AUBURN, Ala. – For 10 years, the Jungle at Neville Arena has been where nonconference visitors go to lose.
Auburn hopes to extend the nation’s longest nonconference winning streak to 70 Friday night when No. 12 Arizona visits the Plains.
“Excited for another great opportunity,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “It’s pretty cool for our fans to see a nonconference game of this caliber against a historic program. I’m excited for our fans.”
Arizona’s offense revolves around international standouts Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov.
Kharchenkov, a 6-7 forward, leads the Wildcats with 24.7 points and nine rebounds per game.
“He does so many things offensively,” Pearl said. “He can play one through five for any team. Very unique, dynamic player. A matchup nightmare.”
Krivas, a 7-2 center, averages 18 points and eight rebounds per game while shooting a whopping 73.1 percent from the field.
“They may have two of the most impactful players in the country on their roster,” Pearl said. “Defensively, he does a good job moving his feet. He’s a handful. Narcisse (Ngoy), Bukky (Oboye) and Owen (Freeman) are going to have to step up physically in this game to match the production he brings at that position.
“They have three projected lottery picks on their roster. It will be a great test for our guys, and I know our guys are excited.”
Through two games, Auburn’s defense has been up to the task, holding Southeastern Louisiana and Appalachian State each below 60 points.
“Multiple efforts is something we constantly talk about,” Pearl said. “Having size at the rim to contest shots and having guys who will make multiple efforts to come up with stops has allowed us to improve.”
Friday’s marquee matchup marks the second segment of a home-and-home series between the Tigers and Wildcats. Arizona, ranked No. 2 at the time, thumped the Tigers 97-68 last December in Tucson, creating a chance for Auburn returners Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton to settle the score.
“Those guys can pull from experience because they were there,” Pearl said. “There’s some value in that. You can talk about it all you want but you’ve got to go out and perform.”
With an opportunity to earn the highest ranked nonconference home win in program history, Auburn (2-0) hosts No. 12 Arizona (2-1) Friday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and the Auburn Sports Network, where Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will call the action for listeners.
“We can’t change how we prepare and go about our routine because it’s Arizona,” Pearl said. “We understand the gravity around it but we’re not changing how we go about things. It’s about sticking to our strengths, the things we’re good at and the things we work on repeatedly in practice.”
Fans are encouraged to wear white. Auburn University students will receive free white Fear the Jungle t-shirts.
“That was probably one of the best environments that as a coach or player I’ve ever been in,” Pearl said of last year’s visit to the desert. “I was really impressed and I’m excited for the Jungle and our fans to reciprocate that environment.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer