No. 22 Auburn will face No. 1 Houston in Birmingham on Sunday as part of The Battleground 2K25, a matchup that presents a significant challenge for the Tigers’ early season schedule.
Auburn coach Steven Pearl described the contest as “an incredible opportunity playing the No. 1 team in the country,” adding, “They’re the standard in college basketball.”
The Tigers enter the game with a 3-0 record, but Pearl acknowledged that facing Houston represents a substantial increase in competition. “It’s about six or seven steps up when you play a program like Houston,” he said. “To play them early in the year is going to be really good for us to see where we are.”
Auburn has averaged 94.3 points per game in wins over Bethune-Cookman, Merrimack, and Wofford. However, Pearl expects scoring to be more difficult against Houston’s defense. “Over the last 10 years, they’ve been the best defensive team in college basketball,” Pearl said. “They disrupt everything you do offensively. They disrupt your timing. They continuously have guards that are such great on-ball defenders. They make your life really difficult.”
Pearl compared Houston’s recent success under coach Kelvin Sampson to Auburn’s own achievements from 2018 to 2025, noting, “They have 41 more wins than us in that time. They play with a different level of fire and a different level of energy and passion.”
Three Auburn players—Tahaad Pettiford, Kevin Overton, and Keyshawn Hall—have previously faced Houston. Pettiford scored 21 points during Auburn’s win over Houston last year. Hall, who leads Auburn with averages of 24.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, commented on the upcoming matchup: “You live for these big matchups,” he said. “I appreciate everyone who’s going to come out and support us. That’s a great team over there and they’re the No. 1 team in the country but I feel like we can compete with anybody.”
Auburn has outrebounded its first three opponents by an average margin of more than 20 rebounds per game—a statistic Pearl believes could be key against Houston: “The teams that win the rebounding battle are going to win games,” he said. “It’s much easier said than done because they fly at that thing with reckless abandon. Our guys are going to have to play with a different level of intensity, energy and physicality.”
Sunday’s game between No. 22 Auburn (3-0) and No. 1 Houston (3-0) will take place at Legacy Arena in Birmingham at 2 p.m CT and will be broadcast on ESPN as well as the Auburn Sports Network.
