Auburn’s 2026-27 basketball schedule is set, and Steven Pearl’s second season will open with a heavy dose of action before the games count in the standings.
The Tigers are lined up for three exhibition dates before their Nov. 4 season opener at Neville Arena. That stretch starts Oct. 14 against Florida State in Birmingham, continues Oct. 22 against Alabama in Birmingham, and wraps with Samford at home on Oct. 29.
Pearl enters the season with a roster built around backcourt returners Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton, plus 10 new players added to the mix.
After the opener against Southeastern Louisiana, Auburn’s non-conference slate brings a quick rhythm of home dates and high-profile matchups. Appalachian State visits on Nov.
9, Arizona comes to Auburn on Nov. 13, and then the Tigers head to Las Vegas for a three-game run beginning Nov. 17 against West Virginia. Auburn will face Kansas or UNLV on Nov. 18 before a TBD opponent on Nov.
The rest of the non-conference schedule includes Lipscomb on Nov. 24, a trip to Clemson on Dec. 1, Eastern Kentucky on Dec.
6, Alabama State on Dec. 13, Middle Tennessee in Huntsville on Dec.
15, Wisconsin in Nashville on Dec. 19, Lehigh on Dec. 22, and Morgan State on Dec.
Conference play starts Jan. 2 at Texas A&M, and Auburn’s league calendar quickly turns demanding. Tennessee visits on Jan. 5 or 6, Georgia follows on Jan. 9, and the Tigers hit the road for Texas on Jan. 12 or 13. Ole Miss comes to Auburn on Jan. 16, then Vanderbilt awaits on the road Jan. 19 or 20.
Auburn will also travel to LSU on Jan. 23, host Mississippi State on Jan. 26 or 27, and play at Alabama on Jan. 30. February brings Oklahoma to Auburn on Feb. 6 and Florida on Feb. 9 or 10, before road games at South Carolina on Feb. 13 and Arkansas on Feb. 16 or 17.
The final stretch includes Missouri at home on Feb. 20, LSU at home on Feb. 23 or 24, a trip to Kentucky on Feb. 27, a road game at Ole Miss on March 2 or 3, and the regular-season finale against Alabama at home on March 6.
In Other News...
Former Auburn QB Is Back In The Spotlight For A Strange Opener Plan
Jackson Arnold is back in the opening-week conversation, and this time it comes with a twist that should sound familiar to anyone who followed his winding college career. Dan Mullen said Arnold will start UNLVs season opener against Memphis, a notable nod for the former Auburn and Oklahoma quarterback after his path has already carried him through more than one high-profile stop.
Mullen also hinted that Alex Orji will be involved early, which points to something unusual even by college footballs standards: a game plan built around two quarterbacks right out of the gate. For Auburn fans who watched Arnolds development up close, the setup adds another layer of intrigue to a player whose next chapter was already worth tracking, even before the opener plan got this complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Camp May Have Changed One Newcomers Role In A Big Way
With a new coaching staff and more than 60 newcomers flooding Auburns preseason camp, there was always going to be a premium on players who could separate themselves quickly. By the end of camp, five names had clearly helped their cause: Jacob Strand, Gavin Jenkins, Bryson Washington, Christian Neptune and DaShawn Womack. For a roster still sorting itself out, that kind of movement matters, because it can reshape depth charts and give the staff options before the season fully settles in.
Womacks camp stood out for another reason, too. After dealing with a legal issue over the summer, the matter was handled internally by the program and he stayed on the practice field throughout camp. Auburn now has to decide how much of that momentum carries into the fall, but his standing, like the others who rose over the past few weeks, suggests camp may have done more than just get the Tigers ready to practice. It may have changed how they plan to use several newcomers once the games start for real. [Read more 🡒]
Sylvester Smith-Reed Just Gave Auburn Fans A Powerful Reason To Care
Auburn got a meaningful off-field update from senior safety Sylvester Smith, who has changed his last name to Smith-Reed to honor his late grandmother, Miranda Reed. She died four months ago, and Smith-Reed has already made it clear that the upcoming season will be played with her memory in mind, adding a personal layer to what was already an important year for one of the Tigers veteran defenders.
Smith-Reed has also continued to bring the kind of physical style Auburn has come to expect from him during preseason scrimmage work, which makes the name change feel tied to more than sentiment alone. For Auburn, it is a reminder that the season is about more than depth charts and position battles, with one of its seniors carrying both a new name and a very personal source of motivation into the fall. [Read more 🡒]