The Auburn Tigers defeated the South Alabama Jaguars 78-67 in the first round of the NIT at home on Tuesday night after failing to make the NCAA Tournament, but there was a notable absence from the Tigers lineup with star big man KeShawn Murphy.
Shortly before the game tipped off, it was revealed that the Mississippi State transfer did not attend practice on Monday without telling the coaching staff and decided to opt out of the tournament.
The story was broken by Justin Hokanson of On3 a little over an hour before tip off.
After the win, head coach Steven Pearl was asked about Murphy, and he confirmed that the forward had chosen not to play but that he was not certain as to why.
“Murph has decided not to play in these games and I’m not sure why,” Pearl said before getting his player’s back. “Listen, we love Murph. Have a lot of love for everything he’s done for us and his commitment to this program, so wish him well. We want him to still finish up academically. I’ve got nothing but love for Murph….we’re just gonna pour into the guys that are here and want to hoop.”
Murphy — a Birmingham native — averaged 10.7 points per game and nearly seven rebounds in his lone season on The Plains after three years in Starkville.
Meanwhile, the Tigers will continue their NIT bid at home this weekend in the second round against Seattle.
