AUBURN, Ala. – Through three games, No. 22 Auburn is 3-0 with wins over Georgia Southern, Davidson and South Alabama, the latter two coming away from home. It's as good a start as you could ask for, but that doesn't mean there's not work to be done.
"Every season is a journey," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Every team is different and you can see where we are and how far we need to go. It's nice to be able to win along the way, but obviously we've got to get a lot better if we're going to be able to beat the people that are on our schedule later in the season."
The Tigers will return home Friday night to face a CSUN team coached by Mark Gottfried, a familiar name to SEC fans. Like Auburn's three previous opponents, the Matadors are picked to finish in the top three in their league.
"One of the reasons that we've played the non-conference (schedule) that we've played is these teams know how to win," Pearl said. "They've been there before. They've been in close games.
"One of the things that clearly stared me in the face on Tuesday night at South Alabama was I was playing against a team where there were a lot of guys on the floor late, and I was playing with a team that hadn't had many guys on the floor late. So to go through that experience and survive it – if we can learn from it – is really valuable."
Freshman Isaac Okoro, who hit the game-winning shot to beat South Alabama, enters Friday's game with CSUN averaging a team-high 14.7 points per game.
The game is scheduled to tip at 6 p.m. CT from Auburn Arena. Andy Burcham and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the TuneIn app. The game will also be televised on SEC Network with Courtney Lyle and Barry Booker on the call.
Player to watch: Samir Doughty
Auburn guard Samir Doughty has stepped up in his new role being one of the top go-to options for the Tigers this season. The senior is averaging 13.7 points per game, good for second on the team, and is also tied for the team lead with 6.7 rebounds per contest. Doughty is coming off his second career double-double in which he had 10 points and 10 rebounds at South Alabama.
Inside the series: CSUN
Friday's game is the first ever meeting between Auburn and CSUN. The Tigers are 4-2 all-time against teams from the currently-constructed Big West Conference with wins over Hawai'i (twice), Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl and CSUN head coach Mark Gottfried have squared off six times previously, each having won three times. Pearl was 1-0 while at Milwaukee and 2-3 at Tennessee against Gottfried's Alabama teams. The last three meetings between the two coaches have been decided by a total of 13 points.
Knowing how to win
With its 3-0 start, Auburn has won 15 of its last 16 games dating back to last season. The Tigers ended last season by winning their last four regular season games, winning four games to win its second SEC Tournament title in program history, and then winning four games in the NCAA Tournament to advance to their first Final Four.
It's the second consecutive season Auburn has started 3-0 and the sixth since 2000. The Tigers are looking to make it 4-0 for the second straight season, which hasn't been done on the Plains since 1987-88 and 1988-89 when Sonny Smith was the coach.
Everybody eats
In all three of Auburn's games to begin the season, four players have scored in double figures. In total, seven different players have reached the 10-point plateau so far this season.