No. 2 Auburn visits Texas in SEC road opener – Auburn Tigers

AUBURN, Ala. – A leading contender for National Player of the Year, Johni Broome embraces the No. 2, Auburn faces back-to-back SEC games this week away from Neville Arena.

“If you want to be one of the best teams in the country, you have to be able to win on the road,” Broome said. “We wanted this to test ourselves again. Going to Texas and South Carolina will be a good test for us.”

The first part of that test takes place late Tuesday in Austin, Texas, when the Tigers visit one of the SEC’s newest members.

“They have a really good roster,” Auburn center Dylan Cardwell said. “It’s going to be challenging to win there in Texas. What stands out to me is how deep their roster goes.”

Texas picked up non-conference wins over Syracuse and North Carolina State before dropping its SEC opener 80-60 at Texas A&M in a game tied at halftime.

“We’ve had a lot of big games and I think this one definitely qualifies,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “That qualifies for both teams. This is a quad-one opportunity for us. Texas is a household name in intercollegiate athletics. Everything they do at Texas is big and they do it pretty well.”

By virtue of Auburn’s No. 2 ranking, a win over the Tigers would build the resume of any team that can pull it off.

“They’re looking for a signature win,” Pearl said. “One they could hang their hat on. This is their first opportunity in the league at home. I would imagine they will be fired up to play the #2 in the country in their building.

“The price on our head is significant. When you can beat teams that are ranked, it’s a separator. We’ll have to play our best to win.”

A win over the Longhorns would push Pearl past Joel Eaves for most wins in program history.

“It means the world to me to be connected to history,” Cardwell said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something so special.”

“It’s important to us,” Broome said.

At Monday’s practice, before the Tigers flew to Texas, Pearl gathered his team for a question-and-answer session.

“One of the questions I’ll ask the team in preparation is, ‘Tell me what they’re saying about teams that can win on the road. What are they saying about them?'” Pearl said. “We fill in the blanks and we’ll see if they’re the ones we are.”

This process begins on Tuesday at 20 CT at the Moody Center in Austin when Auburn (13-1, 1-0) tips off against Texas (11-3, 0-1) on ESPN2. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will bring the action to listeners on the Auburn Sports Network.

Jeff Shearer is a senior writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer