An Early Look At No. 1 Houston vs. No. 22 Auburn
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Houston basketball and Auburn are set to play on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m., inside Legacy Arena, in Birmingham, Ala.
This top-25 matchup will be a great test for each program and a good measuring stick of where each team is at this early into the 2025 season.
Houston has a 74.2 percent chance to win this game over Auburn, according to ESPN Analytics.
Houston vs. Auburn General Preview
After last year’s game in which the Tigers defeated Houston 74-69 inside the Toyota Center, the Cougars have some new pieces that could change the outcome this season.
Houston’s three freshmen: Kingston Flemings, Chris Cenac Jr. and Isiah Harwell, have all shown flashes of how impactful they will be for the program going forward.
Flemings scored 19 points against Oakland on Wednesday and he finished just one assist shy of his first-career double-double.
The young point guard has taken a huge role in his first season and he will be needed against a scrappy Auburn defense.
Cenac Jr. is a projected 2025 lottery pick and he has improved throughout every game this season.
The 6-foot-10 center scored 11 points in 19 minutes last game and he has also shown he can rebound the ball, averaging nine boards per game.
Harwell hasn’t had the opportunity to show out yet as he is still recovering from a nagging knee injury. However, in his limited minutes against Oakland, he still managed to score nine points.
The Tigers also have a talented freshman in first-year forward Sebastian Williams-Adams. This season, he is averaging 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds 1.3 steals and a block per game.
While both teams have talented young players, the veterans will be the difference in this game.
Houston returned three stars from last year’s team in senior guard Emanuel Sharp, junior forward Joseph Tugler and senior guard Milos Uzan.
Sharp is the primary scorer for the Cougars and he is a sniper from deep. This year, he is averaging 17.3 points per game with a 40% three-point percentage.
Uzan is the next scoring option. The returning guard tested the NBA Draft and could have been a second-round pick, but he ultimately decided to refine his skills one more year at Houston.
This season, he averages 8.7 points and 4.7 assists per game. Expect Uzan’s production to increase in Sunday’s matchup.
The Cougars’ other big returner is none other than the 2024 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Joseph Tugler.
The veteran center has continued his defensive dominance by averaging 2.3 steals and three blocks per game, He also has taken an increased offensive role, averaging 10 points per game, compared to just 5.5 last season.
For Auburn, the scoring starts with star forward Keyshawn Hall. He averages 24.3 points and 11 rebounds a game, making him one of the best forwards to begin 2025.
Senior forward Keshawn Murphy follows in scoring, averaging 17 points per game and eight rebounds.
Sophomore guard Tahaad Pettiford also returned from last season after leading the Tigers on a Final Four run last season.
This year, he continues to run the offense and averages 11 points, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
These two programs are both coming off of one of the best tournament runs in each school’s franchise history.
While the two squads look slightly different this season, both have the talent to compete with any team in the country and they will face off in a highly anticipated battle on Sunday afternoon.
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).