Auburn’s preseason has already offered a glimpse of where this team could go, and it starts inside. The Tigers have been sorting through early inconsistency, but the most intriguing development may be the rise of two seven-foot centers, Narcisse Ngoy and Bukky Oboye, who could give Steven Pearl’s team a very different kind of backbone.
That possibility showed up in Auburn’s 87-85 exhibition loss to Alabama. The Tigers fell in their first two tune-ups, also dropping an 82-71 decision to Florida State, but the narrow loss to the Crimson Tide came with something more encouraging than the final score. Ngoy and Oboye combined for 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds apiece, a sign that Auburn may already have the raw ingredients for a stronger interior game.
The production doesn’t make them finished products, and it certainly doesn’t lock in what they’ll become in the SEC. But it does give Auburn something real to work with.
That matters because the Tigers have long leaned on athletic frontcourt players who can bother shots, clean the glass and make life difficult near the rim. Ngoy and Oboye bring the size to fit that mold. How far Auburn can push that advantage will depend on how quickly both big men keep developing, but the Alabama game showed they can contribute without becoming the center of the offense.
The rebounding battle was another positive sign. Auburn finished with a 51-42 edge on the boards against Alabama even while using a smaller lineup for much of the second half. Ngoy and Oboye were part of that effort, helping Auburn hold its own physically against a nationally ranked opponent and creating extra chances in the process.
Still, the real test will be whether those flashes turn into steady production over the course of a season. Auburn is going to see frontcourts with more experience and a variety of offensive looks, and that makes defensive positioning and consistency non-negotiable. Two legitimate centers give Pearl options, but the Tigers still have to figure out how to get the most out of both.
That frontcourt growth gets even more interesting when paired with Kevin Overton on the perimeter. The veteran guard poured in 26 points against Alabama and hit six 3-pointers, nearly swinging the game in Auburn’s favor. He’s the kind of shooter who can change the math in a hurry.
Overton made 95 three-pointers last season, the seventh-highest single-season total in Auburn history. He also scored at least 20 points in seven of his final 11 games, which made him one of the Tigers’ most reliable offensive pieces. That kind of proven production gives Auburn a steady scoring threat while the rest of the roster continues to settle in.
If Overton keeps pulling defenses outward, it should open more room for Ngoy and Oboye around the basket. And if Auburn’s centers keep taking steps forward, they could make life easier for Overton and the rest of the perimeter group. That give-and-take may end up defining how this team plays.
The calendar won’t slow down for Auburn while it figures things out. The Tigers open the regular season Nov. 4 against Southeastern Louisiana, then host Appalachian State on Nov. 9 before things get much tougher four days later against No.
5 Arizona at Neville Arena. That early matchup will say plenty about how much progress Auburn has made since the exhibitions.
For now, the Tigers are coming off two close losses and trying to turn those lessons into something sharper. The early signs suggest Auburn has a real offensive weapon in Overton and a potentially important answer inside with Ngoy and Oboye. If the centers continue to develop, those October exhibition losses could end up looking less like warning signs and more like the start of something useful.
In Other News...
Auburn Heads To Ole Miss With One Big Chance To Respond
Auburn heads to Ole Miss still trying to settle things down after the LSU loss, and the trip gives the Tigers a quick chance to show the last outing was more of a stumble than a trend. The matchup also puts a few key players in the spotlight, with Byrum Brown, Jeremiah Cobb, Elijah Melendez, Andre Jordan Jr. and Cole Best all expected to have a hand in helping Auburn clean up the issues that showed up last week.
The challenge in Oxford is simple enough to understand and harder to execute: the Tigers need sharper play on both sides of the ball, especially in areas where LSU exposed some cracks. Ole Miss offers a different set of problems and a fresh test of whether Auburn can make better use of the opportunities in front of it, and the response from that group of players could go a long way toward shaping how this stretch of the season is remembered. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Basketball Now Has A Front Office Problem Before The Season
Auburn basketball is dealing with an unexpected front-office shakeup before the season even gets going, with the program parting ways with general manager Brian Kloman after an issue tied to international transfer Mantas Rubtaviius college coursework in Europe. The fallout was significant enough that Rubtaviius dismissed his lawsuit against the NCAA, and his path to playing for Auburn this season closed with that ineligibility ruling.
For Steven Pearls staff, the timing only adds to an already tricky stretch of roster management and administrative work. Pearl said the duties Kloman had been handling will now be spread around by committee, with the staff keeping its current structure intact as it absorbs the extra load and tries to move on from a situation that has already altered Auburns plans. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's Best Hope At Ole Miss Might Test Everything Saturday
Auburn heads to Ole Miss on Saturday trying to steady itself after a recent loss, and the numbers do not exactly suggest an easy road trip. ESPNs Matchup Predictor gives the Tigers just a 25.1% chance to win, while the Rebels are still pushing to protect their place in the College Football Playoff conversation. Add in the history between these two programs and the setting suddenly feels bigger than a typical late-season SEC game.
Still, Auburn has one path that could make this far more interesting than the forecast suggests. The Tigers may be able to lean on the running game against an Ole Miss defense that can be stressed there, and if that matchup holds, it could at least give Auburn a way to keep the game uncomfortable deep into Saturday. The question is whether that edge is enough to turn a difficult assignment into a needed response after last weeks setback. [Read more 🡒]