Auburn Tigers News: Bruce Pearl on Houston matchup, how Deuce Knight ended up at AU

In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, head coach Bruce Pearl gives his take on tonight's road matchup against Houston, and QB commit Deuce Knight explains his flip to Auburn

Tonight, the Auburn basketball team will face off against No. 4 Houston at the Toyota Center in Rocket City. Throughout the offseason, head coach Bruce Pearl and his staff worked hard to create a challenging, non-conference schedule for the Tigers, and Houston is one of the most formidable opponents.

"Playing the No. 1 or 2 team on the road and a team that is as physical and old as Houston — where is it going to get harder?" Pearl said, per Auburn Undercover. "Maybe at Duke? Maybe at Alabama? I mean, we'll have, if we're fortunate enough to make the NCAA Tournament — and I'm always going to put it like that — for real, what opponent will we play at a neutral site that's going to be more difficult than at Houston, at Duke or at Alabama? I can't think of any. 

"So if we can have some success — or we can even survive — that's going to be good for the development of the team."

The Tigers are coming off a dominant 94-43 win over the Vermont Catamounts, and Houston defeated their first opponent, Jackson State, 97-40. Tonight's tipoff is at 8:30 p.m.

QB commit Deuce Knight explains his flip to Auburn

One of the biggest recruiting wins in the 2025 cycle has been the flip of Deuce Knight. The 5-star quarterback was previously committed to Notre Dame, but made the decision in early October to flip and commit to Auburn football.

Head coach Hugh Freeze pushed hard for the impressive quarterback from the beginning, and didn't let up despite his pledge to the Fighting Irish. After a summer of visits and months spent thinking about the decision, Knight determined the Plains would be his home.

"When I made up my mind, I was kinda going back and forth, like ‘Hey, am I gonna stay at Notre Dame or stay at Auburn," Knight said, per Auburn Rivals. "I went to sleep and I was like ‘Hey, I’m going to Auburn tonight.’ I woke up with it in my mind that I was still going to Auburn. I said I’m gonna commit today and wasted no time."

Knight plans to sign with the Tigers in December and enroll early. Auburn football's class of 2025 currently has 27 commits and is ranked #5 overall.