Auburn Basketball Faces High-Stakes Matchup with Kentucky

Tigers' NCAA Tournament hopes on the line as they look to end 5-game losing streak

Mar. 2, 2026 at 12:47pm

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After a tough loss to Mississippi State, Auburn basketball head coach Steven Pearl acknowledged that the Tigers' season is on the line as they prepare to face Kentucky on Saturday. Auburn has lost five straight games and is in danger of falling off the NCAA Tournament bubble, making this a must-win game for the team.

Why it matters

Auburn's recent struggles have put their NCAA Tournament hopes in jeopardy, and a win over Kentucky would be a major boost to their resume. The Tigers have four Quad I wins this season, including an impressive victory over Florida, showing they are capable of beating top teams when they're playing well.

The details

Pearl said the pressure is felt more by the coaches than the players, but two seniors - Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy - are especially eager to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in their careers. Despite the losing streak, Pearl said the team responded well in practice and believes they can make a late-season run.

  • Auburn has five regular season games remaining, with three more Quad I opportunities.
  • The matchup with Kentucky is set for Saturday, February 22 at 7:30 PM CT.

The players

Steven Pearl

Head coach of the Auburn Tigers basketball team.

Keyshawn Hall

Senior guard for the Auburn Tigers who has never played in the NCAA Tournament.

KeShawn Murphy

Senior forward for the Auburn Tigers who has never won an NCAA Tournament game.

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What they’re saying

“While we're sitting here at 14-12 and we're not in as good a spot as we'd like to be, we still are in position to accomplish a lot of the things that we talked about and we set out to earlier in the year. We've just got to finish.”

— Steven Pearl, Head Coach

“I think they feel that pressure for, like, Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy. Murph's never won a tournament game, and Keyshawn Hall's never been there. So I think collectively they'd like for them both to be able to experience that.”

— Steven Pearl, Head Coach

“We're not going to say the 'c' word -- we're right there. We've just got to get over the hump, man. We lost to four really, really good teams. One of those was without our best player. Then [Josh Hubbard] had 46 freakin' points. It's just, gollee. We're right there. We've just got to finish, push it over the edge.”

— Steven Pearl, Head Coach

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This game against Kentucky represents a crucial opportunity for Auburn to bolster their NCAA Tournament resume and keep their season alive. With their backs against the wall, the Tigers will need to dig deep and find a way to end their losing streak and secure a marquee win over a top opponent.