Auburn’s Bruce Pearl lands key SEC transfer after Final Four run

After their Final Four run, Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl began targeting the top transfers in the portal. Ultimately, they snatched a big one up from a conference rival, no less.

On Tuesday, Mississippi State junior forward KeShawn Murphy officially committed to Auburn, per Joe Tipton of On3Sports. He had the choice to return to Mississippi State and was considering Texas A&M, Alabama, and Ole Miss.

Murphy, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, is coming off a season in which he averaged 11.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. Mississippi State finished the season 21-13 overall and 8-10 in the SEC.

They lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Baylor.

Auburn went 32-6 on route to the Final Four, losing to the eventual national champion Florida Gators. Since then, Pearl has made a concerted effort to woo over some top transfer picks to add to a roster increasingly being defined by transfers.

The team’s transfer picks, including Chaney Johnson, Chad Baker-Mazara, Denver Jones, and Johni Broome, played a huge role in getting to the Final Four.

Baker-Mazara re-entered the transfer portal last Wednesday.

Last Thursday, Auburn was one of six finalists for highly touted Maryland transfer guard Rodney Rice. Auburn has something to offer and a proven track record of getting the most out of transfers.

Murphy is not only a quality player, but also fits Pearl’s criteria.

KeShawn Murphy is the big man Auburn wants

Auburn is emphasizing selecting big men from the transfer portal. Murphy stands at 6’10 and has shown himself to be a player of great efficiency at both ends of the floor.

He can score, handle the ball, and block shots. Pearl took note of Murphy’s strengths while watching film before a matchup against Mississippi State in January.

“The kid from Birmingham, who’s done a great job and really improved tremendously and a guy that we looked at before, who plays some center, KeShawn Murphy, really, has gotten better,” he said to the Auburn Observer. “KeShawn Murphy’s a great story, I think, in the sense that, went to Mississippi State, and we liked him a lot. Knew he was going to be a really good player.”

Murphy shot over 60% from the field. He finished in the top of the SEC in offensive rebounding percentage (16.8%) and a defensive rebounding percentage (23.7%).

He also finished in the top ten in block percentage (5.8%).

Murphy is slated to take over for Broone, who declared for the NBA draft. Broome was Auburn’s go to guy in the frontcourt who could score and rebound in bunches.

Murphy is a likely ascendant to the role for all his gifts.