Auburn Basketball Falls to Florida State in First Exhibition of 2026-27 Season
Auburn couldn't slow down Florida State's late run, falling 82-71 in its first exhibition game of the 2026-27 season.
Nobody should be jumping to conclusions after one exhibition, and I'll try not to. For some perspective, Bruce Pearl's Auburn team lost to Barry University in a 2017-18 preseason exhibition before going on to win the SEC regular-season title.
Here are seven rapid takeaways from Auburn's first time on the court together this season, followed by some additional thoughts.
- Auburn was without three legitimate rotation players in Kolby King, Mantas Rubštavičius, and Owen Freeman. Would these players have changed the outcome? Nobody knows. I'm not a Muschalek hater, but I imagine a combination of Rubštavičius and King could significantly cut into Blake's minutes.
- The bigs, Narcisse Ngoy and Bukky Oboye, have landed. Their coordination and rebounding have some catching up to do. Surprised to lose on the boards in this one.
- As a follow-up, what does playing both centers look like? A conditioning nightmare like the broadcast team alluded to? My crystal ball says "Yes".
- George Kimble III responded well after being chewed out by Coach Pearl, posting six points, six rebounds, and six assists. Adam Olsen is a welcome addition as a shooter. FSU's Marcis Ponder was elite.
- The returning backcourt has nowhere to go but up after Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton combined to shoot 9-of-33 from the floor.
- Auburn's free-throw numbers can only improve after the Tigers attempted just 14 free throws in a game featuring 54 combined attempts.
- Unfortunately, Florida State looks like middle-of-the-pack competition for the Tigers.
Big Men on Campus
Auburn lacked a true center last year, and now the Tigers have two to play with. Bukky Oboye started the game but appeared to be no match for Florida State's true freshman, Marcis Ponder. Narcisse Ngoy fared better in the matchup, but Auburn still lost the rebound battle 51-40. Ponder ended the game with an imposing 21 boards.
Oboye shot 1-of-6 from the floor and could not contain Ponder. Additionally, any momentum Auburn had completely evaporated when FSU's Kam Taylor dunked over the 7-footer. It wasn't all bad, however. Oboye posted eight rebounds and three blocks.
Shooters Shoot
And oftentimes, far too much! The Tigers fell into their dreaded three-ball trap once again, missing 10 of their first 12 from beyond the arc. It felt like the Tigers saw 42 questionable looks from deep and shot all 42 of them, making just 13.
The two biggest offenders, Pettiford and Overton, attempted 11 and 10 three-pointers, respectively, making just six combined. Olsen made 3-of-6, which put him in double figures at 11 points.
Team Stats
REB 0 | AST 2 | TO 4 | MIN 30
REB 4 | AST 0 | TO 0 | MIN 20
REB 5 | AST 0 | TO 3 | MIN 33
REB 6 | AST 6 | TO 3 | MIN 23
REB 4 | AST 1 | TO 2 | MIN 16
REB 6 | AST 3 | TO 3 | MIN 24
REB 0 | AST 1 | TO 1 | MIN 15
REB 0 | AST 0 | TO 0 | MIN 7
REB 1 | AST 1 | TO 1 | MIN 9
REB 8 | AST 0 | TO 1 | MIN 23
REB 40 | AST 14 | TO 18
Auburn Basketball's Remaining Exhibition Schedule
Auburn has two exhibitions remaining: a matchup against Alabama at Legacy Arena in Birmingham and a home game against Samford at Neville Arena.
There's plenty to learn from this first outing. Auburn has added the size it lacked last season, but the Tigers still need to figure out how to use it. Better shot selection, stronger rebounding and improved chemistry will be key as the team works toward the regular season.
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