AUBURN, Ala. – This year's Auburn team played in Cancun. They played in Atlanta. But the upcoming West Coast road trip will present a new challenge: playing a true road game.
Auburn suffered its first loss of the season Saturday against Memphis. The Tigers are still 8-1 and ranked No. 19 in the last AP Top 25, but how will they respond to losing? How will they bounce back when they take the court Wednesday against Georgia State?
Next Game:
at USC
Dec. 18, 2022
4:30 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
The 19th-ranked Tigers will start out in Los Angeles and play at USC on Sunday and then travel to Seattle to play Washington on its home court Wednesday.
"This is our first official away game," senior Jaylin Williams said. "I feel like a lot of these guys that haven't experienced something like this in the SEC or the freshmen, it's very exciting for them and we're going to come out with a lot of effort and energy."
"I feel like you're going to see a new Auburn team when we go out there because we're going to stay together," added junior Chris Moore. "We're definitely going to face some adversity over on the West Coast for sure, and we're ready for it. We'll be prepared for it."
With a road trip to West Virginia in January for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, Auburn is the only Power Five team in college basketball to have three true road games against other Power Five teams in the non-conference part of the schedule.
Head coach Bruce Pearl embraces the challenge, though. He knows the upcoming West Coast trip will be a good barometer for his team before SEC play starts.
"The schedule is going to get tougher," Pearl said. "So why not let it get tougher before Christmas versus when we open up against Florida at home? We have to play better if we're going to be able to beat USC or Washington or Florida the teams in the SEC. That's where we're at. If we play the way we're playing right now, we won't win."
First up is USC. The Tigers and Trojans will tip off at 4:30 p.m. CT on Sunday from the Galen Center in Los Angeles. 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 ESPN with Roxy Bernstein and Bill Walton on the call.
PLAYER TO WATCH: TRE DONALDSON
When true freshman guard Tre Donaldson had nis number called against Georgia State, he delivered. Donaldson saw a career-high 18 minutes on the floor and finished with six points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals to provide a spark off the bench.
Donaldson, one of the top two-sport athletes in the Class of 2022, has athletic bloodlines as his father, Rhodney Donaldson, played basketball at Troy University from 1993-97 and still ranks 11th all-time in career scoring (1,363 points). His uncle, Duke Donaldson, played football at Auburn from 1984-87 and led the team in receptions his senior year.
INSIDE THE SERIES: USC
Auburn and USC have only played twice on the hardwood with USC winning both games. The teams last met in New Orleans on Dec. 29, 1977, in the Sugar Bowl Tournament (L, 74-85). The Tigers also played on USC's campus on Dec. 15, 1972, dropping a 66-73 contest as part of the Trojan Classic. The head coach was Bill Lynn.
Auburn is 6-6 all-time versus Pac-12 opponents. The most recent contest against the Pac-12 came in the 2018 Maui Invitational where the Tigers beat Arizona 73-57.
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
This will be Auburn's first road trip to California since playing in the 2018 NCAA Tournament in San Diego where the Tigers beat College of Charleston in the first round before losing to Clemson in the second round. Sunday's game is part of a home-and-home series with USC. The Trojans will travel to Auburn in 2023-24 (date TBD).
BEST OF THE BEST
Since 2017-18, Auburn has been the winningest program, by wins and percentage, in the SEC versus non-conference opponents with an impressive 73-13 overall record (.849). Auburn (T-10) and USC (4) are also among an elite list of schools that have won the most games over the last four seasons with 75 and 81 victories respectively.
Most Wins Last Four Seasons (as of 12/16)
Kansas: 92
Baylor: 88
Arkansas: 82
USC: 81
Duke: 80
Arizona: 80
Villanova: 77
UCLA: 77
Creighton: 75
Illinois: 75
Iowa: 75
Auburn: 75