Auburn basketball’s opening games will serve as an early indicator of just how good this team can be. As players become more familiar with their roles, Auburn will have the chance to build confidence and team identity while also finding ways to grow. Even though early results do not matter as much as conference play, the Tigers’ early results can reveal more about their potential as they head into tougher stretches of their schedule.

Auburn Basketball’s Early Non-Conference Test

The first test for Auburn is their home game against Arizona on Nov. 13. That game comes right before they head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Tournament. This early matchup will give fans a chance to see how Auburn can compete against a quality opponent.

For Auburn to be victorious over the Wildcats in Neville, they will need to change how they played against Arizona last year. In that meeting, Arizona came out on top by a large margin. This time around, Auburn needs to establish a fast-paced, defense-minded game plan for them to win.

In their battle last season, Tahaad Pettiford was the only bright spot for Auburn. Pettiford scored 30 points on 10-for-19 from the field. The lefty guard has the speed and ability to have the Arizona defense on their heels at all times.

Pettiford and last year’s NIT MVP, Kevin Overton, need to push the pace and get out and run in transition every single time they have the ball. Arizona has new pieces coming in this season, like UNC transfer Derek Dixon and freshman Caleb Holt. For Auburn to establish their presence early, they will need to speed up Arizona on offense and create turnovers that can lead to easy transition points.

The “Jungle” is arguably one of the most hostile environments in all of college basketball. The Auburn defense will need to play physical by using some form of full-court pressure early on. This early intensity could allow the Tigers to create deflections.

Auburn will also need to feed off the crowd’s energy. Doing this will allow them to disrupt the young Arizona offense by forcing the Wildcats into bad decisions before they can get into an offensive flow.

Steven Pearl and Auburn entered the portal this season in search of key players with size. Creighton transfer Owen Freeman and Santa Clara transfer Bukky Oboye are two exciting bigs to watch out for this year. The pair of bigs need to play extremely physical interior defense.

Freeman and Oboye need to play smart and avoid drawing early fouls. This will help them keep Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas off the boards. Offensively, the Auburn guards need to bring Krivas into screen action to draw him out of the paint, which will put more pressure on him defensively and lead to easy fouls for Auburn basketball.

Auburn Basketball in Las Vegas

Right after the Arizona matchup, the Tigers will travel to Las Vegas for another early test, opening against West Virginia before facing the winner of the Kansas-UNLV contest.

Pearl believes these early tournaments indicate how deep his team is. To succeed in this grueling tournament, Auburn’s second unit will need to deliver impactful minutes. The bench must provide quality minutes of relentless defense against these elite offensive teams. This will prevent Auburn’s first unit from burning out against deeper, more physical teams like Houston or Kansas.

The Players’ Era Tournament will put the Auburn guards in uncomfortable positions as they still look to form chemistry and an identity. To make a run in the tournament, the guards need to take care of the ball and stay poised under relentless defenses. With the turnaround being quick after games here, their late-game decision-making will be key to their success.

Auburn’s challenge in Vegas goes beyond the opponents and tournament format. Their game against UNLV or Kansas will test the coaching staff on how quickly and effectively they can develop and execute a game plan for future opponents.

Impactful minutes from the second unit will take pressure off the starters while also keeping them fresh. As fatigue builds late in games, Auburn will need to maintain a tough defensive style and avoid rushed offensive plays that can turn a close game into a missed opportunity to win.

The Last Word

After missing the NCAA tournament and settling for an NIT championship last season, Pearl enters his second year as the program’s head coach. Pearl will be looking forward to building on the end-of-season success momentum into this coming year. The tough opening stretch will test his rotation choices and give people an idea of which lineups work well together and which do not. Pearl’s late-game decisions and in-game adjustments will be critical to closing out late games and building an NCAA tournament resume.

Early wins against Arizona and in the Players Era will give him the confidence to build on as conference play begins. If Auburn struggles early on, the pressure will turn on Pearl, as he will need to respond quickly to have a successful year. Even though these early games do not carry as much weight as conference play success, these battles will be an early indicator of whether the Tigers can take the next step forward as a program.

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