Auburn forward KeShawn Murphy has reportedly decided to opt out of the NIT. The news comes less than an hour before the Tigers’ first-round game against South Alabama at Neville Arena.
According to On3’s Justin Hokanson, Murphy failed to inform team staff that he would not practice with the team on Monday and would be out against the Jaguars Tuesday night. Then, 247Sports reported that Murphy wouldn’t play at all during the tournament if the Tigers advance.
This decision is quite sudden. Just hours before, Murphy had reposted a promotional graphic for the game from the team’s official account on one of his Instagram Stories, as you can see below:
Murphy, a Birmingham native, signed with Mississippi State out of the 2022 recruiting class and played in 19 games as a freshman. He went on to average 13.3 minutes, 4.7 points, and 7.4 rebounds in 21 games as a sophomore in 2023-24. In his final year in Starkville, he emerged as the Bulldogs’ top option off the bench, logging 24.0 minutes across 34 games while averaging 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds.
After entering the transfer portal, Murphy opted to return to his home state and signed with Auburn, where he became a full-time starter under Steven Pearl. In 29 starts and 31 appearances, Murphy logged just under 24 minutes per game while posting an average of 10.7 points and 6.8 rebounds.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
