How to Watch Auburn Tigers vs. Purdue Boilermakers, Betting Odds, Game Notes

Everything you need to know as the No. 2 Auburn Tigers take on the Purdue Boilermakers in Birmingham, Ala. on Saturday.

Auburn Tigers forward Chaney Johnson had 26 points off the bench vs. Georgia State after Johni Broome was injured. / Photo by Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

The No. 2 Auburn Tigers take on the Purdue Boilermakers at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala. on Saturday afternoon in their final game before Christmas. 

Auburn was led to a convincing victory over Georgia State by a breakout performance from forward Chaney Johnson inside Neville Arena on Tuesday night to improve to 10-1. 

Purdue comes into this contest after falling 70-66 to No. 17 Texas A&M in Indianapolis, Ind. last Saturday, making its record 8-3.

On that note, here’s everything you need to know for the game. 

How to watch the Auburn Tigers take on the Purdue Boilermakers

The television broadcast for the game can be found on ESPN, Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas will have the call. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. CT. 

How to listen to the Auburn Tigers take on the Purdue Boilermakers

The Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be heard locally on 94.3 FM, on affiliate stations throughout the Southeast, or streamed anywhere on the Auburn Tigers app or on AuburnTigers.com.

Andy Burcham, Randall Dickey and Brad Law will have the radio call.

Series history between the Auburn Tigers and the Purdue Boilermakers

This is the fourth meeting between the programs, Purdue leads the series 2-1. The Boilermakers won the last meeting in Cancun in 2016.

Key Players to Watch

Star Auburn big man Johni Broome continues to dominate early in the season, but is questionable for this game. Chaney Johnson will be looking to build on the success he had on Tuesday night after he had 26 points coming off the bench in Broome's absence.

6-foot-9 junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn leads Purdue in points and rebounds per game, averaging 18.2 and 6.5 respectively. Additionally, Kaufman-Renn averages 2.5 assists per game and is shooting 57.3% from the field. 

Betting Odds:

Auburn is favored to pick up the win over Purdue according to FanDuel. Here is the spread, money lines and over/under as of Friday afternoon.

Spread: Auburn (-9.5)

Moneylines: Auburn (-450), Purdue (+340)

O/U: 149.5

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER

» The Battle in Birmingham presented by Alabama Department of Public Health is up next for No. 2 Auburn (10-1) as it prepares for a Saturday showdown with No. 16 Purdue (8-3) before a sold-out crowd at Legacy Arena. The contest is part of a two-game series with the Boilermakers as both teams will take part in the Indy Classic next season in Indianapolis.

» Auburn is looking for its sixth Quad 1 win of the season. The Tigers currently lead the nation with five Quad 1 wins and one loss. No other team has more than three Quad 1 wins.

» A victory would give the Tigers their fourth win versus a ranked opponent this year, which would match the number of regular-season, non-conference wins versus Top 25-ranked opponents in program history before this year.

» This season, the SEC is 9-7 versus the Big Ten Conference including Auburn’s 91-53 rout of Ohio State as part of Holiday Hoopsgiving on Dec. 14 in Atlanta.

» Auburn is 5-1 all-time playing in Birmingham under head coach Bruce Pearl. The Tigers last played in Birmingham during the 2023 NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds beating Iowa, 83-75, and later falling to top-seeded Houston, 81-64.

» Both AU and Purdue are playing their fifth ranked non-conference opponent this season, which will be tied with Baylor, Butler and North Carolina, for the most in college basketball entering the holiday break. The Tigers close out their non-conference slate with Monmouth on Dec. 30 at Neville Arena.

» Purdue is the fourth team Auburn has faced currently ranked in the Top 20 in 3-point field goal percentage. The AU defense held Houston, Memphis and Ohio State to just 5.7 made threes on only 12.7 attempts.

» The Tigers are one of only two teams in the SEC currently with six players averaging double figures in the scoring column (Broome, Baker-Mazara, Jones, Pettiford, Johnson and Kelly) next to Kentucky.

» Four Tigers have scored at least 20 points in a game including a game-and Auburn career-high 26-point output from Chaney Johnson in a 100-59 rout of Georgia State post-final exams.

A LOOK AT PURDUE

» Preseason Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and junior guard Braden Smith is one of three double-figure scorers for Purdue averaging 13.4 points (42.6 percent 3PT shooter), 8.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.

» Junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renin currently leads the Boilermakers averaging 18.2 ppg and junior guard Fletcher Loyer 13.5 ppg. Smith and Loyer have made 47 combined 3-pointers and are 45.6 percent combined from three as Purdue is 40.1 percent from beyond the arc as a team.

» Auburn is the fourth SEC team (all ranked) Purdue has played after beating then-No. 2 Alabama, 87-78, in West Lafayette, Ind., No. 23 Ole Miss, 80-78, in San Diego and falling, 70-66, to No. 17 Texas A&M in Indianapolis.

» Head Coach Matt Painter’s 455 wins ranks fourth most in Big Ten Conference history. He has led Purdue to 15 NCAA Tournament berths including its last nine.

» Purdue’s averaging 10.1 turnovers in its eight wins and 18.3 turnovers in its three losses of the season.

INSIDE THE SERIES

» This is the fourth all-time meeting between Auburn and Purdue. The Boilermakers lead the series 2-1 and have won their last two games against the Tigers.

» Auburn’s lone win in the series came in a 59-58 victory in South Bend, Ind., during the first round of the 1985 NCAA Tournament as the Tigers went on to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history under head coach Sonny Smith.

» Purdue beat Auburn, 79-61, in the 2001 NIT Second Round in West Lafayette, Ind., in the only game on either teams’ campus in the series.

» Both teams last met in the 2016 Cancun Challenge, where No. 17 Purdue knocked off Auburn, 96-71, in Cancun, Mexico.

AUBURN-PURDUE SERIES

W, 59-58 on March 14, 1985 in South Bend, Ind.

L, 61-79 on March 20, 2001 in West Lafayette, Ind.

L, 71-96 on Nov. 23, 2016 in Cancun, Mexico

SIDEBARS

» Bruce Pearl, who previously coached at then NCAA Division II Southern Indiana and led the Screaming Eagles to the NCAA Division II National Championship title in 1995, worked alongside Katie Loyer, mother of Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer (born on Sept. 1, 2003). She was the head volleyball coach for USI during the 1996-97 season and honored as GLVC Coach of the Year leading the team to a 27-4 record.

» Pearl also knew Fletcher’s father, John, an NBA scout, who was the interim head coach for the Detroit Pistons for a time. “I knew Fletcher’s parents before he did,” Coach Pearl joked in his weekly press conference.

» Auburn holds a 64-33-1 all-time record when playing in Birmingham including a 5-1 mark under Pearl.

» The Tigers will have numerous “Road Witnesses” in attendance with the Birmingham AU Alumni Club out in full force at Legacy Arena on Saturday. A ticket is easier to find on the road than at home (Auburn has sold out 60-straight games at Neville Arena).

AGAINST THE BIG TEN

» Auburn is 14-14 lifetime against the 2024-25 members of the Big Ten Conference. The Tigers are 8-2 against the current configuration of the Big Ten under Bruce Pearl winning their last five games against these teams, although USC (1-1) and Washington (2-0) were members of the Pac-12 when Auburn played them.

» This is the second-straight Saturday Auburn has played against a Big Ten opponent after the Tigers defeated Ohio State, 91-53, last week as part of Holiday Hoopsgiving at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. It was the Buckeyes’ largest loss (-38) outside of a true road game in program history and its largest loss since 1994.

ON THE NATIONAL SCENE

» Auburn is sixth in the country averaging 88.5 points per game, which puts the Tigers on pace to set a new program record for scoring offense. The Tigers have topped the 100-point mark twice this season (102 vs. North Alabama and vs. Georgia State) and the 90-point plateau six times including the last three games and four of the last five.

» Additionally, the Tigers are 15th nationally averaging 18.7 assists per game compared to just 7.5 for AU’s opponents. They have recorded at least 23 assists in a game four times this season. Six players have more than 20 assists and all six have at least 10 more assists than turnovers on the season.

» Auburn has shot over 50 percent five times overall including a season-best 61.9 percent against North Alabama and 57.4 percent against Georgia State on Tuesday night.

» Against Purdue, the Tigers are looking to shoot at least 50 percent in consecutive games for the second time this season after shooting 56.3 percent against Vermont in the season opener, before shooting 52.9 percent against No. 4 Houston.

AUBURN’S TOP SCORING OFFENSES

Rank Season PPG

1. 1991-92 86.6

2. 2023-24 83.1

3. 1970-71 82.1

4. 1977-78 82.0

5. 2017-18 81.9

6. 1974-75 81.73

7. 1993-94 81.71

8. 1975-76 81.3

9. 1998-99 81.2

10. 1976-77 80.5

SECOND-HALF DOMINANCE

» Auburn also leads the country with a +13.2 scoring margin in the second half. The Tigers have outscored opponents, 514-369 (46.7-33.5), after halftime.

» On Tuesday night against Georgia State, Auburn outscored the Panthers, 57-28, in the second half of play, during which the Tigers shot 69.2 percent (18-of-26) from the floor, 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from 3-point range and 15-of-20 from the foul line.

» In a win over No. 5 Iowa State at the Maui Invitational, Auburn outscored the Cyclones, 50-32, in the second half to erase a 16-point halftime deficit. The Tigers shot 54.5 percent (18-of-33) overall, 38.5 percent from long range and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line after halftime in the comeback win.

AUBURN AGAINST RANKED FOES

» Auburn is 130-39 as a ranked team under Coach Pearl. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 24-31 versus ranked opponents and 17-12 in ranked matchups (both teams) under Pearl.

» This season, the Tigers are 3-1 against Top 25 competition with wins over No. 5 Iowa State (83-81) and No. 12 North Carolina (85-72) at the Maui Invitational and No. 4 Houston, 74-69, as part of the Mattress Firm Battleground 2k in Houston, Texas. Their lone loss of the season came at No. 9 Duke (84-78) at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

PLAYER TO WATCH: CHANEY JOHNSON

» With Johni Broome playing only two minutes in the Tigers’ last outing versus Georgia State, senior forward Chaney Johnson was the “next man up” and boy did he deliver.

» Johnson registered an Auburn career-high 26 points on 12-of-14 field goals to go with eight rebounds, a season-high-tying four assists and a season-high two steals against the Panthers. It was the second-most points scored by an AU player this season behind Broome’s 30 points against North Alabama on Nov. 18. He also had four monstrous dunks that got The Jungle rockin’.

» Johnson, an Alabaster native, who returns home to the Birmingham area this weekend, is the team’s fifth-leading scorer (10.6 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (6.0 ppg). He is also shooting a team-best 62.0 percent from the field this season and is second on the team in offensive rebounds (21) and third in blocked shots (10).