AUBURN, Ala. – For the first time since beating Georgia on Senior Day March 9 before winning the SEC Tournament, No. 11 Auburn returns to Neville Arena Friday at 7 p.m. CT to play Florida Atlantic in a charity exhibition.
Two seasons removed from a Final Four appearance, Florida Atlantic presents the challenge Auburn coach Bruce Pearl seeks ahead of the Tigers' season opener Wednesday vs. Vermont in Tipoff on The Plains.
“They’ve got SEC size on the front line, length, veteran, older guards, good depth and are multiple defensively,” Pearl said. “We will have to play better against Florida Atlantic than we did Furman to win the game.”
Transfer guard Miles Kelly, who missed Auburn’s 83-62 exhibition win Sunday vs. Furman, will make his Tigers debut after recovering from an illness.
“He won’t play a ton of minutes because of just getting back and getting in condition,” Pearl said. “It’ll be great to have him back after being out a couple weeks.”
In addition to Kelly, Friday’s exhibition also marks the Neville Arena debuts for transfer point guard JP Pegues, and freshmen Tahaad Pettiford and Jahki Howard.
“Both are going to be real contributors for us,” Pearl said of Pettiford and Howard. “They both have different-level speed, athleticism and jumping ability, and are absolutely going to be crowd favorites because of their athleticism.”
Friday’s exhibition benefits Auburn University’s Melton Scholars Program, which increases access for underrepresented students and supports them throughout their Auburn experience.
“I’m really excited about it,” Pearl said. “Everybody who buys a ticket is actually making a donation to the scholarship program, which I think is really cool.”
While hoping a return to Auburn’s home court benefits the Tigers’ 3-point shooting, Pearl remains focused on what happens at the other end of the court.
“A year ago, we were one of the best defensive teams in the country,” Pearl said. “Defense travels, and I’m hoping that’s something we can count on this year.”
Parking for Florida Atlantic
With football at home against Vanderbilt on Saturday, the East Coliseum Lot will be closed for fans attending Friday's men's basketball exhibition game. See the parking map for more details.
*Please note that a pass is required to park in the Arena Lot and Levels 3 and 4 of the Stadium Deck for the exhibition game.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer