Tahaad Pettiford gave Auburn the jolt it needed Monday night, pouring in 26 points as the Tigers handled Appalachian State 75-53 to move to 2-0 on the season.
Pettiford’s night stood out not just because of the scoring total, but because it was his highest output since Auburn’s second-round loss to Tennessee in last year’s SEC Tournament. He set the tone early, and the Tigers rode that burst through a game that still had a few rough edges before they finally pulled away.
Appalachian State struck first when Jaylon Colon hit a three-pointer, but Pettiford answered immediately with a layup, then a three of his own. He kept going from there, finishing an and-one layup and the free throw to account for Auburn’s first eight points.
That opening stretch helped Auburn build a 15-4 run over the next six minutes. The Tigers led by as many as 13, but Appalachian State answered with a 16-5 push that trimmed the margin to two in the final six minutes of the first half. Even with the lead intact, Auburn still had some proving to do at halftime.
The second half started slowly, too, but Auburn eventually found another gear. A mid-period 18-5 run turned the game into a runaway, and the Tigers outscored the Mountaineers 37-17 after the break. Steven Pearl’s team led for nearly 39 straight minutes and finished with a 22-point win.
Pettiford was the only Auburn player to clear 10 points, but the Tigers still got useful production from the bench. South Alabama transfer Adam Olsen and Utah State transfer Kolby King each finished with nine points, and Auburn’s depth produced 34 points compared with just 13 from Appalachian State’s reserves.
The frontcourt was quieter than it had been in Auburn’s opener against Southeastern Louisiana. Narcisse Ngoy and Bukky Oboye combined for 10 points and four blocks, though Ngoy did lead the Tigers with 11 rebounds.
Auburn also had the better shooting night across the board, hitting 40% from the field while Appalachian State shot 32%. The Mountaineers made just 25% of their 28 attempts from beyond the arc, while Auburn connected on 33% of its 24 long-range tries.
Kevin Overton had a subdued night as well, finishing with five points on 1-of-6 shooting and 2-of-4 at the line. It was a quiet showing for the elder half of Auburn’s starting guard duo, though the source of optimism remains his 2025 season, which suggests the production should climb as the year goes on.
Now the schedule gets a lot less forgiving. Auburn’s next test comes Friday against No.
13 Arizona, and the Tigers will put their 69-game non-conference home winning streak - the longest in college basketball - on the line. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m.
CT in Neville Arena, with the game on ESPN2.
In Other News...
Auburn Just Landed A Massive Piece For Its Future Up Front
Auburn added another promising building block for the future up front with the commitment of four-star offensive lineman Jatori Williams, a 2027 prospect whose decision gives the Tigers an early foothold in a class that already has some real traction. Williams had been pledged to Miami before shifting his attention to Auburn, and his move underscores how much the Tigers have leaned on relationship-building as they try to stack talent along the line of scrimmage.
For Auburn, the appeal goes beyond rankings. Williams pointed to his bond with the coaching staff and the chance to stay close to his hometown as major factors in his choice, and those are the kinds of details that can matter just as much as a polished pitch on signing day. He now stands as the third-highest-rated commit in Auburns 2027 class and one of the top offensive line prospects in the country, a strong early marker for a program trying to secure its future in the trenches. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Latest Commitment Signals A Bigger Fix Up Front
Auburns offensive line issues have been impossible to ignore this season, with the struggles showing up both in the rushing game and in the amount of protection the quarterback has gotten. So when Alex Golesh and his staff started building the 2027 class, the emphasis up front made sense, and the Tigers have already added five new offensive linemen as part of that effort.
The latest piece of that approach is four-star interior lineman Jatori Williams, a commitment that fits the broader push to stabilize the trenches for future seasons. Auburn has also brought in running backs Myson Johnson-Cook and Khamoni Williams, but the line remains the clearest priority, and the staffs early work suggests it knows the fix has to start there. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Is Walking Into The Kind Of Spot Auburn Knows Well
Kirby Smart spent part of his week sizing up Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons, and the praise was pointed enough to matter. Smart highlighted Simmons arm strength, accuracy and anticipation, while also noting how the quarterback fits into a system that gives him plenty of help around him. For Auburn fans, it is the kind of opponent evaluation that sounds familiar, because the Tigers have seen enough SEC quarterbacks get elevated by the structure around them to know how quickly a game can tilt.
Simmons, who began his career at Ole Miss, is now Missouris starter, and Georgia gets the Tigers next week with another difficult road test looming. Smarts comments underscored the broader challenge: it is not just about one quarterback making throws, but about how cleanly Missouri can operate around him. Auburn knows that formula well, and it is exactly the sort of setup that can make a conference matchup far trickier than it looks on paper. [Read more 🡒]