Auburn Tigers Set to Take on FAU in Exhibition Game

In the final exhibition game ahead of the regular season, head coach Bruce Pearl has his expectations set for what he wants to see get fine tuned

The Auburn Tigers intend to get some aspects of their game ironed out in the next round of preseason action / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers take the floor for another scrimmage Friday night, hosting Florida Atlantic at Neville Arena. They get another tune-up game against a team that was in March Madness last season.

But this is a more formidable opponent. Florida Atlantic is coming off a 25-9 season in which they made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It competed in the Final Four in the 2023 season.

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl expects his team to be challenged more against the Owls than they were in the first exhibition game.

“The difference between Florida Atlantic and Furman would be the athleticism there,” Pearl said. “They’ve (Florida Atlantic) got size on the front line, length and veteran guards. Good depth, multiple defensively. We will have to play better against Florida Atlantic than we did against Furman to win the game.”

A key player to watch on FAU’s staff is guard Johnell Davis. He averaged 18.2 points per game last season and was lethal from beyond the arc with a 41.4% three-point percentage.

Auburn’s Miles Kelly, a point guard who transferred from Georgia Tech, missed the Furman game due to an illness but will play limited minutes against Florida Atlantic.

“Miles (Kelly) had his first contact practice yesterday,” Pearl said. “He’s available and will play, he won’t play a ton of minutes because of just getting back and getting in condition, but it’ll be great to have him back after being out a couple weeks.”

Auburn had a good showing on the defensive end of the floor against Furman, but Pearl hopes to see a stronger offensive effort against Florida Atlantic.

“A year ago, we were one of the best defensive teams in the country, defense travels,” Pearl said. “I’m hoping that’s something we can count on this year. I would say offensively, we’re going to have to play better than we played Sunday to be able to be more efficient scoring the ball.”

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at Neville Arena. There is no television broadcast, but the Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be heard on affiliate stations throughout the state of Alabama or can be streamed online.