Basketball News: 4-9-2026
0 views
Skip to first unread message
Dudley Dent
Apr 9, 2026, 7:51:30 AM (4 days ago) Apr 9
to Tiger Tracks
Auburn Basketball News: 4-9-2026
Auburn backup point guard Kaden Magwood seeks new team in transfer portal:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/auburn-backup-point-guard-kaden-magwood-seeks-new-team-in-transfer-portal.html
Auburn point guard Kaden Magwood to enter transfer portal:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-kaden-magwood-transfer-portal-280551604/
Auburn Tigers lose freshman guard to the transfer portal:
Auburn Guard Announces Intent to Transfer:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/recruiting/auburn-guard-announces-intent-to-transfer-01knqcq1qkd6
Kevin Overton's return could help Auburn basketball land 20 PPG transfer:
https://flywareagle.com/kevin-overton-return-help-auburn-basketball-land-20-ppg-transfer
Where does Steven Pearl’s salary rank among SEC head coaches?:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/where-does-steven-pearls-salary-rank-among-sec-head-coaches.html
Auburn to meet virtually with San Jose State transfer point guard:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-transfer-point-guard-steven-pearl-2026-280840618/
Why John Cohen is ‘not against’ NCAA tournament expansion, but has other concerns:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/why-john-cohen-is-not-against-ncaa-tournament-expansion-but-has-other-concerns.html
Former Auburn star KT Harrell wins National Championship with Michigan:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/04/08/auburn-basketball-final-four-championship-kt-harrell-michigan/89511692007/
*************************
Auburn backup point guard Kaden Magwood seeks new team in transfer portal
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn backup point guard Kaden Magwood becomes the second Tiger to enter the transfer portal, according to 247sports.
Magwood contributed significantly to Auburn’s NIT run after previously being buried on the bench. He had not played since Jan. 6 before scoring 14 points — including 11 straight points in the second half — of the Tigers’ first-round win over South Alabama on March 18.
Magwood earned the sixth man role at the tail-end of the season. However, head coach Steven Pearl placed Magwood on the Tigers’ scout team at the start of SEC play to help with his development.
The transfer portal will remain open through April 21. Magwood joins forward Filip Jovic as former Auburn players exploring other options.
**************************
Auburn point guard Kaden Magwood to enter transfer portal
By Nathan King
After just 20 games played as a freshman, Kaden Magwood is leaving Auburn.
The freshman point guard will enter the transfer portal, he shared on social media Wednesday morning. The former 4-star recruit averaged 3.6 points and 1.8 assists.
Magwood was Auburn's backup point guard throughout nonconference play, and even started Auburn's first two SEC games while Tahaad Pettiford was moved to the bench as part of a suspension. But he was promptly removed from the lineup in the Tigers' third SEC game.
Pearl did not provide concrete details on that decision, initially citing off-the-court discipline, then later pointing to Magwood's defense. Magwood also questioned Pearl's coaching in a since-deleted post on Instagram back in January.
After not appearing in a game since early January, Magwood was permitted to return when Auburn played in the NIT, playing all five games. He scored a season-high 14 points in the NIT opener against South Alabama.
"I told him, 'Keep making me look bad,'" Pearl said last month. "'Because the more you make me look bad, the better it is for our team.' He's responded well, and I know he's excited."
Magwood is the second Auburn player to exit in the portal, following freshman forward Filip Jovic.
****************************
Auburn Tigers lose freshman guard to the transfer portal
By Mary Kate Hughes
Fly War Eagle
Several days after the Auburn Tigers' NIT Championship, a second player has announced he will be entering the transfer portal.
Freshman guard Kaden Magwood, a former 4-star recruit who played in only 20 games during his time on the Plains, will be parting ways with Steven Pearl and the Tigers.
Magwood's season with the Tigers started off strong. He served as the backup point guard and even got a couple of starts at the beginning of SEC play while Tahaad Pettiford was moved out of the starting lineup for disciplinary reasons.
Shortly after, Pearl pulled Magwood from the starting lineup, saying it was due to off-the-court disciplinary reasons and then Magwood's defensive performance. After it was reported that Pearl asked Magwood to move to the scout team, Magwood posted several inflammatory Instagram stories and it was later explained that Magwood asked Pearl to move to the scout team, not the other way around.
Still, Magwood did not see game action for the Tigers again until the NIT, where he played in all five games. He scored a season-high 14 points in the first game versus South Alabama.
Magwood is the second Auburn Tigers basketball player to hit the transfer portal after freshman international player Filip Jovic announced his plans to part ways with the Tigers on Tuesday.
The transfer portal window will be open for 15 days and will close on April 21. In addition to the departures of Magwood and Jovic, the Tigers will be losing Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy due to exhausted eligibility.
*****************************
Auburn Guard Announces Intent to Transfer
By Brooks Crew
On Wednesday, Kaden Magwood, a freshman guard for the Auburn Tigers, announced that he will be entering the transfer portal after just one year with the program. This news comes in the wake of the Tigers’ NIT win, along with the news of other Tigers’ intent to stay or transfer.
Magwood, who was a four-star recruit in the 2025 class, averaged just 10.6 minutes per game in his lone year with the Tigers, most of which came during the NIT. In those 10 minutes per game, Magwood managed to average 3.6 points per game and 1.8 assists per game.
Magwood committed to Auburn back in November of 2024, choosing the Tigers over his other top schools in NC State and Ole Miss. Now, those schools are programs to watch for Magwood’s next team, along with Louisville, where Magwood originally hails from.
https://twitter.com/norene_gunner10/status/2041888075521904693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041888075521904693%7Ctwgr%5E0ea8db583e5911b0ee7482c7b2e0e33140c66ab0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Frecruiting%2Fauburn-guard-announces-intent-to-transfer-01knqcq1qkd6
This news comes in the wake of another notable Tiger transfer, forward Filip Jovic. Jovic was a key piece of Auburn’s backcourt this year, but he announced just a few days ago that he is also planning to transfer, and some reports say he is looking for a $2 million deal with his next program.
Without Magwood and Jovic, both of whom were freshmen in 2026, the future of the Tigers’ basketball roster suddenly appears uncertain. At the moment, the Tigers are still set to retain Sebastian Williams-Adams, another big freshman, though he has yet to announce a 100 percent commitment to stay on the Plains.
One key player who will be staying on the Plains, and potentially filling the void that Magwood leaves, is Kevin Overton, who recently announced that he will be staying in Auburn for his final year of eligibility in 2027. Overton, the 2026 NIT Most Outstanding Player, is likely to be a massive piece of Auburn’s 2027 team and may be the piece that the roster is built around.
Auburn may have a replacement piece for Magwood if he truly is gone, as class of 2026 small forward Caleb Williams committed to Auburn back in October. The Tigers also have a big man to replace Jovic, if necessary, in former French professional Narcisse Ngoy, who committed to Auburn just over a week ago.
The future of the Tigers’ roster, though, is still quite uncertain, with key players like Tahaad Pettiford and Williams-Adams yet to decide on their plans for next year, but whatever they decide, they will likely be on a Magwood-less roster.
***************************
Kevin Overton's return could help Auburn basketball land 20 PPG transfer
By Andrew Hughes
Fly War Eagle
The Auburn Tigers getting Kevin Overton back for the 2026-27 season is a major coup for head coach Steven Pearl, GM Brian Kloman, and Co. Apparently, another major coup could result from the senior guard's return.
Per Auburn Undercover's Nathan King, "An early name to know is San Jose State transfer Colby Garland, as Auburn Undercover was informed he will meet virtually with Steven Pearl and the Tigers' staff later this week. The return of starting guard Kevin Overton could help Auburn's case with Garland, as the two were teammates at Drake in 2023-24."
Colby Garland is coming off a 20-plus-point-per-game campaign on a 49/37/84 shooting split with the San Jose Spartans in 2025-26. SJSU was 9-24 this past season, ahead of only the Air Force Falcons in the Mountain West. Sure, those were good stats on a bad team in a single-bid mid-major conference, but buckets are buckets.
The familiarity with Overton is key after the former Texas Tech Red Raider and Drake Bulldog broke out in the NIT and helped Auburn win its first postseason championship in program history, a feat the Alabama Crimson Tide has never achieved in a given March/April. We'll see what comes of that, if anything.
Tahaad Pettiford's future up in the air with Colby Garland rumor
Does this loss mean Tahaad Pettiford is a goner? There have been fluctuating projections from every direction on what Pettiford does next. He was a great fit next to Overton, but is having three undersized guards in your rotation ideal for a winning formula?
Steven Pearl seems to have had overseeing strong guard play passed down from his father, just like the Tigers' head coaching job itself, so it wouldn't be the worst thing. Plus, the team just lost Kaden Magwood to the portal. With that said, this roster needs a big man after also losing Filip Jovic to the portal.
Kloman has a busy first offseason to figure this all out. We'll see if Haad is part of the plan, and if not, if Garland is his replacement.
****************************
Where does Steven Pearl’s salary rank among SEC head coaches?
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Steven Pearl had an up and down first season as Auburn head coach, missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021, but winning the program’s first ever NIT championship.
It was what athletic director John Cohen described as a “transitional year” for the program after Pearl took over for his father, longtime head coach Bruce Pearl, in September. Steven had been on Auburn’s staff since his father took over as head coach in 2014 and was immediately promoted after Bruce stepped down.
As head coach, Steven Pearl is making $3 million per year as his base salary, according to a copy of his contract obtained by AL.com. USA Today released its annual men’s basketball head coach salary database on Wednesday, which featured salary information for over 80 Division I men’s basketball coaches.
Pearl’s $3 million per year base salary ranked 14th out of the 15 SEC schools included in the report, as Vanderbilt is a private school and not subject to open records laws.
The only SEC coach featured in the report with a lower base salary than Pearl was former LSU head coach Matt McMahon, who was fired following the 2025-2026 season.
Pearl is the youngest head coach in the SEC and the only one with no college head coaching experience entering this season. Texas A&M head coach Bucky McMillan’s base salary was only $75,000 higher than Pearl’s as the 2025-2026 season was his first in the SEC after spending five years as the head coach at Samford.
Despite his low base salary, Pearl had more bonus opportunities than all but one of the SEC head coaches included in the report. USA Today reported that Pearl could have made up to $1.425 million more in bonuses. The only SEC coach with a higher maximum bonus, according to the database, was Tennessee’s Rick Barnes at $3 million.
However, Pearl would not have qualified for any of the bonuses in his contract this season, as Auburn did not win the SEC or qualify for the NCAA tournament and Pearl did not pick up any conference or national coach of the year honors.
*************************
Auburn to meet virtually with San Jose State transfer point guard
By Nathan King
With Kaden Magwood already gone and Tahaad Pettiford's decision looming, Auburn is in the market for at least one transfer point guard.
An early name to know is San Jose State transfer Colby Garland, as Auburn Undercover was informed he will meet virtually with Steven Pearl and the Tigers' staff later this week.
The return of starting guard Kevin Overton could help Auburn's case with Garland, as the two were teammates at Drake in 2023-24.
Moving on to his fourth school in as many years, Garland started each of the past two seasons at Longwood and San Jose State. This past season, the 6-foot point guard averaged 20.3 points per game with 4.6 assists, shooting 37 percent from deep and 85 percent from the foul line.
Overton is the only player so far to announce his return to Auburn. Two players have declared their intentions to enter the portal since it opened Tuesday: freshman forward Filip Jovic and freshman point guard Kaden Magwood.
*******************************
Why John Cohen is ‘not against’ NCAA tournament expansion, but has other concerns
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
NCAA tournament expansion has become an annual talking point each March.
Some level of expansion feels like an inevitability. Yahoo Sports reported last week that the NCAA is expected to finalize an expansion of the men’s and women’s tournaments to 76 teams after the conclusion of this year’s tournament, which ended on Monday.
In an interview with AL.com, Auburn athletic director John Cohen said he’s “not against” expanding the tournament, but his concerns had more to do with the selection committee’s process rather than the number of teams.
As debates over tournament expansion started back up this year, Auburn found itself near the front lines of those conversations. The Tigers spent the back half of the season on the NCAA tournament bubble and were one of the first teams out of the tournament on Selection Sunday.
Auburn’s resume included impressive wins against Florida, St. John’s, Arkansas and others as the Tigers faced one of the toughest schedules in the country. However, Auburn went into Selection Sunday with a record of 17-16 and lost eight of its final 10 regular season games.
Particularly bad losses to teams like Mississippi State and Ole Miss did heavy damage to Auburn’s resume, as the Tigers missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021. Cohen said teams who play a strong schedule have to be given due consideration when it comes to tournament discussions.
“The first thing you look at is the intent of what a school and a coaching staff did with their non-conference schedule,” Cohen said. “I don’t think you can reasonably look at what we did and said, ‘well, they had no intent to play a great schedule.’”
Auburn scored impressive non-conference wins against St. John’s and NC State and lost to top 15 teams such as Michigan, Arizona, Houston and Purdue. The Tigers played 17 Quad I games during the 2025-2026 season, but only won four of them.
While Cohen didn’t name any specific teams he thought Auburn should have made the tournament over, he criticized the selection process leaving Auburn out, despite how the Tigers scheduled.
“We made every intent to schedule as well as we possibly could,” Cohen said. “So, when I see others who are granted leniency, who made very little attempt to have intent with their scheduling process and their non-conference, that makes me lose faith in the system.”
Despite the 16 losses, Auburn had the highest NET ranking of the teams who missed the tournament. It also had a better NET ranking on Selection Sunday than Miami (Ohio), Texas, SMU, Central Florida, Missouri, TCU, Santa Clara and Texas A&M, who all received at large bids.
“If we don’t like the system of the NET, then let’s change the NET,” Cohen said. “But if you’re going to just break down certain parts of the NET that you do or don’t like, I’m here to tell you, you are literally moving a goal post on a team that has intent to schedule the right people to have the best NET they can have.
“Which is what every selection committee should do, is encourage those who are scheduling at an incredibly high level. I don’t see that encouragement from the decisions that were made.”
Auburn ended up being the second team out of the NCAA tournament on Selection Sunday. If it made the tournament, Auburn would have been the first team ever to receive an at large bid with 16 losses. The Tigers earned a consolation prize, though, winning the program’s first ever NIT championship.
Given his thoughts on this year’s selection process, Cohen isn’t against an expanded field, but believes it “kind of lets the committee off the hook.”
************************
Former Auburn star KT Harrell wins National Championship with Michigan
By Phillip Jordan
Auburn Wire
The Auburn Tigers may have won the NIT Championship, but a former star player won the National Championship on Monday evening.
Former Auburn guard KT Harrell won a championship on Monday night as the Michigan Director of Basketball Operations after the Wolverines' 69-63 win over the UConn Huskies. This was the second season in that position for Harrell. He came to Michigan with Dusty May when he left Florida Atlantic to take the Michigan job.
Harrell played his final two years of college basketball with the Auburn Tigers from 2013-15. During those two seasons, he averaged 18.4 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. His final season with the Tigers was his best year at 18.5 points, and he shot 43% from the three-point line. Unfortunately, he was not part of any deep run in the NCAA Tournament at Auburn. His final year in college was the first year for Bruce Pearl at Auburn. That team was best known for its improbable run to the SEC Tournament semifinals. They defeated Mississippi State, Texas A&M, and LSU in overtime before losing to Kentucky.
During that run in the SEC Tournament, Harrell averaged 21.5 points per game and shot 43% from long range. After his time at Auburn, he pursued a basketball career that included time overseas. When he was done playing, he returned to Auburn to be a part of Pearl's coaching staff from 2020-22. He helped with scouting as a graduate assistant and was on staff for the 2022 SEC Championship team that featured Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.
Auburn backup point guard Kaden Magwood seeks new team in transfer portal:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/auburn-backup-point-guard-kaden-magwood-seeks-new-team-in-transfer-portal.html
Auburn point guard Kaden Magwood to enter transfer portal:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-kaden-magwood-transfer-portal-280551604/
Auburn Tigers lose freshman guard to the transfer portal:
Auburn Guard Announces Intent to Transfer:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/recruiting/auburn-guard-announces-intent-to-transfer-01knqcq1qkd6
Kevin Overton's return could help Auburn basketball land 20 PPG transfer:
https://flywareagle.com/kevin-overton-return-help-auburn-basketball-land-20-ppg-transfer
Where does Steven Pearl’s salary rank among SEC head coaches?:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/where-does-steven-pearls-salary-rank-among-sec-head-coaches.html
Auburn to meet virtually with San Jose State transfer point guard:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-transfer-point-guard-steven-pearl-2026-280840618/
Why John Cohen is ‘not against’ NCAA tournament expansion, but has other concerns:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/why-john-cohen-is-not-against-ncaa-tournament-expansion-but-has-other-concerns.html
Former Auburn star KT Harrell wins National Championship with Michigan:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/04/08/auburn-basketball-final-four-championship-kt-harrell-michigan/89511692007/
*************************
Auburn backup point guard Kaden Magwood seeks new team in transfer portal
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn backup point guard Kaden Magwood becomes the second Tiger to enter the transfer portal, according to 247sports.
Magwood contributed significantly to Auburn’s NIT run after previously being buried on the bench. He had not played since Jan. 6 before scoring 14 points — including 11 straight points in the second half — of the Tigers’ first-round win over South Alabama on March 18.
Magwood earned the sixth man role at the tail-end of the season. However, head coach Steven Pearl placed Magwood on the Tigers’ scout team at the start of SEC play to help with his development.
The transfer portal will remain open through April 21. Magwood joins forward Filip Jovic as former Auburn players exploring other options.
**************************
Auburn point guard Kaden Magwood to enter transfer portal
By Nathan King
After just 20 games played as a freshman, Kaden Magwood is leaving Auburn.
The freshman point guard will enter the transfer portal, he shared on social media Wednesday morning. The former 4-star recruit averaged 3.6 points and 1.8 assists.
Magwood was Auburn's backup point guard throughout nonconference play, and even started Auburn's first two SEC games while Tahaad Pettiford was moved to the bench as part of a suspension. But he was promptly removed from the lineup in the Tigers' third SEC game.
Pearl did not provide concrete details on that decision, initially citing off-the-court discipline, then later pointing to Magwood's defense. Magwood also questioned Pearl's coaching in a since-deleted post on Instagram back in January.
After not appearing in a game since early January, Magwood was permitted to return when Auburn played in the NIT, playing all five games. He scored a season-high 14 points in the NIT opener against South Alabama.
"I told him, 'Keep making me look bad,'" Pearl said last month. "'Because the more you make me look bad, the better it is for our team.' He's responded well, and I know he's excited."
Magwood is the second Auburn player to exit in the portal, following freshman forward Filip Jovic.
****************************
Auburn Tigers lose freshman guard to the transfer portal
By Mary Kate Hughes
Fly War Eagle
Several days after the Auburn Tigers' NIT Championship, a second player has announced he will be entering the transfer portal.
Freshman guard Kaden Magwood, a former 4-star recruit who played in only 20 games during his time on the Plains, will be parting ways with Steven Pearl and the Tigers.
Magwood's season with the Tigers started off strong. He served as the backup point guard and even got a couple of starts at the beginning of SEC play while Tahaad Pettiford was moved out of the starting lineup for disciplinary reasons.
Shortly after, Pearl pulled Magwood from the starting lineup, saying it was due to off-the-court disciplinary reasons and then Magwood's defensive performance. After it was reported that Pearl asked Magwood to move to the scout team, Magwood posted several inflammatory Instagram stories and it was later explained that Magwood asked Pearl to move to the scout team, not the other way around.
Still, Magwood did not see game action for the Tigers again until the NIT, where he played in all five games. He scored a season-high 14 points in the first game versus South Alabama.
Magwood is the second Auburn Tigers basketball player to hit the transfer portal after freshman international player Filip Jovic announced his plans to part ways with the Tigers on Tuesday.
The transfer portal window will be open for 15 days and will close on April 21. In addition to the departures of Magwood and Jovic, the Tigers will be losing Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy due to exhausted eligibility.
*****************************
Auburn Guard Announces Intent to Transfer
By Brooks Crew
On Wednesday, Kaden Magwood, a freshman guard for the Auburn Tigers, announced that he will be entering the transfer portal after just one year with the program. This news comes in the wake of the Tigers’ NIT win, along with the news of other Tigers’ intent to stay or transfer.
Magwood, who was a four-star recruit in the 2025 class, averaged just 10.6 minutes per game in his lone year with the Tigers, most of which came during the NIT. In those 10 minutes per game, Magwood managed to average 3.6 points per game and 1.8 assists per game.
Magwood committed to Auburn back in November of 2024, choosing the Tigers over his other top schools in NC State and Ole Miss. Now, those schools are programs to watch for Magwood’s next team, along with Louisville, where Magwood originally hails from.
https://twitter.com/norene_gunner10/status/2041888075521904693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041888075521904693%7Ctwgr%5E0ea8db583e5911b0ee7482c7b2e0e33140c66ab0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Frecruiting%2Fauburn-guard-announces-intent-to-transfer-01knqcq1qkd6
This news comes in the wake of another notable Tiger transfer, forward Filip Jovic. Jovic was a key piece of Auburn’s backcourt this year, but he announced just a few days ago that he is also planning to transfer, and some reports say he is looking for a $2 million deal with his next program.
Without Magwood and Jovic, both of whom were freshmen in 2026, the future of the Tigers’ basketball roster suddenly appears uncertain. At the moment, the Tigers are still set to retain Sebastian Williams-Adams, another big freshman, though he has yet to announce a 100 percent commitment to stay on the Plains.
One key player who will be staying on the Plains, and potentially filling the void that Magwood leaves, is Kevin Overton, who recently announced that he will be staying in Auburn for his final year of eligibility in 2027. Overton, the 2026 NIT Most Outstanding Player, is likely to be a massive piece of Auburn’s 2027 team and may be the piece that the roster is built around.
Auburn may have a replacement piece for Magwood if he truly is gone, as class of 2026 small forward Caleb Williams committed to Auburn back in October. The Tigers also have a big man to replace Jovic, if necessary, in former French professional Narcisse Ngoy, who committed to Auburn just over a week ago.
The future of the Tigers’ roster, though, is still quite uncertain, with key players like Tahaad Pettiford and Williams-Adams yet to decide on their plans for next year, but whatever they decide, they will likely be on a Magwood-less roster.
***************************
Kevin Overton's return could help Auburn basketball land 20 PPG transfer
By Andrew Hughes
Fly War Eagle
The Auburn Tigers getting Kevin Overton back for the 2026-27 season is a major coup for head coach Steven Pearl, GM Brian Kloman, and Co. Apparently, another major coup could result from the senior guard's return.
Per Auburn Undercover's Nathan King, "An early name to know is San Jose State transfer Colby Garland, as Auburn Undercover was informed he will meet virtually with Steven Pearl and the Tigers' staff later this week. The return of starting guard Kevin Overton could help Auburn's case with Garland, as the two were teammates at Drake in 2023-24."
Colby Garland is coming off a 20-plus-point-per-game campaign on a 49/37/84 shooting split with the San Jose Spartans in 2025-26. SJSU was 9-24 this past season, ahead of only the Air Force Falcons in the Mountain West. Sure, those were good stats on a bad team in a single-bid mid-major conference, but buckets are buckets.
The familiarity with Overton is key after the former Texas Tech Red Raider and Drake Bulldog broke out in the NIT and helped Auburn win its first postseason championship in program history, a feat the Alabama Crimson Tide has never achieved in a given March/April. We'll see what comes of that, if anything.
Tahaad Pettiford's future up in the air with Colby Garland rumor
Does this loss mean Tahaad Pettiford is a goner? There have been fluctuating projections from every direction on what Pettiford does next. He was a great fit next to Overton, but is having three undersized guards in your rotation ideal for a winning formula?
Steven Pearl seems to have had overseeing strong guard play passed down from his father, just like the Tigers' head coaching job itself, so it wouldn't be the worst thing. Plus, the team just lost Kaden Magwood to the portal. With that said, this roster needs a big man after also losing Filip Jovic to the portal.
Kloman has a busy first offseason to figure this all out. We'll see if Haad is part of the plan, and if not, if Garland is his replacement.
****************************
Where does Steven Pearl’s salary rank among SEC head coaches?
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Steven Pearl had an up and down first season as Auburn head coach, missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021, but winning the program’s first ever NIT championship.
It was what athletic director John Cohen described as a “transitional year” for the program after Pearl took over for his father, longtime head coach Bruce Pearl, in September. Steven had been on Auburn’s staff since his father took over as head coach in 2014 and was immediately promoted after Bruce stepped down.
As head coach, Steven Pearl is making $3 million per year as his base salary, according to a copy of his contract obtained by AL.com. USA Today released its annual men’s basketball head coach salary database on Wednesday, which featured salary information for over 80 Division I men’s basketball coaches.
Pearl’s $3 million per year base salary ranked 14th out of the 15 SEC schools included in the report, as Vanderbilt is a private school and not subject to open records laws.
The only SEC coach featured in the report with a lower base salary than Pearl was former LSU head coach Matt McMahon, who was fired following the 2025-2026 season.
Pearl is the youngest head coach in the SEC and the only one with no college head coaching experience entering this season. Texas A&M head coach Bucky McMillan’s base salary was only $75,000 higher than Pearl’s as the 2025-2026 season was his first in the SEC after spending five years as the head coach at Samford.
Despite his low base salary, Pearl had more bonus opportunities than all but one of the SEC head coaches included in the report. USA Today reported that Pearl could have made up to $1.425 million more in bonuses. The only SEC coach with a higher maximum bonus, according to the database, was Tennessee’s Rick Barnes at $3 million.
However, Pearl would not have qualified for any of the bonuses in his contract this season, as Auburn did not win the SEC or qualify for the NCAA tournament and Pearl did not pick up any conference or national coach of the year honors.
*************************
Auburn to meet virtually with San Jose State transfer point guard
By Nathan King
With Kaden Magwood already gone and Tahaad Pettiford's decision looming, Auburn is in the market for at least one transfer point guard.
An early name to know is San Jose State transfer Colby Garland, as Auburn Undercover was informed he will meet virtually with Steven Pearl and the Tigers' staff later this week.
The return of starting guard Kevin Overton could help Auburn's case with Garland, as the two were teammates at Drake in 2023-24.
Moving on to his fourth school in as many years, Garland started each of the past two seasons at Longwood and San Jose State. This past season, the 6-foot point guard averaged 20.3 points per game with 4.6 assists, shooting 37 percent from deep and 85 percent from the foul line.
Overton is the only player so far to announce his return to Auburn. Two players have declared their intentions to enter the portal since it opened Tuesday: freshman forward Filip Jovic and freshman point guard Kaden Magwood.
*******************************
Why John Cohen is ‘not against’ NCAA tournament expansion, but has other concerns
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
NCAA tournament expansion has become an annual talking point each March.
Some level of expansion feels like an inevitability. Yahoo Sports reported last week that the NCAA is expected to finalize an expansion of the men’s and women’s tournaments to 76 teams after the conclusion of this year’s tournament, which ended on Monday.
In an interview with AL.com, Auburn athletic director John Cohen said he’s “not against” expanding the tournament, but his concerns had more to do with the selection committee’s process rather than the number of teams.
As debates over tournament expansion started back up this year, Auburn found itself near the front lines of those conversations. The Tigers spent the back half of the season on the NCAA tournament bubble and were one of the first teams out of the tournament on Selection Sunday.
Auburn’s resume included impressive wins against Florida, St. John’s, Arkansas and others as the Tigers faced one of the toughest schedules in the country. However, Auburn went into Selection Sunday with a record of 17-16 and lost eight of its final 10 regular season games.
Particularly bad losses to teams like Mississippi State and Ole Miss did heavy damage to Auburn’s resume, as the Tigers missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021. Cohen said teams who play a strong schedule have to be given due consideration when it comes to tournament discussions.
“The first thing you look at is the intent of what a school and a coaching staff did with their non-conference schedule,” Cohen said. “I don’t think you can reasonably look at what we did and said, ‘well, they had no intent to play a great schedule.’”
Auburn scored impressive non-conference wins against St. John’s and NC State and lost to top 15 teams such as Michigan, Arizona, Houston and Purdue. The Tigers played 17 Quad I games during the 2025-2026 season, but only won four of them.
While Cohen didn’t name any specific teams he thought Auburn should have made the tournament over, he criticized the selection process leaving Auburn out, despite how the Tigers scheduled.
“We made every intent to schedule as well as we possibly could,” Cohen said. “So, when I see others who are granted leniency, who made very little attempt to have intent with their scheduling process and their non-conference, that makes me lose faith in the system.”
Despite the 16 losses, Auburn had the highest NET ranking of the teams who missed the tournament. It also had a better NET ranking on Selection Sunday than Miami (Ohio), Texas, SMU, Central Florida, Missouri, TCU, Santa Clara and Texas A&M, who all received at large bids.
“If we don’t like the system of the NET, then let’s change the NET,” Cohen said. “But if you’re going to just break down certain parts of the NET that you do or don’t like, I’m here to tell you, you are literally moving a goal post on a team that has intent to schedule the right people to have the best NET they can have.
“Which is what every selection committee should do, is encourage those who are scheduling at an incredibly high level. I don’t see that encouragement from the decisions that were made.”
Auburn ended up being the second team out of the NCAA tournament on Selection Sunday. If it made the tournament, Auburn would have been the first team ever to receive an at large bid with 16 losses. The Tigers earned a consolation prize, though, winning the program’s first ever NIT championship.
Given his thoughts on this year’s selection process, Cohen isn’t against an expanded field, but believes it “kind of lets the committee off the hook.”
************************
Former Auburn star KT Harrell wins National Championship with Michigan
By Phillip Jordan
Auburn Wire
The Auburn Tigers may have won the NIT Championship, but a former star player won the National Championship on Monday evening.
Former Auburn guard KT Harrell won a championship on Monday night as the Michigan Director of Basketball Operations after the Wolverines' 69-63 win over the UConn Huskies. This was the second season in that position for Harrell. He came to Michigan with Dusty May when he left Florida Atlantic to take the Michigan job.
Harrell played his final two years of college basketball with the Auburn Tigers from 2013-15. During those two seasons, he averaged 18.4 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. His final season with the Tigers was his best year at 18.5 points, and he shot 43% from the three-point line. Unfortunately, he was not part of any deep run in the NCAA Tournament at Auburn. His final year in college was the first year for Bruce Pearl at Auburn. That team was best known for its improbable run to the SEC Tournament semifinals. They defeated Mississippi State, Texas A&M, and LSU in overtime before losing to Kentucky.
During that run in the SEC Tournament, Harrell averaged 21.5 points per game and shot 43% from long range. After his time at Auburn, he pursued a basketball career that included time overseas. When he was done playing, he returned to Auburn to be a part of Pearl's coaching staff from 2020-22. He helped with scouting as a graduate assistant and was on staff for the 2022 SEC Championship team that featured Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages