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A chaotic scene unfolded at Auburn University Tuesday night as a wild buzzer waved well after the Tigers celebrated on their home court.
With 0.6 seconds left and Auburn trailing 90-88, KeShawn Murphy, somehow left wide open, caught an inside pass and made a long 3-pointer for what was thought to be the game-winner.
However, the officials went to the scorer’s table to review the game, which was terribly close.
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Auburn Tigers players watch the replay of a possible game-winning shot that was called back as the Auburn Tigers take on the Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Jake Crandall/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Ultimately, authorities ruled the shot was not fired in time, ending the Tigers’ celebration and prompting one from Texas A&M.
The officials quickly became public enemy number one and were showered with debris from fans as they left the field. At least one referee needed his head covered.
A fan sitting on the field even turned his back and threw his drink over his shoulder towards an official.
“They didn’t say a word. They just said it wasn’t good and ran on the floor. I probably wouldn’t want to talk to me at that point anyway,” Auburn head coach Steven Pearl, who took over for his father, Bruce this season, said after the game. “So I understand why they ran from me. From the angles I saw, it looked like it wasn’t coming from his fingers. But it was just that I don’t have all the same angles as them.”
Texas A&M Aggies players celebrate victory as the Auburn Tigers take on the Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Jake Crandall/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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That now makes six losses in their last 10 games for the Tigers after starting 5-1. They lost in the Final Four last year to Florida, which won the national championship over Houston.
Auburn (9-6, 0-2) led 47-37 at halftime and extended the lead to 61-45 with 12:29 left.
KeShawn Murphy of the Auburn Tigers reacts after officials ruled his last-second shot did not beat the shot clock to win the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena on January 6, 2026 in Auburn, Alabama. (Stew Milne/Getty Images)
Texas A&M responded with a steady run fueled by outside shooting, taking its first lead at 8:42 when Pop Isaacs buried a 3-pointer. The Aggies followed with back-to-back triples from Isaacs to open a five-point cushion that they wouldn’t relinquish, just barely.
