After a stinging loss against then-No. 23 Georgia over the weekend, Auburn basketball opens home SEC competition on Tuesday against Texas A&M.
Returning to the friendly confines of Neville Arena, Auburn will look to defend its perfect 6-0 record in the venue against the Aggies, led by first-year head coach Bucky McMillan.
“Looking forward to being back in front of our fans in the Jungle,” said Auburn head coach Steven Pearl. “It’s all in there. It’s just a matter of us bringing it out and collectively doing it for 40 minutes.”
Texas A&M, which sits at 11-3 overall on the season, opened league play with a 75-72 win over LSU at Reed Arena. Owning the second-best assist rate nationally with 21.4 per game and at least 20 in eight of their last 10 contests, the Aggies also average 94.7 points per game, which is fifth nationally.
Additionally, they are 11th in the nation and second in the SEC, averaging 11.4 made threes per outing.
Known for its defensive prowess under Buzz Williams, who led the program from 2019-2025, Texas A&M sits inside the top 60 in defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
“Really dynamic offensively. The first shot they like is going up,” Pearl said. “They try to speed you up, defensively. They’re going to press for 40 minutes.”
Looking to bounce back from an overtime loss against the Bulldogs – the first loss to open conference play since the 2020-2021 season – the Tigers will need to shore up their defense against another top-scoring team in the nation.
“We made 127 defensive mistakes, and we’re up three in overtime with three minutes left with the ball,” Pearl said of Auburn’s performance on Saturday. “We also missed 12 free throws. If we cut down on some of our defensive mistakes and make a few more free throws, you’re able to get a great road win against a ranked team.”
“We’re right there, we’ve just got to execute a little bit better and clean up a few things on the defensive side,” he added.
Pearl spoke highly of forward Filip Jovic, who recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 boards in the loss.
“An unbelievable spark off the bench,” said Pearl of Jovic. “He was our best one-on-one defender. He was the best one guarding their guards, and he was the best guarding their bigs. He has a different level of pride. If he can continue playing like that and give us those minutes off the bench, it’s going to be great for us.”
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on SEC Network, where Auburn will look to get back on the winning side of things in the series after falling to the Aggies last four matchups in a row.
“It’s gonna be a fast-paced game, high-tempo game,” Pearl said. “Excited to get back out there.”
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