Auburn won the NIT championship in an overtime thriller on Sunday night, and the Tigers couldn’t have done it without Kevin Overton.
Two days later, on the first official day of the transfer portal window, Steven Pearl’s program found out that Overton would be right back on the Plains next season. Auburn announced on Tuesday afternoon that the junior guard won’t be going anywhere in that portal, as he’ll return to the Tigers to try to help Pearl build on that NIT title.
Overton’s clutch 3-point dagger in the final seconds of regulation tied the NIT championship game against Tulsa on Sunday night, forcing overtime, which Auburn dominated to take the crown and take a trophy back to the Plains. Not surprisingly, the 6-foot-5 Oklahoma City native was named the MVP of the Tigers’ NIT championship run.
He thrived down the stretch of the season even before leading Auburn on that magical carpet ride in the NIT, averaging 17.7 points and shooting 49.3% from 3-point territory over the Tigers’ last 13 games of the season. Overton will be sticking around next season to try to continue that momentum from this season, opting not to transfer yet again after already spending time at Drake and Texas Tech before arriving at Auburn.
Overton’s shooting numbers during the 5-game NIT run were off the charts, as he shot 56% from 3-point territory on 8.2 attempts per game. For the season, Overton averaged 14.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest.
As Auburn braces for the future plans of its other possible returning players, it can at least breathe a sigh of relief that Overton is going nowhere for the 2026-27 season.
With Overton coming back to the Plains next season, Auburn will look to build on that NIT championship by contending for an NCAA Tournament berth. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the teams it thinks have the best shot to cut down the nets as national champions in 2027:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
