles this season on that, but called the 2025-2026 campaign a “transitional year in many ways.”
With that in mind, Cohen is confident in Steven Pearl following a frustrating first season, and much of that confidence comes from the staff Pearl has around him.
“I feel very good about this coaching staff,” Cohen said. “They didn’t forget how to evaluate good players. They didn’t forget how to coach defense. They didn’t forget how to coach good offense. But that was a transitional year in many, many ways, both from a roster standpoint and Coach Pearl.”
For Auburn, attention now shifts toward the transfer portal, which opened Monday night. So far, only one Auburn player -- freshman forward Filip Jovic -- is expected to enter the portal, but starters KeShawn Murphy and Keyshawn Hall are out of eligibility.
Auburn hasn’t yet signed any players out of the portal, but filled a position of need last week when it signed French center Narcisse Ngoy. The transfer portal will remain open for players to enter until April 21.
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Kaitlyn Duhon announces return to Auburn women's basketball
By Jac Myrick
Auburn Wire
Redshirt junior guard Kaitlyn Duhon announces her intentions to return to the Auburn women's basketball squad for the 2026-2027 season.
Duhon will enter his fifth season on the Plains as a redshirt senior for the Tigers' 2026-2027 season. She started every game and was the second-leading scorer for Auburn this past season, averaging 10.0 points per game while also averaging 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals. In her time, she has averaged 21.2 mins, 6.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals.
The best performance Duhon put up in 2025-2026 came against Texas A&M on Feb. 15, when she recorded 23 points, six rebounds, and four steals. She finished with five games of 15 points or more.
She redshirted in 2024-2025 in her junior season after sustaining an injury against Kansas. Duhon only saw eight games that year and started four. Next season will be her last season of eligibility. The 5-foot-10 guard will bring a veteran presence to the locker room in year two under coach Larry Vickers, as he and his staff continue to rebuild the program.
https://twitter.com/AuburnWBB/status/2041291853429887425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041291853429887425%7Ctwgr%5Ebd078ea189399215e81483147ab4718399ba6cf9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fauburnwire.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Fwomens-basketball%2F2026%2F04%2F07%2Fauburn-womens-basketball-kaitlyn-duhon-announces-return%2F89492381007%2F
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Ja'Mia Harris is returning for senior season with the Auburn Tigers
By Jac Myrick
Auburn Wire
Ja'Mia Harris announces her plans to return to play for Auburn women's basketball for her senior season.
The redshirt junior led the Tigers in assists with an average of 1.7 assists. She played every game for Auburn, only coming off the bench once. Harris scored an average of 7.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in her first season with the Tigers this previous season.
Prior to playing at Auburn, Harris transferred from Texas State, where she dropped an average of 10.2 points in one season. She began her collegiate career at Kansas State and played two seasons for the Wildcats. Harris suffered a season-ending injury that ended her season in her freshman year.
She joins fellow redshirt junior guard Kaitlyn Duhon in returning to play for head coach Larry Vickers and the Auburn Tigers. The program looks to continue rebuilding after a couple of losing record seasons.
https://twitter.com/AuburnWBB/status/2041291853429887425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041291853429887425%7Ctwgr%5E6a7f9fa62e5a81e07e5de281b79d33dbc642b5cf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fauburnwire.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Fwomens-basketball%2F2026%2F04%2F07%2Fauburn-womens-basketball-jamia-harris-announces-return-sec%2F89502244007%2F
Filip Jovic enters transfer portal after Auburn’s NIT title run, per reports:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/filip-jovic-enters-transfer-portal-after-auburns-nit-title-run-per-reports.html
Auburn forward Filip Jovic expected to enter transfer portal:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-transfer-portal-steven-pearl-filip-jovic-280682464/
Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter transfer portal:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/04/07/auburn-basketball-transfer-portal-news-filip-jovic-sec/89501175007/
Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter transfer portal:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/auburn-forward-filip-jovic-plans-to-enter-transfer-portal/ar-AA20lU7K?ocid=winp2fptaskbarent&cvid=c65d7d70045a450798a1d411c69f7d2f&ei=24
Kevin Overton announces return to Auburn for his senior season:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/kevin-overton-announces-return-to-auburn-for-his-senior-season.html
Kevin Overton returns to Auburn after breakout shooting surge late in season:
https://www.on3.com/teams/auburn-tigers/news/kevin-overton-returns-to-auburn-after-breakout-shooting-surge-late-in-season/
Roster tracker: Tracking all of Auburn basketball’s roster moves this offseason:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/roster-tracker-tracking-all-of-auburn-basketballs-roster-moves-this-offseason.html
9 names to watch for Auburn basketball in transfer portal:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/9-names-to-watch-for-auburn-basketball-in-transfer-portal.html
John Cohen gives review of Steven Pearl’s first season as Auburn head basketball coach:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/john-cohen-gives-review-of-steven-pearls-first-season-as-auburn-head-basketball-coach.html
Kaitlyn Duhon announces return to Auburn women's basketball:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/womens-basketball/2026/04/07/auburn-womens-basketball-kaitlyn-duhon-announces-return/89492381007/
Ja'Mia Harris is returning for senior season with the Auburn Tigers:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/womens-basketball/2026/04/07/auburn-womens-basketball-jamia-harris-announces-return-sec/89502244007/
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Filip Jovic enters transfer portal after Auburn’s NIT title run, per reports
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
With the transfer portal officially open, Auburn basketball saw its first player move on from the program.
International big man Filip Jovic announced his transfer portal plans Tuesday morning, per Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
The 6-foot-9 Serbian freshman averaged 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in the 2025 season. Filip Jovic had 12 points and a career-high four assists in Auburn’s 92-86 NIT championship victory over Tulsa.
https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/2041546554100625752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041546554100625752%7Ctwgr%5E9f99760fc73d46f335e086e860f459d212eab822%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al.com%2Fauburnbasketball%2F2026%2F04%2Ffilip-jovic-enters-transfer-portal-after-auburns-nit-title-run-per-reports.html
Jovic reached double figures scoring in four straight games during the Tigers’ postseason run. Auburn will now target several frontcourt options in the portal, which will be open through April 21.
Last week, Auburn landed its second commitment for the 2026-27 class in 7-foot French center Narcisse Ngoy.
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Auburn forward Filip Jovic expected to enter transfer portal
By Nathan King
One of Auburn's promising pieces in the frontcourt is on his way out.
Filip Jovic is leaving Auburn after one season and is expected to enter the portal, Auburn Undercover has been informed. ESPN first reported the news Monday morning.
The 20-year-old freshman played professionally in Serbia before coming to Auburn. He averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game this season and started five all games at center during the Tigers' run to an NIT championship.
Jovic was a raw player coming from the international ranks, but Auburn and Steven Pearl hoped to get him for another year to develop his skill set. Pearl spoke on Sunday night after the NIT title game about playing Jovic at his "natural position" next season.
Jovic is the third Auburn player gone from the frontcourt, as starters Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy are out of eligibility.
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Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter transfer portal
By Taylor Jones
Auburn Wire
The first domino of the transfer portal cycle involving Auburn basketball has fallen.
Auburn Undercover reports that Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter the transfer portal after spending one season with the program. Jovic becomes the first member of Auburn's 2025-26 squad to enter the transfer portal just hours after the two-week window opened on Tuesday.
Jovic signed with Auburn last May following a stint in the FIBA European League, where he played for KK MegaBasket in Serbia. In his lone season on the Plains, Jovic averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 64% from the field over 37 games, making nine starts.
Jovic made a special run to end the season by averaging 11.4 points per game during Auburn's NIT run, where he scored over 10 points in Auburn's final four games, including 12 points in Auburn's NIT Championship win over Tulsa on Sunday. Before the NIT, Jovic reached double-digits in points just four times.
Heading into the offseason, Auburn will look to replace several key seniors, including KeShawn Murphy and Keyshawn Hall, with Jovic adding his name to the list. Auburn has already signed an international player in Narcisse Ngoy, a 7-0 center from France. Auburn has also landed a three-star forward, Caleb Williams, from SFA Academy in Tampa, Florida, to its high school 2026 signing class.
The transfer portal window for college basketball opened Tuesday, April 7, and will close on Tuesday, April 21.
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Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter transfer portal
By James Fletcher III
Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, per Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony. The 6-foot-9 freshman spent one season in the program.
During his 35 games at Auburn, Jovic averaged 5.9 points, starting nine contests. He also added 4.1 rebounds, grabbing more offensive boards than defensive in 18 minutes per game.
Auburn finished the season with a 20-16 record, falling just short of the NCAA Tournament bubble as part of the Selection Committee’s First Four Out. In Year One under Steven Pearl, the Tigers accepted a bid into the NIT and played postseason basketball.
Jovic arrived as a three-star prospect in the Rivals Industry Rankings, sitting at No. 198 overall in the 2025 class. Originally from Serbia, he started his career overseas with Mega. There, he averaged 10.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 44 games across two seasons.
Now 21, he still has three years of eligibility remaining in college. Now adjusted to the American game, he could become a valuable pickup for any team that targets the Serbian native in the transfer portal this spring.
Charles Barkley on missing NCAA Tournament
Charles Barkley has grown used to seeing Auburn compete in the NCAA Tournament. Not this year, though, as the Tigers were one of the first teams on the outside on Selection Sunday. Many debated whether or not they deserved to get in. Plenty of metrics favored Auburn, only to hold an overall record of 17-16.
Opinions on the matter did not stop with Barkley, either. He gave his thoughts on whether or not Auburn should have been included in the field. As much as Barkley loves his alma mater, his belief is that the right decision was made.
“Auburn should not have got in,” Barkley said. “I love Steve(n) Pearl but we playing in the NIT tonight. We didn’t deserve to get into the big dance. We were too inconsistent all year. I hate saying that but I didn’t think we deserved to get in… They just didn’t finish well enough.”
Auburn lost eight out of its last 10 games. Kentucky and LSU were the two wins, both of which were on the Plains. What hurt the most is that three of the losses came against non-NCAA Tournament teams. To say the resume took a major dive would be an understatement.
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By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
The most valuable player from Auburn’s NIT championship run is back for another year.
Starting shooting guard Kevin Overton announced his return to the program on Tuesday, doing so in a post on by Auburn basketball’s X (formerly Twitter) account. Overton becomes the first Auburn player to publicly announce his return since the transfer portal opened.
https://twitter.com/AuburnMBB/status/2041605997945372895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041605997945372895%7Ctwgr%5Ec0d371af06a5f43c9289358b706e867fb9bb5f63%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al.com%2Fauburnbasketball%2F2026%2F04%2Fkevin-overton-announces-return-to-auburn-for-his-senior-season.html
Overton was a vital player for Auburn during the 2025-2026 season, but became especially important during the postseason. He was named the NIT’s Most Outstanding Player, averaging 18.6 points per game and shooting 53.7 percent from 3-point range during the tournament.
The hot shooting started before the NIT, though, as Overton shot 49 percent from 3 over Auburn’s final 10 games of the season.
The 2025-2026 campaign was the most productive of Overton’s career, as he set career highs in points per game (14.1), assists per game (1.3), steals per game (1.1), field goal percentage (44.6 percent), 3-point field goal percentage (41.3 percent) and free throw percentage (86 percent).
Getting him back next season goes a long way for Auburn’s offense, as he became a major part of the Tigers’ success down the stretch in 2026. Next season will be Overton’s final year of eligibility, as he made stops at Drake and Texas Tech before coming to Auburn.
The transfer portal officially opened at 11 p.m. on April 6 and will remain open for players to enter until April 21.
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Kevin Overton returns to Auburn after breakout shooting surge late in season
By Justin Hokanson
Kevin Overton is coming back to Auburn, giving Steven Pearl one of the program’s most important returning pieces as the Tigers begin building next season’s roster.
Overton started 36 of Auburn’s 38 games this past season and developed into one of the team’s most reliable scorers. He averaged 14.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 41 percent from three-point range, providing steady production on the wing and emerging as one of the offense’s most trusted options.
What made Overton’s season especially encouraging was how strong he finished.
After a 1-for-7 shooting performance at Tennessee in late January, Overton caught fire over Auburn’s final 16 games. During that stretch, he knocked down 55 of 115 attempts from beyond the arc, good for 48 percent, and became one of the hotter shooters in the SEC and postseason play.
His best basketball came during Auburn’s NIT championship run.
Overton made 22 threes across the Tigers’ five NIT victories and delivered three performances of 20 or more points, helping Auburn close the season on a high note and showing the kind of impact he can have when he gets into rhythm.
Overton was the NIT title game’s Most Outstanding Player.
He scored 20-plus points in 11 games last season and finished the season with 19 games of shooting 40 percent or better from three.
Overton’s decision to return gives Auburn an experienced scorer, proven shooter and veteran leader to build around as the Tigers navigate another important offseason.
Overton’s return is a major win for Pearl and the Tigers.
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Roster tracker: Tracking all of Auburn basketball’s roster moves this offseason
By Peter Rauterkus and Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
After ending the 2025-2026 season with an NIT championship, Auburn basketball has a big offseason ahead of it.
Head coach Steven Pearl is going into his first offseason as head coach and will look to improve a roster that failed to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021. A handful of players could come back, but the Tigers have work to do in the portal.
Pearl recently hired former Louisville assistant Brian Kloman to be the program’s general manager, which was a major move for Auburn ahead of the transfer portal opening.
The portal officially opened for players to enter at 11 p.m. CT on April 6 and will remain open until April 21. Between transfers and international players, expect Auburn to have a busy offseason.
With that said, you can keep up with all of the Tigers’ roster moves here.
Players out (3)
Out of eligibility (2)
KeShawn Murphy, C
Keyshawn Hall, SF/PF
Expected to enter transfer portal (1)
Filip Jovic, PF/C
Players in (2)
Incoming freshmen (1)
Caleb Williams, SF
International players (1)
Narcisse Ngoy, C
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9 names to watch for Auburn basketball in transfer portal
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball took its first hit in the transfer portal after Filip Jovic announced his plans to leave Tuesday morning.
College basketball players can enter the portal starting today through April 21.
Here are some names for Auburn to watch in the transfer portal:
Aiden Sherrell, Alabama
Sherrell, Alabama’s starting center entered the transfer portal on Monday, joining Taylor Bol Bowen as the second Crimson Tide player to announce his departure from the program.
The 6-foot-10 Sherrell averaged 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.2 blocks while shooting 33.8% from 3-point territory in the 2025 season.
In the two games against Auburn this year, he combined for 16 points and nine rebounds. He will cost a hefty penny to bring onto the Tigers’ roster.
Isiah Harwell, Houston
A five-star signee in Houston’s 2025 recruiting class, Harwell was a key contributor off the bench in the Cougars’ run to the Sweet 16. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard displays great midrange and 3-point shooting, while also having elite feet on defense.
Harwell averaged only 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds, but finished in double figures’ scoring in two conference games against Cincinnati and Baylor. In the game against Auburn, he scored five points and added three rebounds.
Acaden Lewis, Villanova
Lewis, a freshman guard, declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining eligibility to test out the transfer portal.
In 33 games for the Wildcats this past season, Lewis averaged 12.2 points per game, three rebounds per game and 5.3 assists per game, while shooting 45.6% from the floor and 27% from three-point range.
Depending on what Auburn does at that position, Lewis could bring a Kevin Overton style of play to the Tigers’ backcourt.
JP Estrella, Tennessee
Estrella was the Volunteers’ third-leading scorer this past season, averaging 10 points in 18.4 minutes per game. He averaged 5.4 rebounds per game and shot 59.6% from the field.
The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Estrella recorded a double-double in the first round of the NCAA Tournament when he had 14 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Miami (Ohio).
Estrella brings length and elite scoring at the wing position. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Karter Knox, Arkansas
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward averaged 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Razorbacks before undergoing knee meniscus surgery in February that cost him the remainder of the season.
Knox originally committed to John Calipari while the head coach was still at Kentucky in 2024. After Calipari took the Arkansas job, he followed him to Fayetteville.
In his first season with the Razorbacks, Knox played in 36 games and averaged 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds on 46.2% shooting from the field and 35% from 3-point range. He also finished with 11 points and four rebounds in a loss to Auburn that season.
Arterio Morris, Bethune-Cookman
Remember him?
Arterio Morris finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the 2025-26 season-opener vs. Auburn and sent the game into overtime after being fouled on a 3-point heave.
After spending time at Kansas, Texas and South Plains College prior to Bethune-Cookman, Morris averaged 11.5 points while shooting 41.2% from the floor this past season.
With a ton of collegiate experience, Morris brings high level scoring with veteran presence inside the locker room.
Ty Davis, Creighton
Ty Davis, the son of former Mountain Brook head coach Tyler Davis, is a former all-state player from the Birmingham area who won a Class 6A state championship with the Spartans.
Davis spent two years at Creighton before entering the portal Tuesday following the retirement of former coach Greg McDermott. The 6-foot-4 Davis played in 61 career games for the Blue Jays, averaging 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in a little more than nine minutes per game.
Dennis Evans, Grand Canyon
The 7-foot-2 center Evans shot 66.7% from the floor in 25 games played during his redshirt freshman season, in which he averaged about 8.4 minutes per game.
With the uncertainty on center Emeka Oprum’s health with the Tigers, Evans would bring great size to an Auburn frontcourt that will be seeking more length this portal season.
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John Cohen gives review of Steven Pearl’s first season as Auburn head basketball coach
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Auburn basketball didn’t achieve the things it wanted to in Year 1 under Steven Pearl.
The Tigers missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021, but earned a nice consolation prize by winning the program’s first NIT championship. It was a good end to a frustrating season, as Pearl enters his first offseason as head coach.
In an interview with AL.com, Auburn athletic director John Cohen called the NIT wins “significant” as the Tigers look to build going into Pearl’s second season.
“I understand that there can be critics in this world, but no matter how you slice it, our basketball team won out, and they won a championship, and they extended their season and they got really valuable experience,” Cohen said. “When you consider how many new players we had coming in, the fact that they didn’t get to play with each other a lot, the extension of the season and the opportunity to continue those practices and in-game experience, I think it’s invaluable.”
While Auburn will have to replace of a handful of contributors again this offseason, a number of key players will have a chance to come back. Kevin Overton was the first to publicly announce his return, and he was named the NIT’s Most Outstanding Player.
Overton was one of Auburn’s best players as it closed the season strong, but Year 1 under Pearl wasn’t without frustration. Auburn lost 16 games -- the program’s most since 2016 -- and once looked like a lock for the NCAA tournament before a rough end to the regular season.
The Tigers lost eight of its final 10 regular season games, including head scratching defeats against Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Despite those losses, Auburn was still firmly on the bubble going into Selection Sunday, as it stacked impressive wins against teams like Florida, St. John’s, Arkansas, Texas and NC State.
Auburn was the second team out of the NCAA tournament and looked like the most talented team in the NIT as it went on to win the title.
Auburn entered the 2025-2026 season under unusual circumstances, as longtime head coach Bruce Pearl stepped down the day practice officially started.
Steven Pearl, Bruce’s son and former associate head coach, was immediately promoted to be the new head coach, taking over a new-look roster that signed to play for the Tigers while the elder Pearl was still the head coach.
Cohen didn’t blame any of Auburn’s struggles this season on that, but called the 2025-2026 campaign a “transitional year in many ways.”
With that in mind, Cohen is confident in Steven Pearl following a frustrating first season, and much of that confidence comes from the staff Pearl has around him.
“I feel very good about this coaching staff,” Cohen said. “They didn’t forget how to evaluate good players. They didn’t forget how to coach defense. They didn’t forget how to coach good offense. But that was a transitional year in many, many ways, both from a roster standpoint and Coach Pearl.”
For Auburn, attention now shifts toward the transfer portal, which opened Monday night. So far, only one Auburn player -- freshman forward Filip Jovic -- is expected to enter the portal, but starters KeShawn Murphy and Keyshawn Hall are out of eligibility.
Auburn hasn’t yet signed any players out of the portal, but filled a position of need last week when it signed French center Narcisse Ngoy. The transfer portal will remain open for players to enter until April 21.
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Kaitlyn Duhon announces return to Auburn women's basketball
By Jac Myrick
Auburn Wire
Redshirt junior guard Kaitlyn Duhon announces her intentions to return to the Auburn women's basketball squad for the 2026-2027 season.
Duhon will enter his fifth season on the Plains as a redshirt senior for the Tigers' 2026-2027 season. She started every game and was the second-leading scorer for Auburn this past season, averaging 10.0 points per game while also averaging 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals. In her time, she has averaged 21.2 mins, 6.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals.
The best performance Duhon put up in 2025-2026 came against Texas A&M on Feb. 15, when she recorded 23 points, six rebounds, and four steals. She finished with five games of 15 points or more.
She redshirted in 2024-2025 in her junior season after sustaining an injury against Kansas. Duhon only saw eight games that year and started four. Next season will be her last season of eligibility. The 5-foot-10 guard will bring a veteran presence to the locker room in year two under coach Larry Vickers, as he and his staff continue to rebuild the program.
https://twitter.com/AuburnWBB/status/2041291853429887425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041291853429887425%7Ctwgr%5Ebd078ea189399215e81483147ab4718399ba6cf9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fauburnwire.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Fwomens-basketball%2F2026%2F04%2F07%2Fauburn-womens-basketball-kaitlyn-duhon-announces-return%2F89492381007%2F
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Ja'Mia Harris is returning for senior season with the Auburn Tigers
By Jac Myrick
Auburn Wire
Ja'Mia Harris announces her plans to return to play for Auburn women's basketball for her senior season.
The redshirt junior led the Tigers in assists with an average of 1.7 assists. She played every game for Auburn, only coming off the bench once. Harris scored an average of 7.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in her first season with the Tigers this previous season.
Prior to playing at Auburn, Harris transferred from Texas State, where she dropped an average of 10.2 points in one season. She began her collegiate career at Kansas State and played two seasons for the Wildcats. Harris suffered a season-ending injury that ended her season in her freshman year.
She joins fellow redshirt junior guard Kaitlyn Duhon in returning to play for head coach Larry Vickers and the Auburn Tigers. The program looks to continue rebuilding after a couple of losing record seasons.
https://twitter.com/AuburnWBB/status/2041291853429887425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041291853429887425%7Ctwgr%5E6a7f9fa62e5a81e07e5de281b79d33dbc642b5cf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fauburnwire.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Fwomens-basketball%2F2026%2F04%2F07%2Fauburn-womens-basketball-jamia-harris-announces-return-sec%2F89502244007%2F
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