Auburn gets a quick break from SEC play on Saturday with Oklahoma coming to town. Bruce Pearl knows the matchup won't be easy, but the break from SEC play and the opportunity to play against some different looks is something Pearl is looking forward to.

Led by Porter Moser, Oklahoma is 13-7 on the year fresh off a win against West Virginia and already has two SEC wins in Florida and Arkansas.

Having played and won all eight of its first 18 SEC games, Saturday's SEC/Big 12 Challenge game provides a new chance for Auburn.

"Typically leagues tend to run some of the same stuff, guard the same way," Pearl said. "You see it every night. You see somebody else, you see somebody else run their offense, and you all sort of put it together... And so, yeah, it'll be somewhat refreshing just from a schematic standpoint. I'm watching Big 12.

"You know, I've been watching Baylor or Kansas or West Virginia or different opponents that I really haven't studied all year long. So it's good to sort of step out and study some different teams."

Oklahoma also presents a unique challenge for Auburn. The strength of Auburn is its depth — being able to play nine guys consistently and having 10 or 11 players available and ready to contribute every game.

The Sooners are the same way. Nine different Oklahoma players average over 11 minutes per game. Tiring out Oklahoma and being able to outrun them is not really an option for Auburn on Saturday.

"Yeah, it may not come down to who’s going to be worn out; it’s going to come down to execution, come down to some last possessions, come down to some free throws," Pearl said.

Pearl called Moser "one of the best young coaches" earlier this week and is preparing to see a tough Oklahoma team that's right around the bubble for making the NCAA Tournament.

"Look, they're going to be really prepared as will we," Pearl said. "They've got a great staff. We've been working on them for a while, and they've been working on us for a while. But it'll be let's just say refreshing, but certainly not easy."

Auburn and Oklahoma will tipoff inside Auburn Arena at 1 p.m. CT, with the game available to watch on ESPN.