Always be careful when promoting someone from within in the world of sports, regardless of if nepotism is involved or not. Oftentimes, teams struggle redefining themselves under the guidance of a protege of a legendary mentor. We are experiencing that in real time with Steven Pearl replacing his father Bruce Pearl internally as the men's head basketball coach of the Auburn Tigers this season.
In the wake of a terrible SEC home loss at Ole Miss, Steven Pearl explained a controversial decision.
"[KeShawn Murphy's] got to get better. He's 20 minutes late to film Thursday morning and that's why he doesn't start."
Having Murphy come off the bench definitely played a big part in Auburn losing to Ole Miss, 85-79.
Auburn HC Steven Pearl:
— Caleb Jones (@CalebAUSports) March 1, 2026
"Murph's got to get better. He's 20 minutes late to film Thursday morning and that's why he doesn't start."
On the season, Murphy has averaged 10.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 23.8 minutes per contest for Auburn. The Mississippi State transfer has started in 25 of the 27 games he has played for Auburn this season. He only had two points on 1-of-3 shooting from the floor with three rebounds, three steals, a block, and an assist in only 17 minutes of action. Auburn really needed Murphy to play.
This latest loss by the Tigers drops Auburn to a dreadful 15-14 on the season and 6-10 in SEC play. The fact this will go down as a Quad 3 home loss for the Tigers to a now 12-17 Ole Miss team effectively craters their NCAA Tournament chances. Auburn had a respectable NET rating of 39 coming into the Ole Miss game. It was a big reason why the Tigers were on the tournament bubble.
With only two games left in SEC play, there is a strong possibility that Auburn will not make it in now.
Steven Pearl mishandled KeShawn Murphy issue every step of the way
After winning four SEC games in a row over South Carolina, Ole Miss, Florida, and Texas in the latter part of January, Auburn has gone on a disastrous 1-7 run in league play. Their only win since beating Texas on Jan. 28 was a one-point home upset of Kentucky on Feb. 21. With only a Quad 2 home date vs. LSU and a Quad 1 road game at arch rival Alabama to finish SEC play, Auburn so is up against it...
Shockingly, Auburn was still somehow the first team mentioned among the last four in by ESPN's Joe Lunardi during Friday morning's Bracketology update. He grouped Auburn in a cluster of five SEC teams with Georgia, Missouri, Texas A&M, and Texas all ahead of the Tigers as his last four byes. Lunardi was dubious about all five of those SEC teams making the field. Auburn removed all doubt...
At this juncture, Auburn will need to win multiple SEC Tournament games to make the field of 68. It probably needs to beat LSU and Alabama to finish the regular season with a 17-14 mark to even have a shot. Otherwise, there is always running the gauntlet and winning the SEC Tournament to make it in... All the while, Pearl's decision to keep Murphy on the bench to start is a microcosm of everything.
While being 20 minutes late to a film session is not a good look for Murphy, Auburn going 1-7 in its last eight SEC games is an even worse look for Pearl. Prior to his father taking over the program, what was Auburn basketball? It was a historic SEC bottom-feeder that once had guys like Charles Barkley and Chuck Person starring for them during the 1980s. Auburn has regressed massively under Pearl.
Overall, Pearl is getting exposed vs. the high-quality coaches that are aplenty in the SEC these days. Not to say anybody can beat anyone on any given day, but this is a conference that will expose a team when the coaching on the sidelines is not up to standard. Again, Auburn signed up for this with Bruce Pearl getting to pick his son Steven as his successor. Everyone knew this mess was a real possibility.
After losing at home to Ole Miss, Auburn needs more than a Prayer at Jordan-Hare to make the field.