AUBURN, Ala. – Another Top 10 matchup has been added to the Auburn men’s basketball team’s non-conference schedule as the Tigers officially signed a two-year series with Houston on Thursday.
United Sports & Entertainment (@USportsEnt) brings high-level college basketball to the cities of Houston, Texas, and Birmingham, Ala., with The Battleground 2k hoops series headlined by the two powerhouses out of the SEC and Big 12.
The first game in the series will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Toyota Center in Houston, and the following year at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, at a date still to be determined.
In this year’s event, Rice (American Athletic) and Florida State (ACC) will play each other in Game One, before Auburn and Houston in Game Two.
In the Way Too Early Top 25 preseason rankings, UH was picked No. 1 by CBS Sports and No. 2 by The Athletic, while Auburn was selected No. 8 and No. 10 by both media outlets respectively.
“Kelvin Sampson has returned the Houston Basketball program back to the days of greatness with Guy Lewis, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler,” head coach Bruce Pearl said. “His teams fight hard and are physical. They play the right way. With our SEC/ACC Challenge game at Duke and this game versus Houston at the Toyota Center, we will have two road contests against the preseason top two teams in the country. That’s never happened in Auburn Basketball history, so be careful of what you wish for.”
Both programs last met in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament (L, 64-81) in Birmingham. Houston leads 7-1 in the all-times series between the two schools.
The Battleground 2k hoops series also includes a charitable component rooted in service, inspiring the participating student-athletes to use their talent, notoriety and influence to affect the lives of kids in the local community. The Battleground 2k basketball platform will greatly impact the Houston and Birmingham communities and be a rewarding experience for the student-athletes and universities.
“We are very excited about The Battleground 2k college hoops series and the opportunity that this premier sports platform presents to combine great competition with community in both Houston and Birmingham,” USE President Rhossi Carron said. “Both events will focus on empowering and improving the lives of kids in those communities and helping the participating student-athletes develop their passion for giving back in a genuine way. We look forward to utilizing The Battleground 2k basketball platform to impact the lives of children in these great cities.”
Tickets for The Battleground 2k24 will go on sale later this month and can be purchased online at: ToyotaCenter.com. Game times and television specifications will also be released at a later date. For event details and updates, please visit: www.USportsEnt.com.
The last time Auburn played multiple Top 10 non-conference opponents was during the 2020-21 season (No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Baylor) and the 2006-07 season (No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 2 Pittsburgh). The program has never faced three-or-more Top 10-ranked opponents in non-conference play in a single season.
The Tigers will take on consensus preseason No. 1 Duke in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., and preseason No. 6 and national runner-up Purdue on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.
They could potentially face defending national champion UConn, preseason No. 3 Iowa State, preseason No. 4 North Carolina, Colorado, Dayton, Memphis or Michigan State when the 2024 Maui Invitational bracket is revealed later this month.