Keyshawn Hall's Availability Revealed Ahead of Auburn's Clash vs. Mississippi State

The Auburn Tigers face the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Wednesday night, and it’s becoming evident that they will return their leading scorer after a one-game absence.

Auburn forward/guard Keyshawn Hall missed Saturday’s game at Arkansas, where the Tigers fell to the Razorbacks, 88-75, due to disciplinary issues. He was listed “out” on the SEC’s weekly availability report, and he traveled with the team despite not seeing any action and not dressing out.

Auburn head coach Steven Pearl commented on Hall’s situation on sports talk radio prior to the Arkansas loss, revealing that he was “out indefinitely.”

"The length and the duration are up to him,” Pearl said. “... We're hoping this isn't something that has to drag out longer than it needs to."

Pearl also mentioned Hall in the postgame press conference in Fayetteville, and he provided an interesting, yet vague, response.

"We've got to limit our distractions off the floor. We've got to stop being put in positions where we have to make decisions to discipline guys,” Pearl said.

The situation arose after Hall didn’t play in the final 12:38 of Auburn’s home loss to No. 19 Vanderbilt last Tuesday, which Pearl later called a “coach’s decision” and claimed that the lineup on the floor in the closing stages of the contest gave the Tigers the best chance to win.

In speculation, something certainly may have happened off the court that led to the brief suspension, but all attention has shifted to Wednesday’s matchup against Mississippi State.

“He had a great practice yesterday and he’s out there getting shots right now. Hope for another great practice today,” Pearl said in Tuesday’s press conference on Hall’s status.

Steven Pearl’s response when asked if he expects Keyshawn Hall to play tomorrow night at Mississippi State:

“He had a great practice yesterday and he’s out there getting shots right now. Hope for another great practice today.” pic.twitter.com/0utlDyLyem
— The Barn (@TheBarn_Auburn) February 17, 2026

Unlike this past weekend, Hall was not featured on the SEC availability report, indicating that he is active for Wednesday. Additionally, ESPN reporter Pete Thamel confirmed that it looks like he will play against the Bulldogs.

Significant news for Auburn here, as leading scorer Keyshawn Hall is not listed on the Availability Report. He's set to go against Mississippi State after missing the game at Arkansas for disciplinary reasons. pic.twitter.com/9HAH0AQfUy
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 18, 2026

This is massive news for the Tigers, as Hall is essentially the fuel that makes the engine run. Hall leads the team in scoring, averaging 20.7 points per game, and provides a consistent scoring presence in multiple facets on the offensive end of the floor.

If Auburn had 20 more points, or probably even more, from Hall versus Arkansas on Saturday, who knows how that could’ve affected the outcome of the game? Tahaad Pettiford and KeShawn Murphy were the only forces on offense for the Tigers, so if Hall can join those two and Auburn can garner solid offensive showings from three different guys, they could certainly find a way to win big in Starkville.

Auburn cannot afford to drop Wednesday’s game, as it sits at 5-7 in the SEC and firmly on the outside of the bubble conversation. However, if the Tigers continue to stumble and lose a couple of games they aren’t supposed to, Auburn could definitely edge its way into the bubble conversation.

But the best way to avoid that is win the games you’re supposed to, maybe steal one of Kentucky and Alabama, and control what you can control. And having their best player back on the court will certainly help achieve that.