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Steven Pearl admits he is 'not sure' why KeShawn Murphy is skipping Auburn NIT games

Screenshot 2023-07-18 at 4.54.37 PMby: Riley Gates03/18/26Riley_Gates

Auburn forward KeShawn Murphy did not play in his team’s Tuesday night NIT game against South Alabama. AuburnSports’ Justin Hokanson reported that Murphy did not attend practice for Auburn on Monday and would not be playing for the Tigers in the NIT.

His absence was felt, as Auburn was in a tight game with South Alabama, before ultimately pulling away for a 78-67 win. After the game, head coach Steven Pearl addresses Murphy’s absence from the team.

“Murph decided not to play in these games. I’m not sure why,” Pearl said. “We love Murph. I have a lot of love for everything he’s done for us and his commitment to the program. Wish him well. Want him to still finish up academically. But I got nothing but love for Murph. He came here and wanted to try and make history for Auburn, and he just ultimately decided not to play. Gonna just pour into the guys that aren’t here and want to hoop.”

Murphy’s on-court impact was clearly missed in the NIT game. In 31 games played this year, Murphy averaged 10.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He was the team’s fourth-leading scorer and one of four Tigers averaging double figures.

Auburn sluggish without Murphy

Without Murphy, Auburn had its work cut out for it. A nearly 20-point favorite entering the game, Auburn trailed South Alabama 36-30 at halftime. The second half was largely in the Tigers’ favor, as they won that 20-minute span by 17 and the game by 11. Pearl admitted after the game that his team lacked focus and intensity coming into the game due to the disappointment of March.

“It’s human nature after a really difficult Sunday where you don’t get selected to the NCAA Tournament,” Pearl said. “Let’s just be honest; they’re not thrilled to be playing in the NIT. But you know, all it takes to get past that is a good half of basketball or a win. That’s just being totally — maybe a little too honest. But once they get out there and they start playing basketball and they make a few shots and they start to see some success, then they get over it and they get competitive again. And I thought in the last five minutes, you kind of saw that come back as the game went on.”