With the 2026-27 season just days away, Auburn men’s basketball is walking into another year with a résumé that already stacks up with the nation’s best.
Since the start of the 2017-18 season, the Tigers have built a stretch defined by winning, hardware and consistency. Auburn has piled up 224 victories in that span, which ranks second among SEC teams and leaves the Tigers just two behind Tennessee’s 226. That works out to an average of 24.9 wins per season, a number that tells the story of a program that has stayed near the top year after year.
The postseason numbers are just as striking. Auburn has reached two Final Fours during that run, putting it in a group of only seven programs nationally to hit that mark alongside Duke, Houston, Kansas, Michigan, UConn and Villanova. The Tigers have also collected six championships: SEC regular-season titles in 2018, 2022 and 2025, SEC Tournament crowns in 2019 and 2024, and the NIT championship in 2026.
The NBA pipeline has stayed busy too. Auburn has produced seven draft picks over that stretch: Johni Broome in 2025; Walker Kessler and Jabari Smith in 2022; Sharife Cooper and JT Thor in 2021; Isaac Okoro in 2020; and Chuma Okeke in 2019.
At home, the Tigers have made Neville Arena a tough place to walk into. Auburn has put together a nation-best 67-game home non-conference winning streak, gone 126-18 in the building, and racked up 85 straight sellouts, the eighth-longest streak in the country. The Tigers have also reached 20 or more wins every season in that span, with the 2020 COVID season excluded.
Now, Auburn turns the page to another season with Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton leading the backcourt. The Tigers open with an exhibition game against Florida State in Birmingham next Wednesday, Oct. 14, before the first official game arrives at Neville Arena on Nov. 4 against Southeastern Louisiana.
In Other News...
Alabamas Receivers Are Already Showing Why This Staff Hire Matters
Derrick Nixs move from Auburn play-caller to Alabama receivers coach is already drawing attention because of how quickly his fingerprints have shown up on that room. Auburn saw its most productive offensive stretch over the final three games of the 2025 season after Nix was promoted to call plays, and Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer moved to bring him in after JaMarcus Shephard left for Oregon State.
Rico Scott, Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks have all looked better under Nixs coaching, a development Alabama followers and Auburn observers alike will notice because of what it says about his teaching and his fit. The early returns are encouraging, even if the bigger question is still how far that influence can carry once the competition stiffens. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's Open Week Has Put Alex Golesh Under An Early Spotlight
Auburns open week arrives at a useful but unforgiving time for Alex Golesh, who is still settling into his first season as head coach. The Tigers sit 3-2 after wins over Baylor, Vanderbilt and Southern Miss, with losses to Florida and Tennessee, and the break gives the staff a chance to reset before a stretch that will say plenty about where this team is headed.
Georgia comes first next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT, right as Alabama is kicking off at Tennessee, and the timing only sharpens the spotlight on Auburns most immediate test. The Tigers also know the bigger picture is coming fast, with LSU and Ole Miss still on the schedule and a program history that has been rough against ranked opponents, having dropped 22 of its last 23 in those matchups. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Fans Just Got A Telling Read On Tennessee
Tennessees 24-14 win over Auburn offered a useful snapshot of where the Volunteers stand early this season. At 4-1, with their only loss coming against the top-ranked team, Tennessee has already shown it can survive a rough offensive stretch because the rest of the roster keeps giving it a chance. The defense has been the bigger separator, with players like Xavier Gilliam and Arion Carter helping steady things while the offense works through some growing pains at quarterback.
The most interesting part for Auburn fans is how the Volunteers handled the change under center. Freshman Faizon Brandon had a difficult night against Auburn, and Tennessee turned to redshirt freshman George MacIntyre, who looked better in the role. That kind of move says plenty about Tennessees willingness to adjust on the fly, and it leaves open a bigger question for future opponents: if the defense keeps playing at that level, how much does the quarterback situation actually need to be settled for the Volunteers to keep winning? [Read more 🡒]