With Auburn’s NCAA Tournament hopes hanging by a loose thread, Steven Pearl has made a couple of decisions that could cost the Tigers a fifth-straight trip to March Madness.
The first came on Tuesday night in the loss to Vanderbilt, in which the Auburn coach opted to sit star and leading scorer, Keyshawn Hall, for the final 12:38 of the game due to a “coach’s decision.” The second is his decision for Hall not to play on Saturday as the Tigers visit No. 21 Arkansas in a rematch of Auburn’s blowout win earlier this season, in which he scored 32 points.
The SEC availability report lists Hall as out, with no injuries or reasons given for his benching in what should be a massive uphill battle in Fayetteville against a John Calipari-led team seeking revenge.
While one of the reasons he might have been benched that much against Vanderbilt could be due to getting a technical foul early in the second half, there’s also the idea that somehow Hall’s defense has not been living up to Pearl’s expectations, something the first-year head coach has harped on several times this season. And while Pearl says Hall responded well this week in practice, he wouldn’t go into why, exactly, the senior guard wouldn’t be playing against the Razorbacks.
Keyshawn Hall out for Auburn's clash vs. Arkansas
“Those are conversations that we keep private and closed doors,” Pearl said.
The Tigers come into Saturday’s contest losers of three straight games, including two in the friendly confines of Neville Arena. Without their leading scorer, beating a hot Arkansas team in its home arena is almost too much to ask, so, like it or not, Pearl’s decision could be a tipping point for this season. If Auburn comes out with an upset win, Hall will see that the team is bigger than him. If Auburn gets drubbed, as many expect, the mood around the team could sink even lower.
It’s a risky move by a coach trying to earn respect when some think he was handed the job undeservedly.