Auburn's run to back-to-back SEC regular-season titles now has somewhat of a path after the league announced the Tigers' conference opponents on Wednesday. While the order and times of the game are still to be determined, we know the home schedule highlights matchups against Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama, while a tough road trip to Kentucky awaits Bruce Pearl's team.
Here's a quick breakdown of the slate Auburn faces, along with a prediction of records at home and on the road.
Toughest Home Game
Arkansas' program is back to being conference and national title contenders under Eric Musselman, and the Razorbacks could easily be the favorites to win the SEC in 2022-23 despite losing their four top scorers. Look for K.D. Johnson, Wendell Green and those remaining from Auburn's roster last year to have some extra motivation after losing in Fayetteville as the No. 1 team in the nation last season.
Toughest Home-and-Home
As both teams try to duplicate their title-winning seasons, Pearl and Rick Barnes will meet up twice. The Vols have Santiago Vescovi coming back for yet another season, while incoming freshman, Julian Phillips, has a lot of hype going into his college career. Tennessee got the best of Auburn last year in Knoxville. We will see if Auburn can pull off the sweep.
Toughest Road Game
It will be 35 years since an Auburn team has walked into Rupp Arena and won a game. That will be a challenging streak to end as Kentucky, per usual, will have a talented team full of five-star recruits ready to get the program back to winning a title.
And, let's just say an Auburn starter, unfortunately, gets hurt, and the Tigers do lose. It's not a loss per Kentucky rules. So there's that.
Lucky Draw
The Tigers avoid another dreaded venue in Gainesville as the Gators, now with former Auburn assistant Todd Golden in charge, come to the Plains for the one matchup this season. Colin Castleton gave the Tigers problems last season and is back for a fifth year.
Bruce Loses His Voice
The layout of Memorial Gymnasium, with the raised floor and benches on the opposite sides under both baskets, will never make sense and remain one of the weirdest home-court advantages in college basketball. During the first half, with Auburn on offense on the other end of the court, Pearl might need to yell a few extra decibels louder.
Possible GameDay games
Hopefully, ESPN skips Lexington if that game is on the weekend. My best bet for the show to come to Auburn is the Arkansas or Tennessee matchup. It all depends on what day these games are played, though.
Sneaky Road Trip
Auburn learned in the SEC Tournament in March that Texas A&M is not to be fooled with, and a trip to College Station to take on the Aggies will provide a stern test. Buzz Peterson has that team ready for a breakout season.
Predicted Home Record
There's no reason to believe that Neville Arena won't continue to be one of the most challenging places to play in college basketball, so any team walking out of it with a victory will have achieved something great. Of course, Arkansas and Tennessee will be the biggest challenges, and Alabama will want to ruin Auburn's day on its court. Still, I think the Tigers live off the crowd, and the fantastic run at home will continue.
Record: 8-0
Predicted Away Record
Two of the Tigers' three conference losses on the road were understandable in Arkansas and Tennessee. Only the Florida defeat stood out as the Gators struggled through a lot of the season. Trips to Rupp Arena and Thompson-Boling Arena might be too much for the Tigers, but don't be shocked if they leave one of those places with a victory.
Record: 6-2
Best Atmosphere
It will be payback against Arkansas, and I don't think it will be close. While the Alabama game is always a great environment, Auburn and the Razorbacks will likely be battling for SEC supremacy when they meet. So make this a CBS Saturday afternoon game, please.
