Auburn Basketball: Notable games from 2022-23 non-conference schedule
How difficult is Auburn Basketball’s non-conference schedule for the upcoming season? Here are some takeaways from the more notable games.
Last season’s non-conference campaign went very well for Auburn Basketball, going 12-1 overall. In fact, they were unbeaten in regulation, with the lone loss coming in double-overtime to the UConn Huskies. Some of their top non-SEC wins included against Syracuse, Loyola-Chicago, Saint Louis, and Oklahoma in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
All in all, it wasn’t the toughest schedule in the world but the Tigers avoided any pitfalls and did well enough in league play to get a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This time around though, things look a little tougher for the SEC program, as the non-conference schedule for the 2022-23 campaign has been released.
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Here are some thoughts about the tougher opponents for Auburn Basketball.
George Mason Patriots – Nov 7
This isn’t your normal opening night easy matchup, as the Patriots will be a tough out. They feature one of the best offensive frontcourt players in the country in Josh Oduro, who averaged 17.7 ppg and 7.5 rpg last season. He’ll be a good opening test for the new frontcourt of Johni Broome and Yohan Traore and how good defensively they’ll be.
Saint Louis Billikens – Nov 27
The Billikens likely will be the lone opponent that’s ranked on the preseason top-25 rankings and has one of the best backcourts in the country in Yuri Collins (who led the country in passing), Javonte Perkins, and Gibson Jimerson. They’ll be a test to the backcourt players and potentially the top overall opponent in the non-con.
Memphis Tigers – Dec 10 (in Atlanta)
Memphis always will be tough under Penny Hardaway but there aren’t five-star freshmen this time around. Instead, the star of the team is transfer import Kendric Davis, who was AAC Player of the Year at SMU. He leads a revamped backcourt filled with veterans that may not be as talented on paper as previous rosters but fits better overall. And that could make them more dangerous as a non-con opponent.
at USC Trojans – Dec 18
The frontcourt matchup between Broome and Traore at Auburn and freshmen Kajani Wright and Vince Iwuchukwu is going to be very interesting, especially from an NBA scouts perspective. Drew Peterson is USC’s best player and will be the guy to watch and the fact that the game is in Los Angeles makes this an intriguing one to watch.
at Washington Huskies – Dec 21
Washington wasn’t very good last season and probably won’t be this season, although Kentucky transfer Keion Brooks and Wazzu transfer Noah Williams are talented newcomers. With this game also being on the road and after USC, this is the ultimate “trap game” for Auburn if they don’t take this one seriously.
Next. Strength/weakness of each top-25 team. dark
at West Virginia Mountaineers – Jan 28
The Big 12/SEC Challenge matchup has Auburn on the road for another game, this time on a completely revamped Mountaineers squad. Texas transfer Tre Mitchell, former South Carolina guard Erik Stevenson, and Washington transfer wing Emmitt Matthews, Jr. are talented players and if they mesh well, could make WVU a much bigger threat than expected. Either way, it’ll be a raucous environment assuming that the Tigers are ranked in the top 25.