What Steven Pearl Said About Keyshawn Hall's Absence in Loss to Arkansas

AUBURN, Ala.-- After being confirmed to miss the Auburn Tigers' eventual 88-75 loss to Arkansas, Keyshawn Hall now may miss even more time. In the Auburn Sports Network's pregame broadcast, head coach Steven Pearl said Hall, the Tigers' leading scorer, is "out indefinitely" due to disciplinary reasons.

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

Hall's issues first came to light in the 84-76 loss to Vanderbilt on Wednesday. Hall missed the final 12:38 of the game, which Pearl later revealed was a "coach's decision," but said that Hall had the right response in practice this week. Friday's availability report listed the UCF transfer as "out."

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It is believed that Hall's current situation stems from lackluster defense, but Pearl did not tie Hall's absence on Saturday to Tuesday's benching. After the loss to the Razorbacks, the Tigers' fourth loss in a row, Pearl said the length of Hall's absence is up to Hall.

"We're hoping this isn't something that has to drag out longer than it needs to," he said.

It is unclear when Auburn Tigers forward Keyshawn Hall will be allowed to return. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hall currently leads Auburn with 20.7 points per game and is second on the team with 6.8 rebounds per game.

Having to take his leading scorer out of the lineup is frustrating enough, but adding to the frustration for Pearl is the sheer number of disciplinary issues he has faced in his first season leading the program.

Prior to Hall's undisclosed issue, star guard Tahaad Pettiford, the lone player left from last year's Final Four team, came off the bench in Auburn's first two SEC games due to not holding up to the program's standards. After him, bench guard Kaden Magwood was suspended and has since been out of the lineup.

The issues have also only added to a rough season for the Tigers, which sits at 5-7 in conference play after four-straight losses and only one win since its upset over rival Florida. The schedule does get more favorable, though, with four of Auburn's next six games coming against opponents ranked lower than the Tigers in the SEC's current standings.

Considering the chance to turn its season around, Pearl practically pleaded with his team to "stop having distractions for the next month" after Saturday's loss.

"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, emphasizing that it's KeShawn Murphy's last opportunity to win an NCAA Tournament game and Hall's last chance to be in the tournament. "... 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 returns to the floor on Wednesday at Mississippi State with tip off set for 8 p.m. CT.

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