AUBURN, Ala. – It took No. 2 Auburn six weeks to accomplish what previous Tigers teams had done in 75 years: defeat four ranked, non-conference regular season opponents.
Beating No. 4 Houston, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 12 North Carolina and No. 16 Purdue, all away from Neville Arena, has positioned Auburn at the forefront of discussions about metrics, rankings and bracketology with one game remaining in 2024.
“We’re playing good basketball at both ends of the floor,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “We’re sharing it, we’re shooting it, we’re defending it well, we’re rebounding the ball a little better. Areas we can continue to improve on would be transition offense and defense.”
Another opportunity to make history awaits Monday vs. Monmouth. A win would give Auburn an .861 winning percentage over the past nine seasons, tops in the SEC.
“I’m a big fan of history and making history,” said Pearl, whose program is 92-15 in non-conference competition since 2016-17.
To get there, the Tigers would need to beat Monmouth, a team whose 2-10 record, says Pearl, is deceiving.
“They’ve only played one home game, and they beat Seton Hall at Seton Hall,” he said. “I think that says a lot.”
At the top of Pearl’s scouting report for Monmouth resides No. 1, 6-7 guard Abdi Bashir, who scored 38 points last month at Rutgers and who averages 21.6 points per game while shooting 42.9 percent on 3-pointers.
“A great player,” Pearl said.
With Auburn students on break, Monday’s matchup gives early arriving fans another opportunity to fill The Jungle on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Our kids are grateful for Auburn to have given them the opportunity to play in Neville Arena in front of sellout crowds,” Pearl said. “They feel the love of the Auburn family.
“The Auburn family is helping us play well. We go to work every day trying to reward the Auburn family for giving up this opportunity.”
With Saturday’s SEC opener vs. Missouri on tap five days later, the Tigers take on Monmouth Monday at 5:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will call the action for listeners on the Auburn Sports Network.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer