The Auburn Tigers have started the season 3-0 against lower-tier teams. On Sunday, the competition will get much tougher. Auburn will play No. 2 Houston at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama in their first big game of the season.
The No. 23 Tigers enter the game as the underdog versus the Cougars. The ESPN Matchup Predictor has Houston with a chance of a victory at 73.8%. ESPN has Auburn with a 26.2% chance at a win. Both teams made deep runs into the NCAA Tournament last season with Auburn losing in the Final Four, and Houston coming up short in the National Championship Game. Both teams were defeated by the Florida Gators.
Like Auburn, Houston is 3-0 after defeating teams they were favored to defeat with wins over Lehigh, Towson, and Oakland. The game on Sunday will be the first game on the road for Houston. Even though the game is not in Auburn, it is expected to be a heavy Auburn crowd in Birmingham.
Leading the way for the Cougars is guard Emmanuel Sharp with 17 points per game. The second leading scorer for the team is guard Kinston Fleming at 15.7 points. Houston is coached by the legendary Kelvin Sampson, and his teams are always known for great defense.
Auburn has had great play through three games from UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall averaging 24.3 points per game and 11 rebounds. Guard Tahaad Pettiford has struggled so far this season with his shooting. He is averaging just 11 points per game and is shooting 28%. Auburn will need Pettiford to find his scoring versus the Cougars. Last season, Pettiford scored 21 points in a 74-69 win over Houston.
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The Auburn Tigers and Houston Cougars are scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast by ESPN.
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