Basketball News: 6-8-2026
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Dudley Dent
Jun 8, 2026, 8:09:10 AM (yesterday) Jun 8
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Auburn Basketball News: 6-8-2026
Steven Pearl Sheds Light on Auburn’s Retention Mentality, Shares Advice for Young Players:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/basketball/steven-pearl-sheds-light-on-auburn-retention-young-players
Auburn guard Simon Walker is ready to 'show what he's capable of':
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/06/05/auburn-basketball-steven-pearl-simon-walker-development/90417894007/
Auburn women to host Stanford in SEC/ACC Challenge:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/06/5/auburn-women-to-host-stanford-in-secacc-challenge
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Steven Pearl Sheds Light on Auburn’s Retention Mentality, Shares Advice for Young Players
By Brooks Crew
Auburn Tigers on SI
The Auburn Tigers’ basketball program has had a rollercoaster of the last two seasons, with the 2024 squad making it all the way to the Final Four, while the following season’s roster missed out on March Madness altogether, instead settling for an NIT Championship win.
In the wake of such a disappointing 2025 season, many Tiger fans believed that key players like Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton may hit the transfer portal, but both made the decision to stick around, Pettiford for his junior season, Overton for his senior season.
How, after such a disappointing season in the modern era, did Auburn head coach Steven Pearl keep those two on the roster? In an episode of Stuck in My Thoughts, a podcast hosted by Justin Stuckey, Pearl shed some light on the issue.
“Part of it is on us, too,” Pearl said. “We gotta have genuine, authentic relationships to give them a reason to stick around. You can’t look at this as an eight-month transaction. You have to look at this as something you can build long-term, if you want to really have any sort of retention.”
Pearl did not stop at just what the coaches are doing to keep players around, either; he also shared some advice for young basketball players who are looking to play in college.
“My biggest advice for young men and college basketball players is, the first time you experience a little adversity, don’t bolt. That’s the good stuff,” he said. “That’s where you really find out what you’re made of and who you are, and you’ll be better for it.”
Pearl does acknowledge that this is not the end-all, be-all of basketball, though, as, of course, there are exceptions to that rule.
“Now, if you’re a couple of years in, and it’s like ‘Alright, this isn’t working, I need to find something new,’ okay. But I think that the biggest thing we’re seeing a lot in this landscape is that the second one thing goes wrong: ‘Alright, I’m transferring.’ That’s not gonna help you down the road, you can’t do that in the real world.”
Auburn saw quite a few transfers out after lone seasons with the program, including top 2025 recruits Filip Jovic and Sebastian Williams-Adams, both of whom were expected to be top performers for the Tigers’ 2026 roster at the time of their transfers.
Pearl has reloaded the roster quite impressively, though, and the Tigers appear poised to be better than ever, but the program’s future will, once again, come down to who decides to stay and who decides to transfer following the conclusion of the 2026 season.
*****************************
Auburn guard Simon Walker is ready to 'show what he's capable of'
By Phillip Jordan
Auburn Wire
Auburn basketball will have a returning backcourt of Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton this upcoming season. However, they are not the only returning guards that Auburn fans should be excited about seeing on the court this season.
Simon Walker returns for his sophomore season and is looking to show what he is capable of, according to head coach Steven Pearl.
On Wednesday, Pearl spoke to the media in Huntsville, Alabama, while attending a luncheon promoting the Rocket City Classic. He was asked about Simon's development after last season.
"We did a conditioning test the other day, and Simon looked like a track athlete out there. He's obviously got a chip on his shoulder right now. He really wants to come out and show what he's capable of," Pearl said.
Simon was a highly touted signing for the Tigers as part of the 2025 recruiting class. When he committed to Auburn, he was rated as a four-star combo guard by 247Sports and the No. 2 player in Alabama. A foot injury altered his freshman season before it began. Walker only played in 13 games last season, averaging 2.5 points per game. His best game of the season was against Jackson State, where he connected on all five of his three-point attempts to score 15 points.
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
Auburn will play Middle Tennessee on Dec. 15 in the Rocket City Classic in Huntsville in a non-conference matchup. Simon played high school basketball at Huntsville High School and should look to have a big game in his hometown. He will be a key part of the success of the 2026-27 Auburn basketball season.
******************************
Auburn women to host Stanford in SEC/ACC Challenge
By Wes Todd
Auburn women’s basketball will host Stanford in the 2026 SEC/ACC Challenge, it was announced by ESPN and the two conference offices Friday.
The Tigers will host the event for the first time in three years after hitting the road the last two seasons. The game will be played Wednesday, Dec. 2, at Neville Arena.
Network designations and tip times for the 16 games in the SEC/ACC Challenge will be announced at a later date. All games will air on the ESPN family of networks.
Auburn is 2-1 in previous SEC/ACC Challenge matchups. The Tigers defeated Clemson at home in 2023, then went on the road to beat Virginia in 2024. Last season, Auburn came up short in an overtime heartbreaker at Syracuse.
This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Auburn and Stanford, which will be making its first visit to The Plains. The Cardinal have prevailed each of the first three meetings – the 1990 national championship game in Knoxville, a 1995 regular-season matchup at Stanford, and the 1996 Elite Eight in Seattle.
2026 SEC/ACC Women’s Challenge
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Stanford at Auburn
Miami at Florida
Georgia at SMU
LSU at North Carolina
NC State at Ole Miss
Louisville at Texas
Thursday, Dec. 3
Georgia Tech at Alabama
Wake Forest at Arkansas
Clemson at Kentucky
Virginia at Mississippi State
Missouri at Florida State
Oklahoma at Syracuse
South Carolina at Duke
Tennessee at Virginia Tech
Texas A&M at California
Notre Dame at Vanderbilt
Steven Pearl Sheds Light on Auburn’s Retention Mentality, Shares Advice for Young Players:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/basketball/steven-pearl-sheds-light-on-auburn-retention-young-players
Auburn guard Simon Walker is ready to 'show what he's capable of':
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/06/05/auburn-basketball-steven-pearl-simon-walker-development/90417894007/
Auburn women to host Stanford in SEC/ACC Challenge:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/06/5/auburn-women-to-host-stanford-in-secacc-challenge
****************************
Steven Pearl Sheds Light on Auburn’s Retention Mentality, Shares Advice for Young Players
By Brooks Crew
Auburn Tigers on SI
The Auburn Tigers’ basketball program has had a rollercoaster of the last two seasons, with the 2024 squad making it all the way to the Final Four, while the following season’s roster missed out on March Madness altogether, instead settling for an NIT Championship win.
In the wake of such a disappointing 2025 season, many Tiger fans believed that key players like Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton may hit the transfer portal, but both made the decision to stick around, Pettiford for his junior season, Overton for his senior season.
How, after such a disappointing season in the modern era, did Auburn head coach Steven Pearl keep those two on the roster? In an episode of Stuck in My Thoughts, a podcast hosted by Justin Stuckey, Pearl shed some light on the issue.
“Part of it is on us, too,” Pearl said. “We gotta have genuine, authentic relationships to give them a reason to stick around. You can’t look at this as an eight-month transaction. You have to look at this as something you can build long-term, if you want to really have any sort of retention.”
Pearl did not stop at just what the coaches are doing to keep players around, either; he also shared some advice for young basketball players who are looking to play in college.
“My biggest advice for young men and college basketball players is, the first time you experience a little adversity, don’t bolt. That’s the good stuff,” he said. “That’s where you really find out what you’re made of and who you are, and you’ll be better for it.”
Pearl does acknowledge that this is not the end-all, be-all of basketball, though, as, of course, there are exceptions to that rule.
“Now, if you’re a couple of years in, and it’s like ‘Alright, this isn’t working, I need to find something new,’ okay. But I think that the biggest thing we’re seeing a lot in this landscape is that the second one thing goes wrong: ‘Alright, I’m transferring.’ That’s not gonna help you down the road, you can’t do that in the real world.”
Auburn saw quite a few transfers out after lone seasons with the program, including top 2025 recruits Filip Jovic and Sebastian Williams-Adams, both of whom were expected to be top performers for the Tigers’ 2026 roster at the time of their transfers.
Pearl has reloaded the roster quite impressively, though, and the Tigers appear poised to be better than ever, but the program’s future will, once again, come down to who decides to stay and who decides to transfer following the conclusion of the 2026 season.
*****************************
Auburn guard Simon Walker is ready to 'show what he's capable of'
By Phillip Jordan
Auburn Wire
Auburn basketball will have a returning backcourt of Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton this upcoming season. However, they are not the only returning guards that Auburn fans should be excited about seeing on the court this season.
Simon Walker returns for his sophomore season and is looking to show what he is capable of, according to head coach Steven Pearl.
On Wednesday, Pearl spoke to the media in Huntsville, Alabama, while attending a luncheon promoting the Rocket City Classic. He was asked about Simon's development after last season.
"We did a conditioning test the other day, and Simon looked like a track athlete out there. He's obviously got a chip on his shoulder right now. He really wants to come out and show what he's capable of," Pearl said.
Simon was a highly touted signing for the Tigers as part of the 2025 recruiting class. When he committed to Auburn, he was rated as a four-star combo guard by 247Sports and the No. 2 player in Alabama. A foot injury altered his freshman season before it began. Walker only played in 13 games last season, averaging 2.5 points per game. His best game of the season was against Jackson State, where he connected on all five of his three-point attempts to score 15 points.
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
Auburn will play Middle Tennessee on Dec. 15 in the Rocket City Classic in Huntsville in a non-conference matchup. Simon played high school basketball at Huntsville High School and should look to have a big game in his hometown. He will be a key part of the success of the 2026-27 Auburn basketball season.
******************************
Auburn women to host Stanford in SEC/ACC Challenge
By Wes Todd
Auburn women’s basketball will host Stanford in the 2026 SEC/ACC Challenge, it was announced by ESPN and the two conference offices Friday.
The Tigers will host the event for the first time in three years after hitting the road the last two seasons. The game will be played Wednesday, Dec. 2, at Neville Arena.
Network designations and tip times for the 16 games in the SEC/ACC Challenge will be announced at a later date. All games will air on the ESPN family of networks.
Auburn is 2-1 in previous SEC/ACC Challenge matchups. The Tigers defeated Clemson at home in 2023, then went on the road to beat Virginia in 2024. Last season, Auburn came up short in an overtime heartbreaker at Syracuse.
This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Auburn and Stanford, which will be making its first visit to The Plains. The Cardinal have prevailed each of the first three meetings – the 1990 national championship game in Knoxville, a 1995 regular-season matchup at Stanford, and the 1996 Elite Eight in Seattle.
2026 SEC/ACC Women’s Challenge
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Stanford at Auburn
Miami at Florida
Georgia at SMU
LSU at North Carolina
NC State at Ole Miss
Louisville at Texas
Thursday, Dec. 3
Georgia Tech at Alabama
Wake Forest at Arkansas
Clemson at Kentucky
Virginia at Mississippi State
Missouri at Florida State
Oklahoma at Syracuse
South Carolina at Duke
Tennessee at Virginia Tech
Texas A&M at California
Notre Dame at Vanderbilt
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