In its first exhibition game against Furman, Auburn forced 18 Paladin turnovers and scored 24 points from those giveaways.

But that was Furman without its starting point guard.

Things won't be as easy for the Tigers against Florida Atlantic according to Bruce Pearl.

"Florida Atlantic is a really good team," Pearl said. "They're going to run good stuff, hard-to-guard stuff, get excellent preparation. The difference between Furman and Florida Atlantic would be the athleticism. They've got SEC size on the frontline, length and veteran, older guards. Good depth, multiple defensively."

A big factor in Auburn's opportunistic defense? Its two freshmen, Jahki Howard and Tahaad Pettiford.

The two former 4-stars combined to score 23 points and record five steals to go along with numerous highlight plays against Furman on Sunday.

It's why Pearl believes the fanbase will love the two freshmen.

"They both have a different level: Speed, athleticism and jumping ability," Pearl said. "They're absolutely going to be crowd favorites because of their athleticism."

And while the two freshmen will have electric moments, as they did against Furman, they're also going to have rough moments because they are still 18 years old.

Against Furman, Pettiford had a turnover where he threw the ball over Johni Broome's head because he was going too fast on a fast break. Howard got beat defensively a couple of times because he gambled for steals.

Pearl expects that from them, but he also knows that they will be real contributors from day one.

"They're gonna do a lot of really good things," Pearl said. "Now, they're gonna make some mistakes, because they're freshmen. But they're good. They're gonna be a big part of this team."

Auburn and Florida Atlantic tip off at 7 pm CT from Neville Arena. The game will not be televised but will be broadcasted on the Auburn Sports Network.