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Auburn will head to Tucson, Arizona, next December for a nonconference game against the Arizona Wildcats.
The Tigers announced the game on Thursday, part of a home-and-home series with the first-year Big 12 program that will begin during the 2025-26 college basketball season. According to a release from the school, the date for Arizona’s return trip to Auburn has yet to be determined. AL.com’s Creg Stephenson reported the game will be played early on in the 2026-27 season.
When the 2 teams meet in McKale, it’ll be just the third matchup all-time between them. Auburn faced Arizona in 2018 as part of the Maui Invitational, winning 73-57. Auburn also won the first-ever meeting, beating the Wildcats 73-63 in the opening round of the 1986 NCAA Tournament.
Auburn is in the midst of a magical season this year. The Tigers are 26-2 and spending their seventh consecutive week atop the AP poll. A unanimous No. 1 this week, Auburn hammered Ole Miss 106-76. Bruce Pearl’s group is trending toward a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and a second SEC regular-season championship in 4 years.
Arizona, meanwhile, is ranked No. 22 in the AP poll but has lost 3 of its last 5. The Wildcats (19-9, 13-4 Big 12) were in the thick of the Big 12 regular-season title race before the tough stretch. Still, they’re on track to make a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under coach Tommy Lloyd. Each of the previous 3 have featured a top-4 seed.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
