Auburn basketball holds steady at No. 21 in the latest AP poll, and while that might not turn heads on its own, there’s plenty brewing behind the scenes for the Tigers. Coming off a 92-78 win over Chattanooga in the Holiday Hoopsgiving showcase, Auburn now shifts its focus to a major early-season test: a showdown with No. 6 Purdue in the Indy Classic.
That win over Chattanooga was solid-offensively efficient, with flashes of the kind of tempo and spacing Auburn wants to play with. But head coach Steven Pearl isn’t letting his group get too comfortable.
“We’ve got to be better,” Pearl said after the game. “We need to have a really good week of practice this week, and that starts with me.
We’ve got to respond-because we obviously have a tough opponent in Purdue coming up.”
And he’s not wrong. Purdue brings a level of physicality and execution that’s going to demand Auburn’s best. The Boilermakers are a top-10 team for a reason, and this matchup is the kind of litmus test that tells you a lot about where a program stands in December.
For Auburn, this is more than just another non-conference game-it’s a chance to notch a third win over a ranked opponent this season. The Tigers already have quality victories over St.
John’s at the Players Era Event and NC State in the ACC/SEC Challenge. That 2-3 mark against ranked teams doesn’t tell the whole story, but it does show they’ve been in the fire early and often.
The SEC is well-represented in the rankings this week, with Auburn joined by Vanderbilt, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia. That’s a crowded field, and every opportunity to stand out matters-especially with conference play looming on the horizon.
Tipoff against Purdue is set for 5:30 p.m. ET, following Northwestern vs.
Butler in the Indy Classic. The game will stream live on Peacock, and it’s one worth circling.
If Auburn can bring the energy, clean up the defensive lapses, and get a strong week of prep like Pearl is demanding, they’ve got a shot to make a statement on a national stage.
This is the kind of mid-December matchup that can shape a team’s identity. Let’s see what Auburn brings to the table.