AUBURN, Ala. – A new season of Auburn men's basketball tips off Tuesday night, and the Tigers will begin their quest back to the top of the Southeastern Conference with a rotation that includes five newcomers, four of which started Friday's exhibition game.
Auburn won the exhibition, notching a 68-54 win over Southern Indiana, but it took a 22-0 run in the last nine minutes to re-take the lead and pull away for the victory.
The challenge facing the Tigers on Tuesday night will be much more difficult as they host a Morehead State who went to the NCAA Tournament last year.
"These guys are good," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "I get a chance to walk into my locker room and tell my players that this is what an NCAA tournament team looks like. The stuff they run is hard to guard, it's well thought out. They shoot the 3-ball extremely well. And they've got an inside game as well.
"Southern Indiana was a great test for us, exposed a lot of things that we weren't doing very well. Our kids played hard, they tried to play together, but we'll have to play better both offensively, defensively and in transition to be able to beat this opponent."
Working in Auburn's favor against Morehead State will be a home-court advantage that's as good as any in college basketball. The Tigers got a taste of the environment in the exhibition game, but Tuesday will mark the first full house at Auburn Arena since the 2019-20 season because of COVID restrictions last year.
Junior Devan Cambridge was one of the few players remaining from that team.
"I'm very excited for the season," Cambridge said. "I was excited to have the fans back in the gym. It's a different energy, especially with the guys that we have on the team now. It felt good to be out there again. I'm ready for Tuesday, and I'm ready for this year."
Tuesday's game scheduled to tip off at 7 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 streamed exclusively on SEC Network+ with Brit Bowen and Joe Ciampi on the call.
SEC Network+ is complementary to SEC Network subscribers and accessible with your TV provider (Cox, Comcast, DirecTV, Sling, YouTube TV, etc.) credentials. It can be accessed through the ESPN App on smartphones, tablets, connected streaming devices (such as Roku, Apple TV, etc.) or via espn.com/watch.
Player to Watch: Zep Jasper
Senior guard Zep Jasper is one of four transfers on this year's squad and one of the best on-ball defenders in the country. The College of Charleston transfer was a 2020-21 All-Colonial Athletic Association Second Team and CAA All-Defensive Team selection averaging a team-best 15.6 points per game last season. Nicknamed the "Honey Badger," he can play multiple positions for the Tigers and is a relentless worker on the court. Jasper was one of four players to score in double figures (11 points) in the team's exhibition win over Southern Indiana.
Inside the Series: Morehead State
Auburn and Morehead State are meeting for the first time on the hardwood. The Eagles are one of three first-time opponents on Auburn's schedule next to Yale (Dec. 4) and Nebraska (Dec. 11). The Tigers are 21-2 against current members of the Ohio Valley Conference with the most recent win, a 93-88 victory over Murray State, coming in December 2018.
Season Openers
The Tigers are 84-31 in season openers all-time, including 40-7 in their last 47 lid-lifters. Last season, Auburn began the season with a 96-91 overtime win over Saint Joseph's in the opening round of the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Auburn is a perfect 7-0 to open the season under head coach Bruce Pearl with an average margin of victory of 16 points.
Fresh Faces
Auburn rolled out a starting lineup in Friday's exhibition game that featured four newcomers with transfers Zep Jasper, Wendell Green Jr. and Walker Kessler and freshman Jabari Smith. K.D. Johnson, another transfer, played significant minutes and scored 12 points off the bench. The Tigers are having to replace four of their top six scorers from last season.
No. 22 Auburn opens 2021-22 season with Morehead State
