All hell broke loose after the Auburn Tigers–Texas A&M Aggies game came to an end. KeShawn Murphy buried a 40-foot three from near mid-court that sent Neville Arena into a frenzy, sealing a 91-90 win. Nearly 9,000 fans in orange and blue erupted, convinced they had just witnessed a miracle. Minutes later, a lengthy review overturned the call, leaving Auburn fans, players, and the coaching staff in disbelief.

Disbelief swept through the building. A section of fans argued the ball was still in Murphy’s hands when the clock hit zero, but most Auburn fans, along with the players and coaching staff, felt the shot clearly beat the buzzer.

Steven Pearl showed up late to the post-game presser, with Auburn staff still busy calling SEC officials in an attempt to get answers on the controversial ruling, according to reporter Johnny Congdon on X.

“There was zero communication,” Pearl said in the post-game conference.

“They didn’t say a word. They just said it was no good and went off the floor. I probably wouldn’t want to talk to me in that moment anyway. I get why they’d run away from me. Just from the angles I saw, it looked like it was off his fingers. But I don’t have all the same angles they have.”

The officiating crew of Byron Jarrett, Todd Austin, and Courtney Green announced the ruling and immediately exited the floor without any explanation. That only deepened Steven Pearl’s frustration, and his follow-up conversations with SEC officials ultimately led nowhere.

As per 247Sports, after finishing his post-game press conference, Steven Pearl returned to the court and spoke with John Cohen, along with other Auburn athletic department officials. The group remained on the floor for several minutes before leaving the arena. But others from the program stayed much longer.

As per reporter Nathan King, some members of the Auburn Tigers staff remained inside Neville Arena until around midnight, continuing to make calls and rewatching the footage multiple times in an effort to build a case that the shot should have counted.

The pressure is now on the NCAA officials to provide a detailed explanation of the incident. In the end, it was a collapse the Auburn Tigers will want to forget.

They blew a 16-point lead despite owning the paint for most of the night. Auburn out-rebounded Texas A&M 40-34 and held a 38-34 edge in points in the paint. Keyshawn Hall was outstanding with 32 points and 12 rebounds, while Kevin Overton added 16. But poor shooting doomed the Tigers, who hit just 27 percent from beyond the arc and couldn’t convert when it mattered most.

While the Auburn community waits to see how this situation ultimately unfolds, Steven Pearl won’t have much time to dwell on it. A challenging stretch lies ahead for the Auburn Tigers, with several tough games coming fast and little room to pause.

What’s next for the Auburn Tigers?

This season marks the beginning of a new era for the Auburn Tigers. Bruce Pearl has stepped away, handing the program over to his son, Steven Pearl. But the transition doesn’t stop on the sideline. Auburn is also adjusting to significant roster turnover, with Johni Broome, Denver Jones, Dylan Cardwell, and Miles Kelly all moving to the pros, while Chad Baker-Mazara has departed the program as well.

It was always shaping up to be a transition season for the program, and that’s reflected in the results so far. The Auburn Tigers have opened the year with a 9-6 record and are still searching for their first SEC win after dropping both conference games to date. And it doesn’t get any easier from here. A tough test is next on the schedule, with Auburn set to host the No. 15 Arkansas Razorbacks.

John Calipari’s side sits at 11–3 on the season and has already opened SEC play with a statement win over the Tennessee Volunteers, so they won’t be an easy out. And the road only gets tougher from there. February brings four straight ranked matchups for the Auburn Tigers, making the upcoming stretch as challenging as it gets.

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If Auburn are to come through it unscathed, Steven Pearl will need to put this incident behind him quickly and turn the focus fully back to basketball.