Disciplinary Issues Headline Brutal Debut Season for Auburn HC Steven Pearl

The Auburn Tigers now find themselves even farther on the outside looking in on the NCAA Tournament with yet another loss, as they fell to the Ole Miss Rebels, 85-79, on Saturday evening in Neville Arena.

The Rebels were losers of 10-straight, while Auburn was a heavy favorite entering the matchup. Nonetheless, the Tigers fell, and it didn’t help that another usual starter was missing for the beginning of the game.

One primary question lingered for Auburn fans at the start of the game, and as the game progressed: Where was KeShawn Murphy?

According to Auburn head coach Steven Pearl, Murphy did not start the game due to disciplinary reasons. He finished with just two points and three rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.

“Murph(y)’s 20 minutes late to film on Thursday morning,” Pearl said. “That's why he didn't start, and that kind of carried over into his performance tonight.”

Steven Pearl's entire postgame press conference after Auburn's loss to Ole Miss lasted just over 2.5 minutes:

- "I want to apologize to our fans."
- "It's a team that makes 4 threes a game & they made 10."
- KeShawn Murphy didn't start because he was late to a film session pic.twitter.com/MUvF4Ks2CO
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) March 1, 2026

Murphy, who is in his first season at Auburn after spending four years at Mississippi State, has been a key player for Auburn this season, averaging 10.8 points and seven rebounds per game.

Murphy’s benching is the latest disciplinary issue Pearl has had to deal with in his first season leading the program.

KeyShawn Hall also recently faced disciplinary actions from Pearl for undisclosed reasons. Hall missed the Tigers’ second half of the matchup against Vanderbilt and the entire game against Arkansas.

"Key did not live up to the standard and expectations of our program this week," Pearl said at the time. "It's been addressed, right now, moving forward."

What happens next for the Auburn Tigers? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Auburn Tigers news delivered to your inbox daily!

Prior to Hall’s benching, Auburn benched guard Tahaad Pettiford for the Tigers’ first two SEC games for not holding up program standards and had suspended bench guard Kaden Magwood.

After Hall’s benching, Pearl pleaded to the team to “stop having distractions for the next month.”

"We have a six-game stretch coming up that we've got to find a way to come together as a team, we've got to put all of our BS aside, anything that's coming in between this team, and just come as one," Pearl said. "... We've just got to stop with the distractions. We've got to be focused on basketball, and focused on getting better, and if we can do those things, this team's got a chance."

Auburn Tigers forward KeShawn Murphy did not start in the loss to Ole Miss after being late to a film session. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tigers are 1-3 since Pearl’s plea, with losses to Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Ole Miss, and the lone win coming against Kentucky. Auburn has now lost seven of its last eight games.

Auburn’s season has been horrendous compared to the standard set last season, where Auburn spent the vast majority of the season as the No.1 team in the country, was the No.1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and made it to the Final Four.

Now, Auburn finds itself at 15-14 and at the cusp of missing the NCAA Tournament, largely as a result of poor defensive play in critical moments. Saturday’s loss was the latest effort, allowing Ole Miss to shoot 53 percent from the field and 40 percent (10-for-25) from deep.

“It’s a team that makes four 3s a game, and they made 10,” Pearl said. “They made shots early, and that gives them confidence throughout the rest of the game.”

When Auburn faced Mississippi State last month, it allowed Josh Hubbard to explode for 46 points, over half of what Auburn scored throughout that entire game. Auburn continues to let games that they should win slip away from them consistently.

Auburn now has two more chances to win must-win games against the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide before turning its attention to the SEC Tournament, with its tournament chances on life support.