Auburn basketball is lined up to play one of its toughest schedules under [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] this season by participating in the Maui Invitational field with Iowa State and North Carolina, an ACC/SEC Challenge matchup with Duke, and an always difficult SEC slate.
The Tigers’ schedule became tougher on Monday as it was announced that Auburn will meet up with Purdue for a two-game series beginning this December.
According to a press release from Auburn Athletics, the series will begin on December 21 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, and will conclude on December 20, 2025 at Gainbridge FieldHouse in Indianapolis. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is excited to play one of college basketball’s top programs.
“I am grateful to Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers for agreeing to a two-game series to be played this year in Birmingham and next year in Indianapolis,” Pearl said. “Matt has one of the finest college basketball programs in the country. His kids play hard and play the right way. Purdue is one of the top programs in the Big Ten winning three conference championships and being ranked No. 1 nationally over the last three seasons.
The Boilermakers own a 2-1 all-time lead over Auburn historically, most recently winning a game over the Tigers in the 2016 Cancun Challenge, 96-71. Purdue has become one of college basketball’s premier programs over the last three years by boasting a 92-19 record in that span. Purdue enjoyed its most successful season in program history last season by winning 34 games and reaching the NCAA Tournament final before losing to UConn.
In May, Pearl alluded to this season’s nonconference schedule could be the toughest of his tenure on the Plains. The nonconference portion of the schedule has not been finalized, so the possibility of Auburn’s out-of-SEC slate becoming tougher remains open.
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