Basketball News: 4-6-2026
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Dudley Dent
Apr 6, 2026, 8:37:37 AM (7 days ago) Apr 6
to Tiger Tracks
Auburn Basketball News: 4-6-2026
Overton knocks out Tulsa, Auburn wins NIT championship in overtime:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/04/5/overton-knocks-out-tulsa-auburn-wins-nit-championship-in-overtime
Auburn takes home NIT championship in OT after wild 2nd half:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/auburn-takes-home-nit-championship-in-ot-after-wild-2nd-half.html
Pearl ends Year 1 with NIT title at Auburn: 'Lesser-character young men would have folded it up':
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/longformarticle/auburn-basketball-nit-steven-pearl-championship-tulsa-280474838/#2814395
After winning NIT title, Auburn basketball’s biggest challenge isn’t on the court:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/after-winning-the-nit-title-auburn-basketballs-biggest-challenge-isnt-on-the-court.html
Auburn’s Kevin Overton named NIT Most Outstanding Player:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/auburns-kevin-overton-named-nit-most-outstanding-player.html
3 Auburn players named to NIT All-Tournament Team:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/3-auburn-players-named-to-nit-all-tournament-team.html
How Auburn’s NIT championship run could shape the Tigers’ 2026 season:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/how-auburns-nit-championship-run-could-shape-the-tigers-2026-season.html
Auburn's offseason begins with hope of returning core pieces:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-roster-offseason-nit-tigers-steven-pearl-280478540/
Behold, the biggest stooge in college basketball history:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/goodman-behold-the-biggest-stooge-in-college-basketball-history.html
Auburn, Wisconsin agree to marquee non-conference game at Bridgestone Arena:
https://www.on3.com/teams/auburn-tigers/news/auburn-wisconsin-agree-to-marquee-non-conference-game-at-bridgestone-arena/
Auburn beats Alabama to win wheelchair basketball national championship:
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/news/college-basketball/auburn-downs-alabama-to-win-wheelchair-basketball-national-championship/
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Overton knocks out Tulsa, Auburn wins NIT championship in overtime
By Jeff Shearer
When Auburn had to have it, Kevin Overton came through.
KO knocked out Tulsa in the NIT championship game, hitting a game-tying 3-pointer with eight seconds left in regulation to send it to overtime, where Overton hit a 40-footer to lead Auburn to a 92-86 victory Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“Trusting my work. My teammates trust me to make shots. I try to do what I can for these guys,” said Overton, the Most Outstanding Player of the National Invitation Tournament. “We’ve been here before. Everybody stayed composed. We were focused.”
Playing in the NIT final for the first time, Auburn built a big lead, lost it, rallied frantically in the final seconds, then won in OT despite being without two key players.
“I’m really proud of these kids. They found a way to stay together and beat five pretty good teams,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “I’m incredibly grateful to these guys. They could’ve packed it up and they didn’t. These are unbelievable young men with great character from great families. I’m incredibly honored and proud to be their coach.
“They showed they love their university. They love Auburn and they played for Auburn. They showed a ton of resilience. They showed what Auburn men are all about. It’s a great way to end the season.”
Undersized in overtime with Keyshawn Hall and Filip Jovic having fouled out, Auburn went ahead on a pair of free throws from Sebastian Williams-Adams with 3:31 left.
With the Tigers leading by two, Overton launched from at least 15 beyond the 3-point line, swishing the deepest of 3s to give Auburn an 89-84 lead with 2:06 to go.
“Heat check,” Overton said. “I felt like that was a normal shot for me all year. I shot it and it went in.”
Overton and Elyjah Freeman, who led Auburn with 14 rebounds, combined for three free throws in the final 40 seconds of overtime to secure the NIT championship for the Tigers.
“Tulsa made a tremendous run,” Pearl said. “We stayed resilient. We didn’t give up, pushed that thing to overtime and played overtime with five guards. They pushed through and they found a way.”
Overton led Auburn with 26 points, making 5 of 8 3-pointers. Tahaad Pettiford scored 24 points and had a game-high eight assists.
“We stayed together,” Pettiford said. “We needed stops, we had to break them down and that’s what we did in overtime.”
Hall had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, Williams-Adams scored 13 points and Jovic added a dozen points.
Leading by 17 points at the half, Hall made a 3-pointer and Jovic hit a pair of layups to give Auburn a 20-point lead with 17:34 to play.
After Overton’s jumper, Tulsa used a 12-0 run to pull within six points with 12:18 to play.
With Hall on the bench with four fouls, Tulsa outrebounded the Tigers 19-17 in the second half.
The Golden Hurricane hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the Tigers’ lead to two points with 11:14 remaining.
Tulsa outscored Auburn 22-2 in a five-minute span to take its first lead midway through the second half.
The Golden Hurricane went ahead by four before Auburn reclaimed the lead when Overton’s 3-pointer capped a 6-0 run with 4:18 to play.
Leading by two, Tulsa made a steal and hit a 3-pointer to lead 76-71 with 1:05 left on the clock.
After Pettiford’s 3-pointer cut Tulsa’s lead to two, Jovic fouled out and the Golden Hurricane made a pair of free throws to lead 78-74 with 18 seconds left.
Freeman grabbed an offensive rebound, drew a foul, missed his first free throw but made his second to pull Auburn within three points with 8.5 seconds left.
Auburn forced a five-second violation when Tulsa failed to inbound, then Pettiford found Overton in the corner for his dramatic shot.
“A regular play we have,” Overton said. “I was prepared for it. He gave me the ball and I was ready for the moment and I knocked it down.”
Tulsa missed its chance to win in regulation, sending the teams to overtime tied 78-78.
Pettiford and Overton combined for 29 first-half points to help the Tigers take control from the opening tip.
Pettiford and Williams-Adams hit 3-pointers to give Auburn a 12-point lead just six minutes into the game.
The Tigers held Tulsa to 1-of-10 3-point shooting in the opening half, taking away the foundation of the Golden Hurricane offense.
“Our guys were really locked into the gameplan,” Pearl said. “Did a really good job of running them off the 3-point line and making their catches difficult. We turned them over a good bit in the first half.”
Pettiford’s third 3-pointer of the half gave Auburn a 21-point lead with 7:45 remaining.
“I wanted to set the tone early for my team and let the other team know we’re here to play,” Pettiford said. “I’m happy I was able to get off to that start.”
With Hall, Overton and Freeman on the bench with two fouls, Tulsa made four layups and pulled within 13 before Overton made a 3-pointer and Pettiford passed to Williams-Adams for a dunk to help Auburn take a 48-31 halftime lead.
Facing double teams, Filip Jovic had four first-half assists to go along with eight points and three rebounds.
Hall nearly singlehandedly outrebounded Tulsa, grabbing eight boards to help Auburn build a 19-11 rebounding advantage.
David Green led Tulsa (30-8) with 25 points.
Auburn concludes Pearl’s first season with a 22-16 record and the first NIT championship in program history.
“It’s an opportunity to gain some positive momentum going into an important offseason,” Pearl said. “I’m thankful that they’re getting some reward for all that effort they put into this season. They stayed consistent, they stayed right. We have a really good basketball team, and I feel like we showed that over these last five games. I want the Auburn family to remember this group for their resilience, their toughness and their ability to stay together.
“It’s a group that really appreciated what the Auburn family gave to them. They wanted to do the fanbase and the university proud, and I feel like they did that over the last couple weeks.”
GAME NOTES
Auburn won its first NIT in program history and is the fourth team in the SEC to ever win the title. Auburn defeated South Alabama, Seattle U, Nevada, Illinois State and Tulsa en route to the title.
The Tigers finished the 2025-26 season at 22-16 overall. The 22 wins are tied for the 10th most in program history.
Auburn’s 38 games played this season are tied for the second most in program history with last year’s team and only behind the 2018-19 team who played 40.
With 24 points tonight, Tahaad Pettiford finished the season with 585 points, which are the 15th most in single season at Auburn. Pettiford scored 20 or more points 13 times this season.
Kevin Overton finished with 26 points and made five 3-pointers, giving him 95 this season which are the 7th most in program history. It was his 11th 20-point performance of the season.
Keyshawn Hall tallied his 8th double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Hall finished the year with 694 points, the 5th most in a single season at Auburn.
Filip Jovic had 12 points and a career-high four assists. He has reached double figures in four straight games and for the eighth time this season.
After shooting 65.6 percent in the first half against Illinois State, the Tigers shot 51.6 percent in the first half against Tulsa and scored 48 points. In the first half of the semis and finals, Auburn made 37-of-63 shots (58.7 percent) and scored 99 points.
With 92 points on Sunday, Auburn finished the season with 3,154 points, the second most in program history.
The starting lineup of Elyjah Freeman, Keyshawn Hall, Filip Jovic, Kevin Overton and Tahaad Pettiford finished the year 6-1 starting together, including 5-0 in the NIT.
Tulsa entered the game ranked 12th nationally in 3-point percentage (38.3) and 19th nationally in 3-pointers made per game (10.1). The Tigers held the Golden Hurricane to 6-of-26 from long range.
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Auburn takes home NIT championship in OT after wild 2nd half
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball nearly collapsed in the NIT championship game.
However, the late-game heroics from Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton led Auburn to the 92-86 victory over Tulsa in overtime at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Auburn claimed its first ever NIT championship and finished the season with a 22-16 overall record.
Here’s how Auburn survived a rollercoaster game against the Golden Hurricanes.
Tulsa makes late push in 2nd half, Auburn forces OT
Tulsa put together a 22-2 run on Auburn to take its first lead of the game in the final 10 minutes of the second half. David Green led the Golden Hurricane with 25 points to help orchestrate Tulsa’s comeback.
Auburn shot just 32% from the floor in the second half and was outscored by Tulsa 36-21 in the final 20 minutes of play.
Overton led Auburn with 26 points and connected on his third 3-pointer to put Auburn back in front with 4:15 left on the game clock.
After Keyshawn Hall and Filip Jovic fouled out in the final minutes of regulation, Overton drilled a corner 3-pointer with eight seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime.
Pettiford finished the game with 24 points and eight assists. He made four of Auburn’s 11 3-pointers, while Overton had five.
Auburn makes program history
Auburn becomes the first SEC team since South Carolina in 2006 to win the NIT. They are also the first team from the state of Alabama to win an NCAA postseason tournament.
The Tigers are the fourth SEC team to win the title. Prior to Sunday’s game, two current SEC schools — Mississippi State in 2021 and Texas in 2022 — lost in the championship in back-to-back years.
This was also Tulsa’s first NIT championship loss after winning it all in 1981 and 2001.
https://twitter.com/AuburnMBB/status/2040981492357091785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2040981492357091785%7Ctwgr%5Ea2079f5e50ebea66aa53a7f1cbfa8755e6658d32%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al.com%2Fauburnbasketball%2F2026%2F04%2Fauburn-takes-home-nit-championship-in-ot-after-wild-2nd-half.html
Auburn comes out swinging in first half
Auburn wasted no time taking control of the NIT title game, leading Tulsa by as many as 21 points in the first half.
Tulsa connected on only two shots from the floor in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Golden Hurricanes also entered the break with only one made 3-pointer.
Pettiford and Overton combined for 29 of Auburn’s 48 points at halftime. The Tigers started the game shooting 52% from the floor and drained six shots from beyond the arc.
However, Auburn also had some early foul trouble with its starts as Overton, Elyjah Freeman and Hall all picked up two fouls in the first half.
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Pearl ends Year 1 with NIT title at Auburn: 'Lesser-character young men would have folded it up'
By Nathan King
Auburn's decision to play in the NIT turned out to be the right one, as the Tigers' five-game run ended with the program's first NIT championship Sunday night in Indianapolis. It didn't come without dramatics, as Auburn blew a 21-point lead and trailed Tulsa late before Kevin Overton's 3-pointer sent things to overtime, where the Tigers won 92-86.
Here's everything Pearl had to say postgame, as the Tigers head back to Neville Arena with some hardware.
"First off, just really proud of our guys. You know, lesser-character kids, lesser-character young men would have folded it up and just gotten to the offseason. This group didn't. They used this as an opportunity to compete. They used this as an opportunity to gain some positive moment going into an offseason — an important offseason for all of us.
"And I'm incredibly grateful as their coach. You know, they were put in a really difficult situation, (Bruce Pearl) ultimately retiring, and these guys all decided to stay. And then we don't make the (NCAA) tournament, and they call all could have packed it in, and they didn't. It's just, for me, I'm just thankful that they are getting some reward for all the effort that they put into the season. They stayed consistent, they stayed right.
"We have a really good basketball team, and I feel like we showed that over these last five games. Tulsa is a really good basketball team. They obviously made a tremendous run. This game was kind of a microcosm of our season. Played really well, let them back into it, went through a tough stretch, and we stayed resilient, we didn't give up, pushed that thing to overtime and played overtime with five guards. We have no size and everyone was fouled out. They pushed through and they found a way. So I'm really proud and grateful for these guys."
ON AUBURN'S HOT START ON DEFENSE ...
"I thought our guys were really locked into the game plan. Did a really good job of running them off the 3-point line and making their catches difficult. I thought we turned them over a good bit in the first half. They respected their opponent. That team has won 30 games this year. You know, it's hard to do. And their personnel is really good, and they have got guys that can really knock down shots and make big plays, and we obviously saw that in the second half.
"Our guys did a really good job early, coming out engaged and focused and in stance. That was important because we only have seven guys. So I knew eventually that our legs would get to us a little bit and they would get back into the game. But I thought earlier our guys did a great job putting us in a position to have a lead where we were able to hang in there and ultimately found a way to close it out in the end."
ON HOW TULSA GOT BACK INTO THE GAME ...
"I thought offensively, we weren't making shots, and a lot of our misses led to transition. They had 16 points on fastbreaks, and I bet most of those were in the second half. They didn't double the post as much, and we didn't get those kickout 3s. We missed a bunch of layups. And they had a lot to do with that. But I thought a couple times we didn't slow down around the rim and finish through contact, and that led to them getting out in transition. And that's a team that if you give them a little bit of confidence, obviously they are going to run with it. They did that, and you know, shoot, they are up 5 with a minute left in the game.
"Our offense wasn't crisp and it wasn't great in the second half, but then to go four-for-five in overtime and five-for-six from the free throw line, they did a great job of bouncing back and making the right plays late."
HOW DO YOU WANT AUBURN FANS TO REMEMBER THIS SEASON ...
"It's a group that was put through a tremendous amount of adversity. I can't say it enough: With (Bruce Pearl) retiring, the schedule we put in front of them, only having one returner, nine underclassmen, 10 new guys. I want the Auburn family to remember this group for their resilience and their toughness and their ability to stay together through some difficult stretches. It's a group that really appreciated what the Auburn family gave to them and the support that they gave. I think they just kind of wanted to do the fan base proud and the university proud, and I felt like they did that over the last couple weeks."
ON WHEN HE KNEW THIS TEAM COULD WIN THE NIT ...
"It probably wasn't till the first half of the Seattle game, the second game we played. Second half of the first game, KO hit seven 3s and kind of went unconscious. He was tremendous and obviously allowed us to win that game. When I saw how we came out and guarded in the first half of the Seattle game, I knew that our guys were locked in and were playing for something at that point and I thought they carried that really well through the next four games.
"We beat five good teams. We beat five good teams without our starting center. I mean, that's — to me, that's significant. We had a bunch of guards out there for the last five games, and we beat all five teams. So our guys just were locked in. But I thought that Seattle game is where they turned the corner and flipped the switch."
ON KEVIN OVERTON ...
"He's been playing well since late January. He had a calmness to his demeanor when we ultimately decided to play in the NIT. You know, I think he and Keyshawn Hall were two of the main guys that really pulled the group together and said, all right, we're here. We might as well compete. We might as well make the most of a difficult situation and show the country why we should be in the tournament.
"We lost 16 games, though, right? That's why we didn't make the tournament. But I feel like we've shown over the last five, and KO really wanted to do that, especially, that we are one of the best teams in the country, and I feel like we've proved that — or at least one of the teams that was good enough to be in the tournament, and I think KO wanted to prove that point. And he obviously did a phenomenal job of doing so."
ON ELYJAH FREEMAN ...
"Elyjah has been great with his role and understanding his role because he's all about winning. You know, he only had -- he had three shots but he did get to the foul line eight times. He's got to get more touches. But obviously Tahaad and KO had it going. But he's able to find ways to be impactful in other areas. So obviously rebounding. He had some ridiculous contests at the rim late in the game and keeping balls alive but ten defensive rebounds and a lot of those I thought came late in the game when we really needed them. He's got so much untapped potential, and for it being his first year in high major basketball, the sky is the limit for him. Really hope that we can tap into that this summer and watch him continue to improve."
ON HOW TO USE THIS MOMENTUM HEADING INTO THE OFFSEASON ...
"You've got to use it as positive momentum going into the offseason. I feel like the guys that we want to have return are obviously in a better place mentally. You know, seeing what it's capable of looking like. Especially with the limited numbers that we were able to do it with, if we're able to in this off-season plug some of those holes that we need to, especially with rim protection; I think Narcisse is going to be a great start to that.
"I'd love to get Filip back to his natural position at the four. I'd love to get (Sebastian Williams-Adams) to play three and four, you know what I mean? Those guys don't need to be playing five. That's just not their position.
"Being able to find pieces that can encourage the rest of these guys to come back and continue to finish the job, I think is important. I think this run and this decision to play in this tournament, there was a lot of that that factored into my decision, and you know, it could have blown up in your face. But to our guys' credit, to our staff's credit — our staff has done such a great job all year, going through the highs and the lows, and they have stayed consistent with our guys. They have poured into our guys, loved on our guys and our guys have received that really well.
"I think they came out here and they made me proud, they made our staff proud, they made our university proud and I think they showed the nation what this team is built on, and for that, that's something we can build on moving forward."
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After winning NIT title, Auburn basketball’s biggest challenge isn’t on the court
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
The million-dollar question after Auburn basketball’s NIT championship victory was what point guard Tahaad Pettiford’s future will look like with the Tigers.
After wrapping up his sophomore campaign averaging 15.2 points, 3.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds, Pettiford expressed gratitude for his second season on the Plains.
“I’m a happy man,” Pettiford said. “I loved it. It was a hell of a year. I got to play with a great group of guys and made a lot of memories. We had our ups and downs but that’s a part of life. I’m just thankful to be in the opportunity that I’m in.”
Despite going through the NBA draft process after his freshman season, Pettiford returned to Auburn seeking to elevate his draft stock and make another run at the Final Four.
Instead, Auburn missed the NCAA tournament after losing 16 games and settled for the NIT, defeating Tulsa 92-86 in the championship game.
Pettiford and Kevin Overton completely took over for Auburn against the Golden Hurricane, combining for 50 points. Pettiford’s 24 points and four 3-pointers helped the Tigers secure the overtime victory.
Overton and Pettiford were also named to the NIT All-Tournament team alongside Keyshawn Hall. When asked about Pettiford’s future with the program, Overton said the two will have a talk.
“I don’t think there will be much of a difference from playing this year to next year,” Overton said. “I was a leader on this team with Keyshawn Hall, KeShawn Murphy and Tahaad Pettiford. We did everything we could as leaders and I think that will be the same next season.
“We are going to have a little sit down after this and decide what’s going on for sure.”
The transfer portal window will open from April 7-21. If Pettiford does decide to enter his name in the portal, he will have two years of eligibility remaining.
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Auburn’s Kevin Overton named NIT Most Outstanding Player
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Without Kevin Overton’s heroic corner 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation against Tulsa, Auburn’s 2025-2026 season would have ended in disappointment.
The Tigers let a 21-point lead against Tulsa slip away in the NIT championship game on Sunday night, but rallied late to win after trailing by five in the final minute of regulation. Overton’s shot sent the game to overtime and Auburn eventually won 92-86 to secure the program’s first ever NIT title.
After becoming the hero in the championship game, Overton was named the NIT’s Most Outstanding Player. He led all scorers with 26 points in the championship game and knocked down five of his eight 3-point attempts.
Overton was a spark for the Tigers throughout the tournament, averaging 18.6 points per game and shooting 53.7 percent from 3. That led all Auburn scorers during the NIT as he was key to the Tigers’ success.
“I just trust my work. My teammates trust me to make shots,” Overton told ESPN after beating Tulsa. “I do what I can, and as you can tell, it’s all love around me.”
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3 Auburn players named to NIT All-Tournament Team
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Auburn basketball took home its first ever NIT championship on Sunday, beating Tulsa in an overtime thriller.
The Tigers blew a 21-point lead, but then rallied back to send the game into overtime and eventually win after being down five with less than a minute left in regulation. That surge, and the NIT run overall, was thanks in no small part to a few key players.
Kevin Overton, Tahaad Pettiford and Keyshawn Hall were all named to the NIT All-Tournament Team, joining Tulsa’s David Green and Tylen Riley.
Overton was the hero on Sunday, leading all scorers with 26 points and knocking down a 3-pointer with fewer than 10 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime.
He was one of Auburn’s best players throughout the tournament, averaging 18.6 points per game and shooting 54 percent from 3-point range. Those numbers helped him win NIT Most Outstanding Player.
Pettiford was also crucial for Auburn in the championship game, finishing the night with 24 points and eight assists. He averaged 14.4 points and 5.2 assists per game during the NIT, with his best performance coming in the championship game.
Hall came into the NIT as Auburn’s leading scorer and continued to give the Tigers’ offense a boost during the tournament. He averaged 15.8 points per game during the NIT while also grabbing nine rebounds per game. Hall struggled to score at times during the championship game, but was big on the glass, grabbing 12 rebounds before fouling out.
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How Auburn’s NIT championship run could shape the Tigers’ 2026 season
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball ended its postseason run with its first-ever NIT championship after holding off Tulsa in a 92-86 overtime victory Sunday evening.
Now with the season officially over, Auburn coach Steven Pearl talked about how he wants to build on the Tigers’ postseason when preparing for next season.
“You’ve got to use it as positive momentum going into the off-season,” Pearl said postgame. “I feel like the guys that we want to have return are obviously in a better place mentally. You know, seeing what it’s capable of looking like. Especially with the limited numbers that we were able to do it with, if we’re able to in this off-season plug some of those holes that we need to, especially with rim protection; I think (Narcisse Ngoy) is going to be a great start to that.
“Being able to find pieces that can encourage the rest of these guys to come back and continue to finish the job, I think is important. I think this run and this decision to play in this tournament, there was a lot of that that factored into my decision, and you know, it could have blown up in your face. But to our guys’ credit, to our staff’s credit -- I think they came out here and they made me proud, they made our staff proud, they made our university proud and I think they showed the nation what this team is built on, and for that, that’s something we can build on moving forward.”
Auburn became the first SEC team since South Carolina in 2018 to follow up a Final Four trip by failing to make the NCAA tournament the following year.
The Tigers finished the 2025-26 season at 22-16 overall, as the 22 wins are tied for the 10th most in program history.
Looking ahead, the transfer portal window opens April 7 and runs through April 21. Auburn already has two players committed in its off-season haul in 7-foot center Narcisse Ngoy out of France and 4-star wing Caleb Williams.
Pearl hopes with the Ngoy addition that can keep rising sophomores Filip Jovic and Sebastian Williams-Adams around for next season.
“I’d love to get Filip back to his natural position at the four,” Pearl said. “I’d love to get SWA to play three and four. Those guys don’t need to be playing five. That’s just not their position.”
Several Auburn players discussed their plans for next season, as Elyjah Freeman said he was “locked in” for the 2026-27 season, while Williams-Adams confirming he has a meeting scheduled with Pearl to discuss his plans.
Kevin Overton, who was named the MVP of the NIT with 26 points in the title game, appears likely to return to Auburn next season and spoke about what the future could look like with him in a leadership role.
“Yeah, I mean, the (NIT) championship is the championship,” Overton said. “Like we said, obviously not what we wanted to be and not what we wanted to do. I think this was a (NCAA tournament) Round of 32 or Sweet 16 team and we just didn’t do what we needed to do in the regular season. But to build on this for next year is huge. It’s momentum. It still gives us that we’re still Auburn feel and we’ll see how that goes next year for sure.”
https://twitter.com/i/status/2040997315708596523
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Auburn's offseason begins with hope of returning core pieces
By Nathan King
Auburn got its trophy Sunday night in Indianapolis, but the ultimate return on investment from the team's NIT run will be if the Tigers can get their key pieces back for Steven Pearl's second season at the helm.
As Auburn defeated Tulsa, 92-86 in overtime to claim the first NIT championship in program history, it gave one last stage and opportunity for one of the most important factors in Pearl accepting the NIT bid in the first place. Ahead of what Pearl called "an important offseason for all of us," many players who could be back with Auburn next season smiled and cut down the nets in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Every player that can be back as part of Auburn's core next year had their moment during the five-game run to an NIT title — or several moments, in the case of someone like Kevin Overton, who was called "Superman" by his teammates Sunday night for his 26 points and his 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime.
If there was any amount of added confidence for these players being in an Auburn jersey, then the NIT was worth it for Pearl and his staff.
"I feel like the guys that we want to have return are obviously in a better place mentally — seeing what it's capable of looking like," Pearl said.
Overton made himself some money over the last two months — whether that's Auburn next year or somewhere else. Obviously, the Tigers will make a large effort to bring the former Drake and Texas Tech transfer back for his senior season.
Tahaad Pettiford's NBA stock has gone down, and he's not projected as a draft pick right now. So if he's back at the college level next season, will it be at Auburn? That guard duo would certainly be one of the most offensively potent in the SEC next year and a strong place for the Tigers to start.
The only outgoing seniors on Auburn's roster are Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy, the latter of whom did not play in the NIT after opting out. Without Murphy, Auburn has been without a true center, which underscores what the Tigers need in the offseason — both in terms of personnel additions and some changes on the current team.
Last week, Auburn signed Narcisse Ngoy, a 21-year old, 7-footer who's been playing professionally in France. Pearl would love to make the necessary additions to move out Sebastian Williams-Adams and Filip Jovic out of the center conversation at Auburn, after Jovic started there during the NIT, and Williams-Adams had to play heavy minutes there, too, without Murphy in the lineup.
"I think Narcisse is going to be a great start to that," Pearl said. "I'd love to get Filip back to his natural position at the 4. I'd love to get (Williams-Adams) to play the 3 and the 4. … Those guys don't need to be playing five. That's just not their position."
Sophomore wing Elyjah Freeman has gone from a high school senior hitting a late growth spurt to a Division-II standout to an SEC starter. That trio of Freeman, Williams-Adams and Jovic is especially enticing for Auburn's coaches to continue to develop, considering just how raw and inexperienced they were heading into this past season.
"He's got so much untapped potential," Pearl said of Freeman. "For it being his first year in high-major basketball, the sky is the limit for him. Really hope that we can tap into that this summer and watch him continue to improve."
As the transfer portal gets set to open Tuesday, avoiding major losses would provide a strong foundation for Pearl and his staff to work with. That's easier said than done — as is making strong additions from the portal.
But Pearl hopes this NIT run — having five more games together, with a good-looking product on the floor — helped show some of his current roster that, if they stick around, Auburn is headed in the right direction.
"Being able to find pieces that can encourage the rest of these guys to come back and continue to finish the job, I think, is important," Pearl said. "I think this run and this decision to play in this tournament — there was a lot that factored into my decision, and you know, it could have blown up in your face.
"... I think they showed the nation what this team is built on, and for that, that's something we can build on moving forward."
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Behold, the biggest stooge in college basketball history
By Joseph Goodman
al.com
His team won the NIT without him, and so now KeShawn Murphy will go down as one of the biggest dopes in college basketball history.
What a stooge.
What a joke.
What a cautionary tale.
Murphy is the former Auburn player who quit on his teammates after the season rather than stick around for the also-ran NIT. Turns out it was a classic case of addition by subtraction. Without their cancerous starting center, Auburn went out and won five games in a row. It wasn’t the NCAA Tournament, but it was enough to restore faith in Auburn’s new coach. Steven Pearl’s postseason redemption tour was capped off with a courageous effort from his players in a 92-86 overtime victory on Sunday night against Tulsa in the championship game.
Did Steven deserve to be Auburn’s coach? That was the lingering question throughout the season after the sudden retirement of his father, Bruce Pearl. We know how Murphy felt about the situation. Instead of playing for Steven in the NIT, and honoring his NIL deal with Auburn, the Tigers’ center walked away.
That decision to quit now lives in infamy.
Auburn won the NIT with a bunch of guards motivated by wanting to prove they belonged in the NCAA Tournament. Mission accomplished. And Pearl got the last laugh, too, after being ridiculed mercilessly for simply advocating for his team.
“It could have blown up in your face,” Pearl said, looking back on Auburn’s decision to play in the NIT.
But it didn’t, and that’s because Steven is a good young coach. He proved that over the last two weeks, and he deserves to be recognized for his rapid development and ability to adapt.
So hang that NIT banner proudly, Steven. After all the wackiness we witnessed at Auburn over the last five months, a first-year coach winning a tournament in April can only be interpreted as a sign of good things to come.
“I want the Auburn family to remember this group for their resilience and their toughness and their ability to stay together through some difficult stretches,” Pearl said. “And it’s a group that really appreciated what the Auburn family gave to them, and the support that they gave. And they just wanted to do the university proud, and the fanbase proud, and I think they did that the last two weeks.”
It wasn’t the NCAA Tournament, but it was worthwhile and hopefully the momentum it created carries over into the offseason.
If Auburn can retain some of its core pieces — namely Tahaad Pettiford, Elyjah Freeman, Kevin Overton, Sebastian Williams-Adams and Blake Muschalek — then it was all worthwhile.
In the face of skepticism and doubt, this team transformed into a winner. They played for each other, and that’s always a beautiful thing no matter the stage.
Coach Steven Pearl did the best with what he had this season, which was a team that originally signed up to play for his father against one of the toughest schedules in the country.
It got messy, and Poppa Pearl did Steven no favors by admitting to nepotism during the middle of Auburn’s most difficult stretch of the season, but those things now only enhance what Auburn accomplished in the NIT.
Even I had to call Auburn’s new coach a nepo-baby after Bruce bragged about handing a job to his son, and I’ve backed Steven since the beginning of the season.
And it’s not just that Bruce Pearl retired a couple hours before the season so Auburn would be forced to promote his son to head coach. Bruce being Bruce, he immediately landed a TV gig as a national college basketball analyst and then used that platform to stump for Auburn at the expense of Group of 5 darling Miami (Ohio).
Then, after everything, Poppa Pearl berated officials from the stands during the SEC tournament like some hysterical father during a little league game.
So embarrassing, dad!
“I can’t say it enough,” Steven Pearl said. “With [Bruce Pearl] retiring, with the schedule we put in front of them, only having one returner, nine underclassmen, 10 new guys … We beat five good teams without our starting center. We had a bunch of guards out there for the last five games and we beat all five teams.”
And I hope Murphy was watching on Sunday night, too, while his professional career went up in a cloud of smoke.
“That was for 3,” Auburn guard Kevin Overton said after winning the NIT.
Overton was referring to Murphy by his old jersey number, and not out of respect either.
“Yes,” Pettiford said. “Yes.”
It was Overton and Pettiford who kept this team together. Keyshawn Hall deserves credit, too, after being unfairly criticized during the season.
Overton made 23 of 41 3-pointers in five NIT games. Shooting 56 percent from behind the arc is how a player makes the most of an opportunity.
And makes a quitter like Murphy have regrets for the rest of his life.
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Auburn, Wisconsin agree to marquee non-conference game at Bridgestone Arena
By Justin Hokanson
Wisconsin and Auburn are set to meet in a neutral-site nonconference game on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, per Wisconsin’s On3 site. Sources have confirmed the game with AuburnSports.
It will be just the second meeting in program history and the first since the 2006-07 season, when Wisconsin beat Auburn 77-63 in the South Padre Island Invitational.
The matchup also comes as Auburn continues into Year 2 under Steven Pearl, who took over after Bruce Pearl’s departure. Auburn finished 16-15 in the regular season and 22-16 overall, after beating Tulsa in the NIT title game on Sunday night.
Wisconsin finished this past season 24-11 after a first-round upset loss to High Point in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers are already set to host Arizona next season as well during the non-conference slate. The date of that game is to be determined.
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Auburn beats Alabama to win wheelchair basketball national championship
By Cory Nightingale
Auburn vs. Alabama is huge no matter the sport, no matter the setting and no matter the stakes.
In Saturday’s case, the Iron Bowl version of wheelchair basketball was staged way out in the desert, on the Arizona campus and at the venerable McKale Center in Tucson. And it wasn’t just a game of wheelchair basketball, it was a battle for the national championship, so the stakes couldn’t have been any higher.
It was No. 1 Alabama against No. 2 Auburn for the men’s national championship of the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball National Tournament. While the Crimson Tide have an illustrious recent history in the sport, Saturday belonged to Auburn, which outlasted the Tide, 70-59, to capture the program’s first NWBA championship.
It was a proud moment for the members of the team and for the school, because beating Alabama in anything is a proud moment for Auburn and especially when it’s for a national championship like Saturday’s clash.
https://twitter.com/AuburnU/status/2040566498725388756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2040566498725388756%7Ctwgr%5E69f296c98794f63384074a2e3b5ab6f1e0bdc4f2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.saturdaydownsouth.com%2Fnews%2Fcollege-basketball%2Fauburn-downs-alabama-to-win-wheelchair-basketball-national-championship%2F
The Alabama men’s team has been a powerhouse in this sport, winning 4 national championships, starting in 2013 and continuing with titles in 2018, 2019, and 2023. For Auburn, it was a chance to win its first-ever title in program history, and the Tigers were up to the task on Saturday, preventing the Crimson Tide from winning their 5th crown.
It was the 7th meeting overall this season between the rival schools, with appropriately Alabama and Auburn each winning 3 times going into Saturday’s showdown. Auburn won the previous meeting, 68-64, about a month ago, on March 6, to be exact, and, on Saturday, the Tigers did it again and captured some historical hardware along the way.
Overton knocks out Tulsa, Auburn wins NIT championship in overtime:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/04/5/overton-knocks-out-tulsa-auburn-wins-nit-championship-in-overtime
Auburn takes home NIT championship in OT after wild 2nd half:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/auburn-takes-home-nit-championship-in-ot-after-wild-2nd-half.html
Pearl ends Year 1 with NIT title at Auburn: 'Lesser-character young men would have folded it up':
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/longformarticle/auburn-basketball-nit-steven-pearl-championship-tulsa-280474838/#2814395
After winning NIT title, Auburn basketball’s biggest challenge isn’t on the court:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/after-winning-the-nit-title-auburn-basketballs-biggest-challenge-isnt-on-the-court.html
Auburn’s Kevin Overton named NIT Most Outstanding Player:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/auburns-kevin-overton-named-nit-most-outstanding-player.html
3 Auburn players named to NIT All-Tournament Team:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/3-auburn-players-named-to-nit-all-tournament-team.html
How Auburn’s NIT championship run could shape the Tigers’ 2026 season:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/how-auburns-nit-championship-run-could-shape-the-tigers-2026-season.html
Auburn's offseason begins with hope of returning core pieces:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-roster-offseason-nit-tigers-steven-pearl-280478540/
Behold, the biggest stooge in college basketball history:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/04/goodman-behold-the-biggest-stooge-in-college-basketball-history.html
Auburn, Wisconsin agree to marquee non-conference game at Bridgestone Arena:
https://www.on3.com/teams/auburn-tigers/news/auburn-wisconsin-agree-to-marquee-non-conference-game-at-bridgestone-arena/
Auburn beats Alabama to win wheelchair basketball national championship:
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/news/college-basketball/auburn-downs-alabama-to-win-wheelchair-basketball-national-championship/
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Overton knocks out Tulsa, Auburn wins NIT championship in overtime
By Jeff Shearer
When Auburn had to have it, Kevin Overton came through.
KO knocked out Tulsa in the NIT championship game, hitting a game-tying 3-pointer with eight seconds left in regulation to send it to overtime, where Overton hit a 40-footer to lead Auburn to a 92-86 victory Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“Trusting my work. My teammates trust me to make shots. I try to do what I can for these guys,” said Overton, the Most Outstanding Player of the National Invitation Tournament. “We’ve been here before. Everybody stayed composed. We were focused.”
Playing in the NIT final for the first time, Auburn built a big lead, lost it, rallied frantically in the final seconds, then won in OT despite being without two key players.
“I’m really proud of these kids. They found a way to stay together and beat five pretty good teams,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “I’m incredibly grateful to these guys. They could’ve packed it up and they didn’t. These are unbelievable young men with great character from great families. I’m incredibly honored and proud to be their coach.
“They showed they love their university. They love Auburn and they played for Auburn. They showed a ton of resilience. They showed what Auburn men are all about. It’s a great way to end the season.”
Undersized in overtime with Keyshawn Hall and Filip Jovic having fouled out, Auburn went ahead on a pair of free throws from Sebastian Williams-Adams with 3:31 left.
With the Tigers leading by two, Overton launched from at least 15 beyond the 3-point line, swishing the deepest of 3s to give Auburn an 89-84 lead with 2:06 to go.
“Heat check,” Overton said. “I felt like that was a normal shot for me all year. I shot it and it went in.”
Overton and Elyjah Freeman, who led Auburn with 14 rebounds, combined for three free throws in the final 40 seconds of overtime to secure the NIT championship for the Tigers.
“Tulsa made a tremendous run,” Pearl said. “We stayed resilient. We didn’t give up, pushed that thing to overtime and played overtime with five guards. They pushed through and they found a way.”
Overton led Auburn with 26 points, making 5 of 8 3-pointers. Tahaad Pettiford scored 24 points and had a game-high eight assists.
“We stayed together,” Pettiford said. “We needed stops, we had to break them down and that’s what we did in overtime.”
Hall had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, Williams-Adams scored 13 points and Jovic added a dozen points.
Leading by 17 points at the half, Hall made a 3-pointer and Jovic hit a pair of layups to give Auburn a 20-point lead with 17:34 to play.
After Overton’s jumper, Tulsa used a 12-0 run to pull within six points with 12:18 to play.
With Hall on the bench with four fouls, Tulsa outrebounded the Tigers 19-17 in the second half.
The Golden Hurricane hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the Tigers’ lead to two points with 11:14 remaining.
Tulsa outscored Auburn 22-2 in a five-minute span to take its first lead midway through the second half.
The Golden Hurricane went ahead by four before Auburn reclaimed the lead when Overton’s 3-pointer capped a 6-0 run with 4:18 to play.
Leading by two, Tulsa made a steal and hit a 3-pointer to lead 76-71 with 1:05 left on the clock.
After Pettiford’s 3-pointer cut Tulsa’s lead to two, Jovic fouled out and the Golden Hurricane made a pair of free throws to lead 78-74 with 18 seconds left.
Freeman grabbed an offensive rebound, drew a foul, missed his first free throw but made his second to pull Auburn within three points with 8.5 seconds left.
Auburn forced a five-second violation when Tulsa failed to inbound, then Pettiford found Overton in the corner for his dramatic shot.
“A regular play we have,” Overton said. “I was prepared for it. He gave me the ball and I was ready for the moment and I knocked it down.”
Tulsa missed its chance to win in regulation, sending the teams to overtime tied 78-78.
Pettiford and Overton combined for 29 first-half points to help the Tigers take control from the opening tip.
Pettiford and Williams-Adams hit 3-pointers to give Auburn a 12-point lead just six minutes into the game.
The Tigers held Tulsa to 1-of-10 3-point shooting in the opening half, taking away the foundation of the Golden Hurricane offense.
“Our guys were really locked into the gameplan,” Pearl said. “Did a really good job of running them off the 3-point line and making their catches difficult. We turned them over a good bit in the first half.”
Pettiford’s third 3-pointer of the half gave Auburn a 21-point lead with 7:45 remaining.
“I wanted to set the tone early for my team and let the other team know we’re here to play,” Pettiford said. “I’m happy I was able to get off to that start.”
With Hall, Overton and Freeman on the bench with two fouls, Tulsa made four layups and pulled within 13 before Overton made a 3-pointer and Pettiford passed to Williams-Adams for a dunk to help Auburn take a 48-31 halftime lead.
Facing double teams, Filip Jovic had four first-half assists to go along with eight points and three rebounds.
Hall nearly singlehandedly outrebounded Tulsa, grabbing eight boards to help Auburn build a 19-11 rebounding advantage.
David Green led Tulsa (30-8) with 25 points.
Auburn concludes Pearl’s first season with a 22-16 record and the first NIT championship in program history.
“It’s an opportunity to gain some positive momentum going into an important offseason,” Pearl said. “I’m thankful that they’re getting some reward for all that effort they put into this season. They stayed consistent, they stayed right. We have a really good basketball team, and I feel like we showed that over these last five games. I want the Auburn family to remember this group for their resilience, their toughness and their ability to stay together.
“It’s a group that really appreciated what the Auburn family gave to them. They wanted to do the fanbase and the university proud, and I feel like they did that over the last couple weeks.”
GAME NOTES
Auburn won its first NIT in program history and is the fourth team in the SEC to ever win the title. Auburn defeated South Alabama, Seattle U, Nevada, Illinois State and Tulsa en route to the title.
The Tigers finished the 2025-26 season at 22-16 overall. The 22 wins are tied for the 10th most in program history.
Auburn’s 38 games played this season are tied for the second most in program history with last year’s team and only behind the 2018-19 team who played 40.
With 24 points tonight, Tahaad Pettiford finished the season with 585 points, which are the 15th most in single season at Auburn. Pettiford scored 20 or more points 13 times this season.
Kevin Overton finished with 26 points and made five 3-pointers, giving him 95 this season which are the 7th most in program history. It was his 11th 20-point performance of the season.
Keyshawn Hall tallied his 8th double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Hall finished the year with 694 points, the 5th most in a single season at Auburn.
Filip Jovic had 12 points and a career-high four assists. He has reached double figures in four straight games and for the eighth time this season.
After shooting 65.6 percent in the first half against Illinois State, the Tigers shot 51.6 percent in the first half against Tulsa and scored 48 points. In the first half of the semis and finals, Auburn made 37-of-63 shots (58.7 percent) and scored 99 points.
With 92 points on Sunday, Auburn finished the season with 3,154 points, the second most in program history.
The starting lineup of Elyjah Freeman, Keyshawn Hall, Filip Jovic, Kevin Overton and Tahaad Pettiford finished the year 6-1 starting together, including 5-0 in the NIT.
Tulsa entered the game ranked 12th nationally in 3-point percentage (38.3) and 19th nationally in 3-pointers made per game (10.1). The Tigers held the Golden Hurricane to 6-of-26 from long range.
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Auburn takes home NIT championship in OT after wild 2nd half
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball nearly collapsed in the NIT championship game.
However, the late-game heroics from Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton led Auburn to the 92-86 victory over Tulsa in overtime at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Auburn claimed its first ever NIT championship and finished the season with a 22-16 overall record.
Here’s how Auburn survived a rollercoaster game against the Golden Hurricanes.
Tulsa makes late push in 2nd half, Auburn forces OT
Tulsa put together a 22-2 run on Auburn to take its first lead of the game in the final 10 minutes of the second half. David Green led the Golden Hurricane with 25 points to help orchestrate Tulsa’s comeback.
Auburn shot just 32% from the floor in the second half and was outscored by Tulsa 36-21 in the final 20 minutes of play.
Overton led Auburn with 26 points and connected on his third 3-pointer to put Auburn back in front with 4:15 left on the game clock.
After Keyshawn Hall and Filip Jovic fouled out in the final minutes of regulation, Overton drilled a corner 3-pointer with eight seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime.
Pettiford finished the game with 24 points and eight assists. He made four of Auburn’s 11 3-pointers, while Overton had five.
Auburn makes program history
Auburn becomes the first SEC team since South Carolina in 2006 to win the NIT. They are also the first team from the state of Alabama to win an NCAA postseason tournament.
The Tigers are the fourth SEC team to win the title. Prior to Sunday’s game, two current SEC schools — Mississippi State in 2021 and Texas in 2022 — lost in the championship in back-to-back years.
This was also Tulsa’s first NIT championship loss after winning it all in 1981 and 2001.
https://twitter.com/AuburnMBB/status/2040981492357091785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2040981492357091785%7Ctwgr%5Ea2079f5e50ebea66aa53a7f1cbfa8755e6658d32%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al.com%2Fauburnbasketball%2F2026%2F04%2Fauburn-takes-home-nit-championship-in-ot-after-wild-2nd-half.html
Auburn comes out swinging in first half
Auburn wasted no time taking control of the NIT title game, leading Tulsa by as many as 21 points in the first half.
Tulsa connected on only two shots from the floor in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Golden Hurricanes also entered the break with only one made 3-pointer.
Pettiford and Overton combined for 29 of Auburn’s 48 points at halftime. The Tigers started the game shooting 52% from the floor and drained six shots from beyond the arc.
However, Auburn also had some early foul trouble with its starts as Overton, Elyjah Freeman and Hall all picked up two fouls in the first half.
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Pearl ends Year 1 with NIT title at Auburn: 'Lesser-character young men would have folded it up'
By Nathan King
Auburn's decision to play in the NIT turned out to be the right one, as the Tigers' five-game run ended with the program's first NIT championship Sunday night in Indianapolis. It didn't come without dramatics, as Auburn blew a 21-point lead and trailed Tulsa late before Kevin Overton's 3-pointer sent things to overtime, where the Tigers won 92-86.
Here's everything Pearl had to say postgame, as the Tigers head back to Neville Arena with some hardware.
"First off, just really proud of our guys. You know, lesser-character kids, lesser-character young men would have folded it up and just gotten to the offseason. This group didn't. They used this as an opportunity to compete. They used this as an opportunity to gain some positive moment going into an offseason — an important offseason for all of us.
"And I'm incredibly grateful as their coach. You know, they were put in a really difficult situation, (Bruce Pearl) ultimately retiring, and these guys all decided to stay. And then we don't make the (NCAA) tournament, and they call all could have packed it in, and they didn't. It's just, for me, I'm just thankful that they are getting some reward for all the effort that they put into the season. They stayed consistent, they stayed right.
"We have a really good basketball team, and I feel like we showed that over these last five games. Tulsa is a really good basketball team. They obviously made a tremendous run. This game was kind of a microcosm of our season. Played really well, let them back into it, went through a tough stretch, and we stayed resilient, we didn't give up, pushed that thing to overtime and played overtime with five guards. We have no size and everyone was fouled out. They pushed through and they found a way. So I'm really proud and grateful for these guys."
ON AUBURN'S HOT START ON DEFENSE ...
"I thought our guys were really locked into the game plan. Did a really good job of running them off the 3-point line and making their catches difficult. I thought we turned them over a good bit in the first half. They respected their opponent. That team has won 30 games this year. You know, it's hard to do. And their personnel is really good, and they have got guys that can really knock down shots and make big plays, and we obviously saw that in the second half.
"Our guys did a really good job early, coming out engaged and focused and in stance. That was important because we only have seven guys. So I knew eventually that our legs would get to us a little bit and they would get back into the game. But I thought earlier our guys did a great job putting us in a position to have a lead where we were able to hang in there and ultimately found a way to close it out in the end."
ON HOW TULSA GOT BACK INTO THE GAME ...
"I thought offensively, we weren't making shots, and a lot of our misses led to transition. They had 16 points on fastbreaks, and I bet most of those were in the second half. They didn't double the post as much, and we didn't get those kickout 3s. We missed a bunch of layups. And they had a lot to do with that. But I thought a couple times we didn't slow down around the rim and finish through contact, and that led to them getting out in transition. And that's a team that if you give them a little bit of confidence, obviously they are going to run with it. They did that, and you know, shoot, they are up 5 with a minute left in the game.
"Our offense wasn't crisp and it wasn't great in the second half, but then to go four-for-five in overtime and five-for-six from the free throw line, they did a great job of bouncing back and making the right plays late."
HOW DO YOU WANT AUBURN FANS TO REMEMBER THIS SEASON ...
"It's a group that was put through a tremendous amount of adversity. I can't say it enough: With (Bruce Pearl) retiring, the schedule we put in front of them, only having one returner, nine underclassmen, 10 new guys. I want the Auburn family to remember this group for their resilience and their toughness and their ability to stay together through some difficult stretches. It's a group that really appreciated what the Auburn family gave to them and the support that they gave. I think they just kind of wanted to do the fan base proud and the university proud, and I felt like they did that over the last couple weeks."
ON WHEN HE KNEW THIS TEAM COULD WIN THE NIT ...
"It probably wasn't till the first half of the Seattle game, the second game we played. Second half of the first game, KO hit seven 3s and kind of went unconscious. He was tremendous and obviously allowed us to win that game. When I saw how we came out and guarded in the first half of the Seattle game, I knew that our guys were locked in and were playing for something at that point and I thought they carried that really well through the next four games.
"We beat five good teams. We beat five good teams without our starting center. I mean, that's — to me, that's significant. We had a bunch of guards out there for the last five games, and we beat all five teams. So our guys just were locked in. But I thought that Seattle game is where they turned the corner and flipped the switch."
ON KEVIN OVERTON ...
"He's been playing well since late January. He had a calmness to his demeanor when we ultimately decided to play in the NIT. You know, I think he and Keyshawn Hall were two of the main guys that really pulled the group together and said, all right, we're here. We might as well compete. We might as well make the most of a difficult situation and show the country why we should be in the tournament.
"We lost 16 games, though, right? That's why we didn't make the tournament. But I feel like we've shown over the last five, and KO really wanted to do that, especially, that we are one of the best teams in the country, and I feel like we've proved that — or at least one of the teams that was good enough to be in the tournament, and I think KO wanted to prove that point. And he obviously did a phenomenal job of doing so."
ON ELYJAH FREEMAN ...
"Elyjah has been great with his role and understanding his role because he's all about winning. You know, he only had -- he had three shots but he did get to the foul line eight times. He's got to get more touches. But obviously Tahaad and KO had it going. But he's able to find ways to be impactful in other areas. So obviously rebounding. He had some ridiculous contests at the rim late in the game and keeping balls alive but ten defensive rebounds and a lot of those I thought came late in the game when we really needed them. He's got so much untapped potential, and for it being his first year in high major basketball, the sky is the limit for him. Really hope that we can tap into that this summer and watch him continue to improve."
ON HOW TO USE THIS MOMENTUM HEADING INTO THE OFFSEASON ...
"You've got to use it as positive momentum going into the offseason. I feel like the guys that we want to have return are obviously in a better place mentally. You know, seeing what it's capable of looking like. Especially with the limited numbers that we were able to do it with, if we're able to in this off-season plug some of those holes that we need to, especially with rim protection; I think Narcisse is going to be a great start to that.
"I'd love to get Filip back to his natural position at the four. I'd love to get (Sebastian Williams-Adams) to play three and four, you know what I mean? Those guys don't need to be playing five. That's just not their position.
"Being able to find pieces that can encourage the rest of these guys to come back and continue to finish the job, I think is important. I think this run and this decision to play in this tournament, there was a lot of that that factored into my decision, and you know, it could have blown up in your face. But to our guys' credit, to our staff's credit — our staff has done such a great job all year, going through the highs and the lows, and they have stayed consistent with our guys. They have poured into our guys, loved on our guys and our guys have received that really well.
"I think they came out here and they made me proud, they made our staff proud, they made our university proud and I think they showed the nation what this team is built on, and for that, that's something we can build on moving forward."
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After winning NIT title, Auburn basketball’s biggest challenge isn’t on the court
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
The million-dollar question after Auburn basketball’s NIT championship victory was what point guard Tahaad Pettiford’s future will look like with the Tigers.
After wrapping up his sophomore campaign averaging 15.2 points, 3.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds, Pettiford expressed gratitude for his second season on the Plains.
“I’m a happy man,” Pettiford said. “I loved it. It was a hell of a year. I got to play with a great group of guys and made a lot of memories. We had our ups and downs but that’s a part of life. I’m just thankful to be in the opportunity that I’m in.”
Despite going through the NBA draft process after his freshman season, Pettiford returned to Auburn seeking to elevate his draft stock and make another run at the Final Four.
Instead, Auburn missed the NCAA tournament after losing 16 games and settled for the NIT, defeating Tulsa 92-86 in the championship game.
Pettiford and Kevin Overton completely took over for Auburn against the Golden Hurricane, combining for 50 points. Pettiford’s 24 points and four 3-pointers helped the Tigers secure the overtime victory.
Overton and Pettiford were also named to the NIT All-Tournament team alongside Keyshawn Hall. When asked about Pettiford’s future with the program, Overton said the two will have a talk.
“I don’t think there will be much of a difference from playing this year to next year,” Overton said. “I was a leader on this team with Keyshawn Hall, KeShawn Murphy and Tahaad Pettiford. We did everything we could as leaders and I think that will be the same next season.
“We are going to have a little sit down after this and decide what’s going on for sure.”
The transfer portal window will open from April 7-21. If Pettiford does decide to enter his name in the portal, he will have two years of eligibility remaining.
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Auburn’s Kevin Overton named NIT Most Outstanding Player
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Without Kevin Overton’s heroic corner 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation against Tulsa, Auburn’s 2025-2026 season would have ended in disappointment.
The Tigers let a 21-point lead against Tulsa slip away in the NIT championship game on Sunday night, but rallied late to win after trailing by five in the final minute of regulation. Overton’s shot sent the game to overtime and Auburn eventually won 92-86 to secure the program’s first ever NIT title.
After becoming the hero in the championship game, Overton was named the NIT’s Most Outstanding Player. He led all scorers with 26 points in the championship game and knocked down five of his eight 3-point attempts.
Overton was a spark for the Tigers throughout the tournament, averaging 18.6 points per game and shooting 53.7 percent from 3. That led all Auburn scorers during the NIT as he was key to the Tigers’ success.
“I just trust my work. My teammates trust me to make shots,” Overton told ESPN after beating Tulsa. “I do what I can, and as you can tell, it’s all love around me.”
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3 Auburn players named to NIT All-Tournament Team
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Auburn basketball took home its first ever NIT championship on Sunday, beating Tulsa in an overtime thriller.
The Tigers blew a 21-point lead, but then rallied back to send the game into overtime and eventually win after being down five with less than a minute left in regulation. That surge, and the NIT run overall, was thanks in no small part to a few key players.
Kevin Overton, Tahaad Pettiford and Keyshawn Hall were all named to the NIT All-Tournament Team, joining Tulsa’s David Green and Tylen Riley.
Overton was the hero on Sunday, leading all scorers with 26 points and knocking down a 3-pointer with fewer than 10 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime.
He was one of Auburn’s best players throughout the tournament, averaging 18.6 points per game and shooting 54 percent from 3-point range. Those numbers helped him win NIT Most Outstanding Player.
Pettiford was also crucial for Auburn in the championship game, finishing the night with 24 points and eight assists. He averaged 14.4 points and 5.2 assists per game during the NIT, with his best performance coming in the championship game.
Hall came into the NIT as Auburn’s leading scorer and continued to give the Tigers’ offense a boost during the tournament. He averaged 15.8 points per game during the NIT while also grabbing nine rebounds per game. Hall struggled to score at times during the championship game, but was big on the glass, grabbing 12 rebounds before fouling out.
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How Auburn’s NIT championship run could shape the Tigers’ 2026 season
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball ended its postseason run with its first-ever NIT championship after holding off Tulsa in a 92-86 overtime victory Sunday evening.
Now with the season officially over, Auburn coach Steven Pearl talked about how he wants to build on the Tigers’ postseason when preparing for next season.
“You’ve got to use it as positive momentum going into the off-season,” Pearl said postgame. “I feel like the guys that we want to have return are obviously in a better place mentally. You know, seeing what it’s capable of looking like. Especially with the limited numbers that we were able to do it with, if we’re able to in this off-season plug some of those holes that we need to, especially with rim protection; I think (Narcisse Ngoy) is going to be a great start to that.
“Being able to find pieces that can encourage the rest of these guys to come back and continue to finish the job, I think is important. I think this run and this decision to play in this tournament, there was a lot of that that factored into my decision, and you know, it could have blown up in your face. But to our guys’ credit, to our staff’s credit -- I think they came out here and they made me proud, they made our staff proud, they made our university proud and I think they showed the nation what this team is built on, and for that, that’s something we can build on moving forward.”
Auburn became the first SEC team since South Carolina in 2018 to follow up a Final Four trip by failing to make the NCAA tournament the following year.
The Tigers finished the 2025-26 season at 22-16 overall, as the 22 wins are tied for the 10th most in program history.
Looking ahead, the transfer portal window opens April 7 and runs through April 21. Auburn already has two players committed in its off-season haul in 7-foot center Narcisse Ngoy out of France and 4-star wing Caleb Williams.
Pearl hopes with the Ngoy addition that can keep rising sophomores Filip Jovic and Sebastian Williams-Adams around for next season.
“I’d love to get Filip back to his natural position at the four,” Pearl said. “I’d love to get SWA to play three and four. Those guys don’t need to be playing five. That’s just not their position.”
Several Auburn players discussed their plans for next season, as Elyjah Freeman said he was “locked in” for the 2026-27 season, while Williams-Adams confirming he has a meeting scheduled with Pearl to discuss his plans.
Kevin Overton, who was named the MVP of the NIT with 26 points in the title game, appears likely to return to Auburn next season and spoke about what the future could look like with him in a leadership role.
“Yeah, I mean, the (NIT) championship is the championship,” Overton said. “Like we said, obviously not what we wanted to be and not what we wanted to do. I think this was a (NCAA tournament) Round of 32 or Sweet 16 team and we just didn’t do what we needed to do in the regular season. But to build on this for next year is huge. It’s momentum. It still gives us that we’re still Auburn feel and we’ll see how that goes next year for sure.”
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Auburn's offseason begins with hope of returning core pieces
By Nathan King
Auburn got its trophy Sunday night in Indianapolis, but the ultimate return on investment from the team's NIT run will be if the Tigers can get their key pieces back for Steven Pearl's second season at the helm.
As Auburn defeated Tulsa, 92-86 in overtime to claim the first NIT championship in program history, it gave one last stage and opportunity for one of the most important factors in Pearl accepting the NIT bid in the first place. Ahead of what Pearl called "an important offseason for all of us," many players who could be back with Auburn next season smiled and cut down the nets in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Every player that can be back as part of Auburn's core next year had their moment during the five-game run to an NIT title — or several moments, in the case of someone like Kevin Overton, who was called "Superman" by his teammates Sunday night for his 26 points and his 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime.
If there was any amount of added confidence for these players being in an Auburn jersey, then the NIT was worth it for Pearl and his staff.
"I feel like the guys that we want to have return are obviously in a better place mentally — seeing what it's capable of looking like," Pearl said.
Overton made himself some money over the last two months — whether that's Auburn next year or somewhere else. Obviously, the Tigers will make a large effort to bring the former Drake and Texas Tech transfer back for his senior season.
Tahaad Pettiford's NBA stock has gone down, and he's not projected as a draft pick right now. So if he's back at the college level next season, will it be at Auburn? That guard duo would certainly be one of the most offensively potent in the SEC next year and a strong place for the Tigers to start.
The only outgoing seniors on Auburn's roster are Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy, the latter of whom did not play in the NIT after opting out. Without Murphy, Auburn has been without a true center, which underscores what the Tigers need in the offseason — both in terms of personnel additions and some changes on the current team.
Last week, Auburn signed Narcisse Ngoy, a 21-year old, 7-footer who's been playing professionally in France. Pearl would love to make the necessary additions to move out Sebastian Williams-Adams and Filip Jovic out of the center conversation at Auburn, after Jovic started there during the NIT, and Williams-Adams had to play heavy minutes there, too, without Murphy in the lineup.
"I think Narcisse is going to be a great start to that," Pearl said. "I'd love to get Filip back to his natural position at the 4. I'd love to get (Williams-Adams) to play the 3 and the 4. … Those guys don't need to be playing five. That's just not their position."
Sophomore wing Elyjah Freeman has gone from a high school senior hitting a late growth spurt to a Division-II standout to an SEC starter. That trio of Freeman, Williams-Adams and Jovic is especially enticing for Auburn's coaches to continue to develop, considering just how raw and inexperienced they were heading into this past season.
"He's got so much untapped potential," Pearl said of Freeman. "For it being his first year in high-major basketball, the sky is the limit for him. Really hope that we can tap into that this summer and watch him continue to improve."
As the transfer portal gets set to open Tuesday, avoiding major losses would provide a strong foundation for Pearl and his staff to work with. That's easier said than done — as is making strong additions from the portal.
But Pearl hopes this NIT run — having five more games together, with a good-looking product on the floor — helped show some of his current roster that, if they stick around, Auburn is headed in the right direction.
"Being able to find pieces that can encourage the rest of these guys to come back and continue to finish the job, I think, is important," Pearl said. "I think this run and this decision to play in this tournament — there was a lot that factored into my decision, and you know, it could have blown up in your face.
"... I think they showed the nation what this team is built on, and for that, that's something we can build on moving forward."
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Behold, the biggest stooge in college basketball history
By Joseph Goodman
al.com
His team won the NIT without him, and so now KeShawn Murphy will go down as one of the biggest dopes in college basketball history.
What a stooge.
What a joke.
What a cautionary tale.
Murphy is the former Auburn player who quit on his teammates after the season rather than stick around for the also-ran NIT. Turns out it was a classic case of addition by subtraction. Without their cancerous starting center, Auburn went out and won five games in a row. It wasn’t the NCAA Tournament, but it was enough to restore faith in Auburn’s new coach. Steven Pearl’s postseason redemption tour was capped off with a courageous effort from his players in a 92-86 overtime victory on Sunday night against Tulsa in the championship game.
Did Steven deserve to be Auburn’s coach? That was the lingering question throughout the season after the sudden retirement of his father, Bruce Pearl. We know how Murphy felt about the situation. Instead of playing for Steven in the NIT, and honoring his NIL deal with Auburn, the Tigers’ center walked away.
That decision to quit now lives in infamy.
Auburn won the NIT with a bunch of guards motivated by wanting to prove they belonged in the NCAA Tournament. Mission accomplished. And Pearl got the last laugh, too, after being ridiculed mercilessly for simply advocating for his team.
“It could have blown up in your face,” Pearl said, looking back on Auburn’s decision to play in the NIT.
But it didn’t, and that’s because Steven is a good young coach. He proved that over the last two weeks, and he deserves to be recognized for his rapid development and ability to adapt.
So hang that NIT banner proudly, Steven. After all the wackiness we witnessed at Auburn over the last five months, a first-year coach winning a tournament in April can only be interpreted as a sign of good things to come.
“I want the Auburn family to remember this group for their resilience and their toughness and their ability to stay together through some difficult stretches,” Pearl said. “And it’s a group that really appreciated what the Auburn family gave to them, and the support that they gave. And they just wanted to do the university proud, and the fanbase proud, and I think they did that the last two weeks.”
It wasn’t the NCAA Tournament, but it was worthwhile and hopefully the momentum it created carries over into the offseason.
If Auburn can retain some of its core pieces — namely Tahaad Pettiford, Elyjah Freeman, Kevin Overton, Sebastian Williams-Adams and Blake Muschalek — then it was all worthwhile.
In the face of skepticism and doubt, this team transformed into a winner. They played for each other, and that’s always a beautiful thing no matter the stage.
Coach Steven Pearl did the best with what he had this season, which was a team that originally signed up to play for his father against one of the toughest schedules in the country.
It got messy, and Poppa Pearl did Steven no favors by admitting to nepotism during the middle of Auburn’s most difficult stretch of the season, but those things now only enhance what Auburn accomplished in the NIT.
Even I had to call Auburn’s new coach a nepo-baby after Bruce bragged about handing a job to his son, and I’ve backed Steven since the beginning of the season.
And it’s not just that Bruce Pearl retired a couple hours before the season so Auburn would be forced to promote his son to head coach. Bruce being Bruce, he immediately landed a TV gig as a national college basketball analyst and then used that platform to stump for Auburn at the expense of Group of 5 darling Miami (Ohio).
Then, after everything, Poppa Pearl berated officials from the stands during the SEC tournament like some hysterical father during a little league game.
So embarrassing, dad!
“I can’t say it enough,” Steven Pearl said. “With [Bruce Pearl] retiring, with the schedule we put in front of them, only having one returner, nine underclassmen, 10 new guys … We beat five good teams without our starting center. We had a bunch of guards out there for the last five games and we beat all five teams.”
And I hope Murphy was watching on Sunday night, too, while his professional career went up in a cloud of smoke.
“That was for 3,” Auburn guard Kevin Overton said after winning the NIT.
Overton was referring to Murphy by his old jersey number, and not out of respect either.
“Yes,” Pettiford said. “Yes.”
It was Overton and Pettiford who kept this team together. Keyshawn Hall deserves credit, too, after being unfairly criticized during the season.
Overton made 23 of 41 3-pointers in five NIT games. Shooting 56 percent from behind the arc is how a player makes the most of an opportunity.
And makes a quitter like Murphy have regrets for the rest of his life.
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Auburn, Wisconsin agree to marquee non-conference game at Bridgestone Arena
By Justin Hokanson
Wisconsin and Auburn are set to meet in a neutral-site nonconference game on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, per Wisconsin’s On3 site. Sources have confirmed the game with AuburnSports.
It will be just the second meeting in program history and the first since the 2006-07 season, when Wisconsin beat Auburn 77-63 in the South Padre Island Invitational.
The matchup also comes as Auburn continues into Year 2 under Steven Pearl, who took over after Bruce Pearl’s departure. Auburn finished 16-15 in the regular season and 22-16 overall, after beating Tulsa in the NIT title game on Sunday night.
Wisconsin finished this past season 24-11 after a first-round upset loss to High Point in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers are already set to host Arizona next season as well during the non-conference slate. The date of that game is to be determined.
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Auburn beats Alabama to win wheelchair basketball national championship
By Cory Nightingale
Auburn vs. Alabama is huge no matter the sport, no matter the setting and no matter the stakes.
In Saturday’s case, the Iron Bowl version of wheelchair basketball was staged way out in the desert, on the Arizona campus and at the venerable McKale Center in Tucson. And it wasn’t just a game of wheelchair basketball, it was a battle for the national championship, so the stakes couldn’t have been any higher.
It was No. 1 Alabama against No. 2 Auburn for the men’s national championship of the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball National Tournament. While the Crimson Tide have an illustrious recent history in the sport, Saturday belonged to Auburn, which outlasted the Tide, 70-59, to capture the program’s first NWBA championship.
It was a proud moment for the members of the team and for the school, because beating Alabama in anything is a proud moment for Auburn and especially when it’s for a national championship like Saturday’s clash.
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The Alabama men’s team has been a powerhouse in this sport, winning 4 national championships, starting in 2013 and continuing with titles in 2018, 2019, and 2023. For Auburn, it was a chance to win its first-ever title in program history, and the Tigers were up to the task on Saturday, preventing the Crimson Tide from winning their 5th crown.
It was the 7th meeting overall this season between the rival schools, with appropriately Alabama and Auburn each winning 3 times going into Saturday’s showdown. Auburn won the previous meeting, 68-64, about a month ago, on March 6, to be exact, and, on Saturday, the Tigers did it again and captured some historical hardware along the way.
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