First Look: Auburn Men’s Basketball at Ballin in Boutwell

How to watch Auburn vs. Oklahoma State
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 15 | Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Boutwell Auditorium (Birmingham, AL)
TV: - | Live stream: Live via YouTube - Click here to watch

Auburn will be participating in this year’s Ballin in Boutwell tournament — a men’s and women’s basketball event focused on schools and culture in Alabama. In addition to Auburn, other participating in-state schools include Samford, Alabama A&M, and the University of Alabama. Out-of-state programs include Auburn’s opponent, Oklahoma State, and Alabama’s opponent, Florida State.
This tournament is set to be an in-person fan experience at Boutwell Auditorium, but there will also be a free live stream on YouTube presented by Hibbett.

Auburn vs. Oklahoma State

This will be a true first look for both teams — Auburn and Oklahoma State each return just one player: preseason first-teamer Tahaad Pettiford for Auburn and Robert Jennings II for Oklahoma State.

Though it’s just an exhibition, it’ll be exciting to see what Steven Pearl can do with the pieces he has this year. For those seeking refuge from the nightmare performance and officiating at Jordan-Hare this past Saturday, Auburn should win this one handily.

The starting lineup hasn’t been set yet, and outside of Pettiford, the two-through-five spots appear to be an open competition, with some favoring Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy to start.

Looking Forward

Predictions have Auburn landing around 20th in the AP Top 25 and finishing sixth in the SEC. There are a lot of questions heading into this season about Steven Pearl and how Auburn will adjust to a nearly brand-new roster. I believe this team has an incredibly high ceiling — and while Auburn did an excellent job adding top-tier talent from the portal, the floor might be lower than last year’s.

After another exhibition game against Memphis at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Auburn will open the regular season on the Plains against Bethune-Cookman.