No. 22 Auburn Tigers vs. No. 1 Houston Cougars Preview

On Sunday, the Auburn Tigers will travel to Birmingham, Ala., in their toughest test yet as they take on the top-ranked Houston Cougars.

These two programs met just over a year ago when Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl’s team walked away with a 74-69 win over head coach Kelvin Sampson and his Houston squad.

A matchup that foreshadowed two of the four teams in the country that would ultimately punch their ticket to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

Yet now, it’s a new season. Before even playing in their first game, Auburn dropped out of the top 10 in the AP Poll with Houston remaining firmly in national championship contention, according to ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi.

To many, Auburn’s drop came as no surprise reflecting an entirely new roster reset for the Tigers after several departures of standout players such as: Johni Broome, Miles Kelly, Denver Jones, Dylan Cardwell and others.

However, as of now for the Tigers, change hasn’t been an entirely bad thing and the transfer portal has made that clear.

Leading the Tigers currently is UCF transfer and Auburn forward Keyshawn Hall who is averaging 24.3 points per game with 11 rebounds. After beating the Wofford Terriers on Tuesday, Hall has now scored 20+ points in his first three games at Auburn.

Keyshawn Hall with his best all-around performance in an Auburn uniform tonight

20 points
11 rebounds
6 assists
2 steals
3 blocks
70% FG%
100% from 3

All. American.pic.twitter.com/6ecndO6pw5
— Aubie’s son🦅 (@AubieSon) November 12, 2025

While Mississippi State transfer and Auburn forward KeShawn Murphy adds 17 points per game and 8 rebounds, only adding to the fuel to Auburn’s frontcourt.

Defensively, Auburn acquired Emeka Opurum , a 7-foot sophomore center from Butler Community College, who has shown out for the Tigers, averaging 2.5 blocks per game, continues to pose as a defensive force.

But as the season begins to heat up, the Tigers' schedule will only get harder, starting with Houston. If the Tigers want to be any true threat, they’ve got to play in sync with each other while being disciplined in all areas- including maintaining their tempo against the Cougars’ experienced and suffocating defense.

Because despite playing in front of a home crowd on Sunday, coach Steven Pearl and his Tigers enter the matchup, just like last year, as an underdog.

And there are a few reasons why.

Being considered one of the most important returners on Houston’s squad is guard Emanuel Sharp, known for being the Cougar’s primary scoring weapon. Through two games, Sharp has increased his scoring role to 16.5 points per game, according to Houston Cougars on SI.

Aside from Sharp are two other threats also a part of the Cougars’ title run from last year. Senior guard Milos Uzan and junior forward Joseph Tugler who both bring nonstop energy, stability and overall talent against their opponents.

The Cougars’ physical scoring defense also ranks 7th nationally, allowing just 52.5 points per game while ranking 9th nationally in opponent assists and turnovers. On Sunday, they’ll be looking to capitalize on disrupting the Tigers’ offensive rhythm that they’ve begun to build and apply pressure to their comfort zone.

For the Tigers, the matchup will post a true test that will offer a variety of different factors and an opportunity to measure where just their new roster stands. Because, as of now, the Tigers have been learning to play with one another and have been steadily improving through each game.

Tipoff for the Houston Cougars and Auburn Tigers will take place at 2:00 CT, Sunday, November 16th on ESPN.