AUBURN, Ala. – The wait is over.
College basketball is here as the preseason No. 15-ranked Auburn men's basketball team hosts NCAA Division II Alabama-Huntsville in its lone exhibition tune-up on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CT) at Neville Arena.
The Tigers are 7-1 all-time in exhibition games under Head Coach Bruce Pearl, including a 68-54 win over Division II Southern Indiana last season.
This will be a first-time meeting between the two in-state schools. Both are coming off NCAA Tournament berths and hoisting conference championship trophies a year ago – a Southeastern Conference regular-season title for Auburn and Gulf South Conference championship title for UAH. The Tigers ended the season with a 28-6 overall record, while the Chargers went 23-11.
"We are excited about the exhibition opener tomorrow night," Pearl said. "I spent a long time at Division II (at Southern Indiana from 1992-2001), so I know how good the basketball is. I know what a big opportunity it is for Alabama-Huntsville."
Pearl has known UAH Head Coach John Shulman for a long time, especially during their time as the head coaches of Tennessee (2005-11) and UT Chattanooga (2004-13) respectively.
"He's a really good man and really good coach," Pearl said. "They have a terrific program and he's done a great job there. They are ranked No. 24 in the country (in the preseason NABC Division II Coaches Poll) and picked to win their league. We have a history of having close games with these Division II teams."
Pearl adds that the Chargers will be competitive and return everyone from last year's squad including preseason All-GSC selections CJ Williamson (17.0 ppg) and Chaney Johnson (16.8 ppg).
"They are going to shoot it and be dangerous in transition," he said. "They run good stuff that is hard to guard."
It will mark the first time for the Tigers to play in front of a crowd at Neville Arena, where they went an undefeated 16-0 on their home court in 2021-22.
Wendell Green Jr. is the team's top returning scorer (12.0 ppg) and top playmaker (172 assists). He is a preseason Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award candidate, while teammate Johni Broome is a preseason Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award candidate. Broome is a transfer from Morehead State, where he averaged a double-double last season with 16.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest.
"We are planning on playing 10 to 12 guys, maybe even 13," Pearl said. "We are still in the stages of evaluating. I want to see our guys continue to play hard and understand the scout. It's great preparation for us."
Wednesday's game will not be televised our streamed, but fans, who do not have a ticket for the game, can listen to an audio only broadcast via the Auburn Athletics mobile app or online at: https://auburntigers.com/watch/, https://www.facebook.com/AuburnTigers or
https://www.youtube.com/user/AuburnAthletics
Voice of the Tigers Andy Burcham, Sonny Smith and Brad Law will be on the call with coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m. (CT).
