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Tahaad Pettiford is returning to the Auburn Tigers for his junior season, per Pete Thamel of ESPN. This is very good news for the Auburn basketball program, which will also return shooting guard Kevin Overton and forward Sebastian Williams-Adams. Auburn needed some good news on the basketball front with the transfer portal departures of Filip Jovic and Elyjah Freeman.
Pete Thamel also said in his report that Pettiford is returning, intending to get Auburn back to being a Final Four-contending team. It was a disappointing year for the Tigers and Pettiford. This time a year ago, he was preparing for the NBA Draft Combine to see where his draft stock stood.
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His return to the Tigers as a sophomore was important, as he was the only returning player from the 2025 Final Four team. In his second year on the plains, Pettiford averaged 15.4 points per game and led the team with 3.8 assists per game. While his shooting percentage did drop from his freshman season, head coach Steven Pearl praised Pettiford throughout the season for his defensive efforts. During the NIT Championship against Tulsa, Pettiford looked like the player who helped lead the Tigers to the Final Four. In the final game, he scored 24 points and connected on four three-pointers.
More: Tracking Auburn basketball’s latest roster moves
Auburn will have a veteran backcourt for the 2026-27 season with Pettiford and Overton returning. They will need to add some depth with the transfer portal. They do have planned visits from B.J. Davis (San Diego State) and Tylen Riley (Tulsa). Another year of college could also be beneficial for Pettiford. He will be one of the top guards in the sport next season, and he can improve on the consistency of his shooting. His percentage dropped 42.1% to 39%. Also, a year of not having to share the ball with Keyshawn Hall could help as well. While Hall was the Tigers’ top scorer, he is a very ball-dominant player, and Pettiford is the same type of player. Auburn should surround…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/tahaad-pettiford-announces-return-auburn-194322681.html
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Publish date : 2026-04-11 19:43:00
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