Auburn wasted no time putting up a familiar number to start the 2026-27 season.
The Tigers rolled past Southeastern Louisiana, 92-59, on Wednesday night, making it three straight season openers in which Auburn has topped the 90-point mark. It took a few minutes for the game to open up, but once the Tigers settled in, they steadily took control and never gave it back.
For the first eight minutes, the matchup was tight and messy, with Auburn and the Lions swapping the lead back and forth. The Tigers finally nudged ahead with 12 minutes left in the first half, then stretched the gap from there. A late 11-0 burst from Tahaad Pettiford helped Auburn close the half with a 17-point cushion.
The second half followed a similar script early on. The teams traded baskets again for about eight minutes before Auburn ripped off a 15-2 run in the middle of the period to create more separation. After that, the Tigers kept stacking stops and eventually buried Southeastern Louisiana with a flurry of three-pointers to finish the night.
Pettiford’s opening stretch was rocky. The All-SEC Preseason Third Teamer missed his first eight shots before finally getting on the board with a dunk midway through the first half.
He then found his rhythm late, scoring on three physical layups, two of them while drawing fouls, and capped the half with a half-court shot. Pettiford had 13 points by halftime and finished with a team-high 18, along with four assists and two rebounds.
Auburn’s defense made plenty of noise too. The Tigers finished with 11 blocks, a sharp jump from the 4.1 blocks per game the 2025 team averaged. Narcisse Ngoy, Owen Freeman and Thomas Dowd all chipped in at the rim, but Bukky Oboye, the Santa Clara transfer, was the biggest disruptor with five blocks.
The scoring was spread around as well. Five Tigers reached double figures: Pettiford with 18, Kevin Overton with 12, George Kimble with 10, Kolby King with 12 and Ngoy with 10.
Dowd also gave Auburn a little bit of everything in his debut. The Troy transfer didn’t dominate any one category, but he filled the box score with nine points, six rebounds and two blocks. It was a solid first showing for the senior, who averaged a double-double last season.
Southeastern Louisiana was led by Quincy Allen, who finished with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Yanis Ndjonga, who added 13 points, six rebounds and one assist.
Auburn’s next game is set for Monday, Nov. 9, against Appalachian State at Neville Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. CT.
In Other News...
Auburn Senior Leader Sends Strong Message On Alex Golesh
Alex Goleshs first Auburn season has already had the kind of swings that can define a programs mood for months. The Tigers are 4-4 overall and 2-4 in SEC play, and while the win over No. 1 Georgia gave the fan base a real jolt, the last two losses have brought the conversation back to the bigger rebuild underway in year one of Goleshs tenure.
Cody Sigler has emerged as one of the voices trying to steady that process from inside the locker room. The senior defensive lineman, who is in his first year at Auburn, has been openly supportive of Golesh and is helping push the culture the new staff wants to establish, a sign that the buy-in is still there even as the results have been uneven. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Still Has One Troubling Question Up Front
Alex Golesh has already made his imprint on Auburns offensive line in his first season, and the changes have been hard to miss. Several underclassmen got starts in the recent game against Ole Miss, a sign that the Tigers are leaning into youth up front while trying to find a combination that can hold up over the course of a game. Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon both pointed to stretches of encouraging play, but they also made clear the unit is still a work in progress.
The bigger concern is what happens when the game wears on. Auburn has dealt with depth issues and fatigue late, the kind of problems that can undo otherwise solid series earlier in the afternoon. With Arkansas next on the schedule, the Tigers are hoping those young linemen keep taking steps forward, because the answer up front still feels like one of the more important questions hanging over this team. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Faces A Defining Auburn Test With Its Season Slipping Away
Road teams have had a habit of spoiling this series since 2021, even as Auburn has still controlled the overall matchup, which gives Saturdays meeting at Jordan-Hare Stadium a little extra edge. It also puts a spotlight on two first-year head coaches trying to steady their programs in a hurry, with Ryan Silverfield bringing a 3-0 edge over Alex Golesh in their head-to-head meetings.
Auburn enters as the favorite, but the bigger backdrop is Arkansas trying to keep its season from sliding any further. The Razorbacks are staring at a very slim path to bowl eligibility, so this is the kind of game that can either buy some breathing room or deepen the frustration around a year that is already hanging by a thread. [Read more 🡒]