The Tigers are finally back home on Sunday. And yet another sellout crowd could feed right into their biggest strength in this matchup.
This afternoon, the Tigers will play their 43rd straight sellout game in Neville Arena. Grabbing tickets at face value had to be done many months ago. For those trying the secondary market, the cheapest pair of tickets at StubHub on Saturday afternoon could be purchased for over $100 each. The get-in price for a solo seat was $96.
And this isn’t a game against a powerhouse SEC rival. It’s not even a visit from a team currently ranked in the top 25. In fact, the team Auburn will face has lost three of its last four games.
But the hottest ticket for Auburn basketball from the start of the season to a rivalry showdown with Alabama in early February was always going to be this one: a matchup against a star-studded USC team—and all the attention that comes with it.
More than 45 NBA front office personnel representing all but three of the league’s teams will be in attendance. Various national college basketball media members will parachute in to cover the game. ESPN is televising it.
USC signed the No. 3 recruiting class in 2023, led by No. 1 overall composite prospect Isaiah Collier and 5-star guard Bronny James. (You probably know his dad.)
The Trojans also signed two more top-100 prospects to go along with a roster that returned fifth-year scoring sensation Boogie Ellis and had a pair of NBA relatives in DJ Rodman and Kobe Johnson. (You probably know Rodman’s dad. Atlanta Hawks fans definitely know Johnson’s brother.
James made his USC debut last Sunday after a serious medical episode in the preseason. He only played 16 minutes in what would be an overtime home loss to Long Beach State.
No disrespect to the famous second-generation standout, but the major attention in this matchup will go to Collier and Ellis. Collier, an Atlanta native that Auburn recruited early, is a physical, do-it-all 6-foot-5 point guard. Ellis, who started his career at Memphis before settling at USC, is a familiar face who averages 21.4 points per game.
“Well, we’ve got our hands full on Sunday, preparing for what is probably the best combination of two guards that we’ll see all year long with Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis,” Bruce Pearl said Friday. “Isaiah was the No. 1 recruit in the country. We were recruiting him to Auburn. It is probably a consensus top-five pick in the draft next year. Just a great downhill, physical pro point guard. Great size and length. Great athleticism. Great ability to finish, playmake. Very aggressive player.
“And then Boogie Ellis is probably the best scoring guard that we’ll see. I mean, he lit us up for 28 last year. He’s a tough cover. Those guys account for almost half of the offense. It’s going to be really challenging for our guards. Where our bigs can help out, they can help out.”
It’s an intimidating matchup, even for an Auburn team that currently has a top-15 defense in adjusted efficiency, per KenPom.
But Auburn should have plenty of confidence, having won seven of its last eight games and coming directly off of two lopsided neutral-site victories.
And it’ll also be playing in Neville Arena for the first time in nearly three whole weeks, putting a 48-game non-conference home winning streak on the line.
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