Auburn basketball's non-conference schedule goes from tune-ups to tests in a hurry

The Auburn Tigers are heading into their second season under head coach Steven Pearl, and the team is hoping to show significant improvement from last year.

In Pearl's first season, the Tigers faced significant challenges during the non-conference stretch, and ultimately fell short of making the NCAA Tournament despite going on to win the NIT championship.

Auburn basketball released their full non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season earlier today, and if one thing is clear from the lineup, it's that the Tigers should be battled tested by the time they open SEC play in January.

The Tigers open the season with several exhibitions against Florida State, Alabama and Samford. The official season begins on November 4 with a matchup against Southeast Louisiana, but things heat up several weeks later when Auburn is set to face Arizona in Neville Arena. The Wildcats are coming off a Final Four appearance, ended their season with a 36-3 record and should be a formidable opponent for Pearl's Tigers.

Next up is the Tigers' second straight year in the Players' Era Tournament where they will go up against West Virginia, Kansas or UNLV and one more team that will be determined.

Auburn will take on Clemson in the ACC/SEC Challenge in December. Clemson finished fifth in the ACC last season with a final record of 24-11, and they are likely to be the same caliber of team this season with several experienced bigs on the roster. Following the ACC/SEC Challenge, the Tigers will play Wisconsin in Nashville before closing out the non-conference schedule with two smaller games in late December.

By the time Auburn basketball opens conference play against Texas A&M in January, the team will have faced a wide range of opponents. There are enough matchups with smaller teams for Pearl's new roster to get a feel for playing with each other, teams who will provide a real level of competition and learning opportunities and teams who could very well end up in the Final Four again this year.

As has become the norm in the past few years with Bruce Pearl and continuing on with Steven, the Tigers have pieced together a non-conference schedule that attempts to answer questions and improve the team rather than preserve a good looking record before facing the SEC.

With Kevin Overton and Tahaad Pettiford returning and the additions of several big men from the portal, things are looking up for Steven Pearl and the Auburn Tigers in year two.

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