AUBURN, Ala. – The Barclays Center in Brooklyn has been good to Auburn men's basketball in recent years. The Tigers won the Legends Classic there in 2019, knocking off New Mexico and Richmond on back-to-back nights. The Barclays Center also played host to the 2022 NBA Draft where Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler were both selected in the first round.
Next Game:
vs. Notre Dame
Nov. 16, 2023
8 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
This week, Auburn is hoping to keep the success going with a return to the Big Apple and the Legends Classic. The Tigers will open against Notre Dame on Thursday night and then, depending on the outcome, play either Oklahoma State or St. Bonaventure on Friday.
It will be the first time Auburn and Notre Dame have ever played on the hardwood.
"Notre Dame is a historic program, a historic university," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Great history and tradition."
When Pearl and the coaching staff were approached about playing in this tournament, they knew Notre Dame had already agreed to be play in it. They also knew St. Bonaventure was in the field. It was part of the reason they accepted the invitation. It was a chance to challenge this Auburn team with a trip to New York against teams that will be well-represented.
"Playing Notre Dame in New York is like a home game for them because of all their fans and alums in the East," Pearl said. "And St. Bonaventure is obviously in New York. We knew that while it would be a neutral site, there was a chance that we could be in a hostile environment. Those are some of the steps of trying to develop our team."
Auburn will be well-represented in Brooklyn, too. The fans made their presence felt in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the opener against Baylor to the point where Baylor head coach Scott Drew alluded to how Auburn had a "good home-court advantage."
It will be no different in the Barclays Center this week.
Auburn and Notre Dame will be the second game of the night Thursday and tip off at approximately 8 p.m. CT from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Brad Law and Randall Dickey will have the radio call on 94.3 FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the Auburn app. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
PLAYER TO WATCH: ADEN HOLLOWAY
Freshman phenom Aden Holloway turned in back-to-back double-figure scoring games in his collegiate debut last week, earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors. The five-star recruit averaged 15 points per game and made 7 of 16 from long range in his first two career games. He scored a team high 19 points and added six assists against No. 20 Baylor and followed that with 11 points and three assists in Auburn's 86-71 win over Southeastern Louisiana. His 19 points against Baylor were tied for fifth most among all NCAA Division I freshmen in a season opener this season.
INSIDE THE SERIES: LEGENDS CLASSIC
Auburn opens the Legends Classic against Notre Dame in what will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the hardwood. Bruce Pearl has faced Notre Dame one time in his head coaching career while at Milwaukee where his team lost to the Fighting Irish 70-69 in the First Round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
Oklahoma State and St. Bonaventure are the other two teams in the field. Auburn and Oklahoma State are tied 2-2 in the all-time series with Auburn's two wins coming in 1977 (Marshall Classic) and 1999 (NCAA Tournament Second Round). The Tigers lost their only previous matchup with St. Bonaventure 77-73 in the 1967 Tampa Invitational.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
Denver Jones (974), K.D. Johnson (945) and Jaylin Williams (896) are all closing in on 1,000 career points. Johni Broome (1,485) and Chaney Johnson (1,201) have already reached that milestone in their careers.
Of the group, Williams is the only non-transfer. He would become the 39th player in program history to gain entrance into the 1,000 Career Point Club while at Auburn and the first in five years since Bryce Brown (8th, 1,673) and Jared Harper (13th, 1,227) did so during their senior campaigns that ended in the 2019 Final Four.
TIGERS IN NEW YORK
Auburn is 2-3 all-time playing in the Empire State. The Tigers defeated New Mexico and Richmond in Brooklyn to win the 2019 Legends Classic. Prior to that, they had two one-point losses – one to Boston College in 2016 and the other to Syracuse in the 2003 NCAA Sweet 16. In Auburn's first game in New York, the Tigers lost to Iona in 1977.
Nov. 26, 2019 | Richmond | Brooklyn | W, 79-65
Nov. 26, 2019 | Richmond | Brooklyn | W, 79-65
Dec. 12, 2016 | Boston College | New York City | L, 71-72
March 28, 2003 | vs. No. 12 Syracuse | Albany | L, 78-79
Dec. 17, 1977 | at Iona | New Rochelle | L, 82-105