Big Game In The Big Apple

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Bruce Pearl’s 10th season on The Plains should be an exciting one for his 2023-24 Auburn squad, but they certainly will be tested early as the veteran head coach assembled a challenging out-of-conference schedule this season for his Tigers.

Auburn (1-1, 0-0) stubbed their toe out of the gate in their first game against Baylor, 88-82, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Tigers built a double-digit second-half lead before the Bears made a late rally to complete the comeback.

The Tigers then returned home to The Loveliest Village on the Plains for their second game of the young season when Southeastern Louisiana visited Neville Arena and caught an 86-71 L.

Which brings us to game number three: a first-round matchup in the Legends Classic against Notre Dame (1-1, 0-0) in the Big Apple. The Tigers and Irish square off on Thursday night in the Barclays Center at 8 pm c on ESPN2. It will be the first ever matchup between the two programs on the hardwood.

Despite trailing by double-digits, Notre Dame was able to fight back and defeat Niagara, 73-60, to open up the season, but then fell to Western Carolina, 71-61, in game number two of the year.

The Tigers finished last season 21-13 overall and 11-4 in non-conference play, while the Irish completed their 2022-23 season with an 11-21 overall record and an 8-3 mark in non-con competition.

Pearl might have one of the deepest teams of his Auburn tenure boasting two solid options at each position. The Tigers have their sights set on a deep postseason run this year.

Auburn features preseason 1st-team All-SEC big man Johni Broome and diaper-dandy, five-star point guard Aden Holloway. Bruce added a few pieces from the portal in sharp-shooter Denver Jones, a stick of dynamite in Chad Baker-Mazara, and Chaney Johnson who sports a high basketball IQ. In Auburn’s first two games, all three transfers showed hints of their abilities to become commodities for Pearl’s squad this season.

But the backbone of Auburn’s 2023-24 men’s basketball team are the role players. Guys like Super Senior Jaylin Williams who exemplifies what it means to be a selfless teammate and sacrifice for the betterment of the team. After Auburn’s latest win, the fifth-year graduate senior became the all-time winningest player in Auburn basketball history with the 88th dub of his career.

Perhaps no player better epitomizes Auburn than 6-foot-11, 255-pound senior center Dylan Cardwell, who represents everything that’s right about college athletics. The energy Cardwell brings out on the court and off of it is why he’s a fan favorite. Watching this young man’s career and talent evolve during his time on The Plains has been a joy. Cardwell has been one of the biggest bright spots of Bruce Pearl’s program for his infectious personality alone.

Chillin’ with Dylan: Dunk Academy 🦅 pic.twitter.com/6rZwRu9UAD

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) November 8, 2023

And you certainly can’t forget about K.D. Johnson, Bruce Pearl’s pet Tasmanian devil. When this Auburn team needs a pick-me-up, K.D. is the shot of adrenaline straight into the heart, whose energy resonates with his teammates and the Auburn crowd alike.

Lest we forget about sophomore point guard Tre Donaldson who had a coming out party in last season’s NCAA Tournament win against Iowa. The former multi-sport star will be a critical piece and facilitator for Bruce this season sharing point guard duties with Holloway.

Last but certainly not least, Auburn senior forward Chris Moore’s gonna be that guy making all the hustle plays, diving for loose balls, running the length of the floor and blocking a layup off the backboard to start a fast break the other way. That’s the kind of player Chris Moore is, whose attributes may not always show up on the stat sheet.

Notre Dame, on the other hand is in rebuilding mode and a transitional phase under first-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry, who replaced Mike Brey after the former Irish head coach spent 23 seasons in South Bend.

Shrewsberry is still trying to identity the players and lineup that’s going to help bring Notre Dame stability in what’s sure to be a tough first season for the new Irish coach. He’s certainly a quality head coach after Notre Dame hired him away from Penn State, but it’s rather obvious that the Irish is going to struggle this season on the hardwood.

The Tigers come into the game Thursday night as 14.5-point favorites over the Irish. The oddsmakers believe it’s rather evident that Auburn should win this one going away, but you certainly can never take a win over a program like Notre Dame for granted.

Oklahoma State and St. Bonaventure meet in the second matchup of the Legends Classic. The winners from today’s Auburn-Notre Dame and Okie State-St. Bonnie games will play each other on Friday, while the losers will face-off in a consolation game. Friday’s games will tip off at 3:30 and 6 pm c on ESPN2 and ESPNU.

The last time the Tigers traveled to Brooklyn for the Legends Classic back in 2019, Auburn walked away with the crown after beating New Mexico and Richmond. Bruce’s boys will look to duplicate that success this year by taking a big bite out of the Big Apple.