AUBURN | Bruce Pearl isn't one afraid to hype up his opponents or the potential of a great matchup against his Tigers. But, the Auburn coach took it to another level when previewing Wednesday's battle against LSU.

"It'll be as good as it gets," Pearl said.

The calendar reads December, but this is the type of game with March-level intensity as No. 11 Auburn hosts the No. 16 and undefeated Bayou Bengals in Auburn Arena. The two teams have their sights on a deep run in the NCAA tournament and a spot atop the SEC standings. For Auburn to start 1-0 in conference play, it must solve the nation's second-best scoring defense, allowing just 54.1 points per game.

"What makes them so good defensively is they have great length and great athletes, and they press over 94 feet," Pearl said. "The other thing they do, unlike almost any team in the country, they switch everything. So they're man-to-man, but then they switch everything, so it's like a zone."

While the defense has been the key to its 12-0 start, LSU still has "eight dudes," as Pearl said, that can light it up offensively led by Darius Days. The 6-foot-7 forward enters the game averaging 15 points per game, shooting 38.2 percent from the three-point line. Defending him falls on the shoulders of Jabari Smith Jr., who has proven just as valuable on the defensive end of the court in his freshman season.

Days complements fellow forward Tari Eason (16.3 ppg) and Missouri transfer Xavier Pinson (10.8 ppg) in a balanced offense.

"They've got a nice blend of inside-outside stuff," Pearl said. "They're able to attack you one-on-one. ​​Coach Wade does a good job of creating spacing for Days to go at your one-on-one, Eason to go at you one-on-one."

It's Auburn's toughest test to date, and the Tigers can earn a big conference victory before the calendar switches to 2022. As Pearl said, it doesn't get much bigger than this.