Auburn's Overton Coming into His Own After Breakout Against NC State

After a few poor performances, Auburn's Kevin Overton broke out and set a career-high in the Tigers' win over NC State.

Auburn Tigers guard Kevin Overton had a breakout game against NC State. | John Reed-Imagn Images

The 20th-ranked Auburn Tigers (7-2) defeated the NC State Wolfpack, 83-73, in the SEC-ACC men’s basketball challenge. Auburn had a surprising showcase from a player who has somewhat struggled this season: Kevin Overton. 

A transfer from Texas Tech, he scored a career-high 29 points with nine rebounds across a team-high 38 minutes.

Overton shot 8-for-13 from the field and 6-for-9 from the 3-point line. Overton was also the only Tiger to not turn the ball over. Auburn finished the game with 20 turnovers on the night. 

“It felt good, definitely,” Overton stated about his performance Wednesday night. “Just the way I'm wired, I’m not super ecstatic about the win based on the other details of the way the game went, but obviously happy for myself. But we have a short turnaround against a better team, so I gotta stay locked.”

KO with the KO‼️ pic.twitter.com/MONBvCKS10

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) December 4, 2025

Overton was seemingly automatic in the second half. If any NC State defender gave him an inch of room, it was assumed to be an automatic bucket. 

Most impressive about Overton's performance was fact that he did so after recent struggles. Two games ago against Michigan, Overton scored just two points on 0-for-5 shooting from the field and had poor shooting performances in the loss to No. 1 Houston and win over Oregon.

Auburn head coach Steven Pearl praised Overton's ability to step up in a big game.

“We need other guys on the roster to step up, and KO (Kevin Overton) did that. Really proud of him," he said. "I thought he really rose to the moment.”

Overton was not the only Tiger who put on a show; Auburn's leading scorer, Keyshawn Hall, was right beside him. Hall recorded another double-double, scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Unlike Overton, though, Hall struggled with turnovers, recording six of the Tigers' 20.

The Tigers now have to hit the road into a hostile environment to take on the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday night. Overton will look to build on a career night and help the Tigers pull off the upset against the Wildcats.