Auburn's Sebastian Williams-Adams Details Team's 'Desperate' Mentality

The Tigers are fighting to keep their tournament hopes alive after a difficult season.

Feb. 23, 2026 at 9:09pm

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The Auburn Tigers have struggled this season after a 2025 Final Four appearance, returning just a single scholarship player from that roster. Recently, the team suffered a five-game skid before snapping the losing streak with a win over Kentucky. Forward Sebastian Williams-Adams said the team is "still hungry" and "still desperate" to play their way into the NCAA Tournament, with a tough stretch of games coming up.

Why it matters

After a successful 2025 season, Auburn has faced significant roster turnover and a coaching change, leading to a disappointing campaign so far. The Tigers' tournament hopes are still alive, but they will need to win most, if not all, of their remaining games to secure a spot in March Madness.

The details

The Tigers have a tough schedule ahead, facing Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU, and Alabama to close out the season. Forward Sebastian Williams-Adams said the team knows they "have to play desperate" and are "playing for our Tournament hopes" in these crucial matchups. In the win over Kentucky, KeShawn Murphy stepped up with a 25-point, 10-rebound performance when the team's leading scorer, Keyshawn Hall, was limited to just 10 points.

  • The Tigers suffered a five-game skid before snapping the losing streak with a win over Kentucky on Saturday.
  • Auburn's next game is against Oklahoma, followed by home matchups against Ole Miss and LSU, and a season-ending rematch against Alabama.

The players

Sebastian Williams-Adams

A forward for the Auburn Tigers who spoke about the team's "desperate" mentality as they fight to keep their tournament hopes alive.

KeShawn Murphy

An Auburn player who stepped up with a 25-point, 10-rebound performance in the Tigers' win over Kentucky when the team's leading scorer was limited.

Keyshawn Hall

Auburn's leading scorer who was limited to just 10 points in the win over Kentucky.

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What they’re saying

“We're still hungry. We're still desperate. We've got to play our way into the Tournament... That's our only goal right now.”

— Sebastian Williams-Adams, Forward

“I think we know we're at our best when we're playing desperate. We've established that, for the rest of the season, we're playing desperate. We're playing for our Tournament hopes. We have to.”

— Sebastian Williams-Adams, Forward

What’s next

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The takeaway

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