Auburn Basketball: 2018-19 Tigers season preview

SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 16: Bryce Brown #2 of the Auburn Tigers reacts as they take on the Charleston Cougars in the second half in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. The Auburn Tigers won 62-58. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 18: Malik Dunbar /

Non-conference Schedule

November 6: South Alabama
November 9: No. 25 Washington
November 14: Mississippi College (Division II)
November 19: Xavier (Maui Invitational)
November 20: No. 4 Duke/San Diego State (Maui Invitational)
November 21: Arizona/Iowa State/No. 3 Gonzaga/Illinois (Maui Invitational)
November 28: Saint Peter’s
December 4: UNC Asheville
December 8: Dayton
December 15: UAB
December 19: NC State
December 22: Murray State
December 29: North Florida

Auburn is looking at a difficult non-conference slate that could potentially face two Preseason AP Top-5 opponents in Duke and Gonzaga, both of which are among the elite programs featured in this year’s Maui Invitational.

Of their guaranteed non-conference contests, Washington, Xavier and NC State are the most dangerous teams the Tigers will face. Washington is the lone preseason ranked program, and the Huskies are most certainly talented. The group returns four double-figure scorers from last season including Jaylen Nowell, a likely First Team All-Pac guard, and three other seniors. The Auburn-Washington matchup is one of the most intriguing in the first week of the college basketball season.

Xavier loses several key players from a team that earned them a No. 1 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament. The group returns some talent, but Auburn should handle the Musketeers and advance to the next round of the Maui Invitational, where it will likely face No. 4 Duke.

I don’t see Auburn losing any games unexpectedly, but if two teams were to scare the Tigers, it would be Dayton and Murray State. Both squads feature a superstar that doesn’t have much help around him, so the Tigers’ veteran squad really only needs to focus on one matchup on the defensive end of the floor.

Auburn should enter conference play in a very talented Southeastern Conference with, ideally, two or fewer losses, both of which could come from the Maui Invitational. Washington and Duke, the latter being a virtually guaranteed game, are surely the two biggest threats for the Tigers.

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