The Stretch 4: Auburn wants to step its game up vs. Florida Atlantic

The Tigers finish their preseason prep Friday with a home exhibition that looks comparable to next week's season opener.

PG/SG Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn Basketball/Twitter)

AUBURN — Do you know the easiest way you can tell that Friday night is going to be a special one inside Neville Arena?

For starters, it’s because people still have a chance to get into the building.

“How many times have you heard me say this: Tickets are available for purchase for an Auburn basketball game,” Bruce Pearl said Thursday afternoon. “I haven't said that in five, six years, at least.”

Usually, Auburn basketball home games are among the toughest tickets in the country. Season tickets have been sold out for quite some time, and what little is left for single games usually go quickly.

But Friday night is different. It will be the first time Auburn has hosted an exhibition matchup against a Division I team under the NCAA’s new rules.

All proceeds will go to the university’s Melton Scholars Program, which seeks to “increases access for underrepresented students and supports them throughout their Auburn experience.”

“I'm really excited about it,” Pearl said. “The proceeds from this game are going to go to that scholarship. That's a big commitment from the athletic department to forgo the revenue that will generate from what is virtually a sellout. … Everybody that buys a ticket is making a donation to the scholarship program, which I think is really cool.

“And then we hope that when people come to the game, they hear more about the scholarship program. Maybe, as they evaluate their giving to Auburn, it might be something that would strike a nerve with them and say, ‘You know, I'd like to sponsor one of those students.’”

Earlier this week, Auburn went on the road to Furman and won its first exhibition, 83-62. Now, the Tigers will wrap up their preseason preparations with a home matchup — the first in Neville Arena in almost eight full months — against Florida Atlantic.

The Owls are coming off of back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a remarkable run to the Final Four. And while Dusty May is now coaching the likes of Tre Donaldson at Michigan, Pearl expects a real challenge out of a revamped Florida Atlantic roster under the direction of John Jakus.

“(Jakus) is a new coach from Baylor who had been with Scott Drew for a long time,” Pearl said. “Before that, Mark Few. Before that, international basketball. 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.”

Up front, Florida Atlantic will be led by 6-foot-11 Florida State transfer Baba Miller — who was a top-50 recruit coming out of high school — and 7-foot international import Matas Vokietaitis. In the backcourt, the Owls have sixth-year senior guard KyKy Tandy, fifth-year wing Ken Evans Jr. and third-year combo guard Leland Walker.

Last Saturday, Florida Atlantic defeated non-Division I opponent Saint Leo by 51, despite going just 4-19 from 3-point range as a team. In both KenPom and T-Rank, Florida Atlantic is just a few spots behind season-opening opponent Vermont. Auburn is projected to win that game next Wednesday by a range of 13 to 16 points.

“We'll have to play better against Florida Atlantic than we did Furman to win the game,” Pearl said.

For a full preview on what to expect from Auburn basketball’s exhibition against Florida Atlantic on Friday night, here’s the latest edition of The Stretch 4.