Steven Pearl on Auburn basketball’s 2026-27 schedule: ‘Difficult as it’s been in the past’
The Tigers will face Arizona at home and compete in the Players Era tournament against West Virginia, with potential matchups against Kansas, Houston, or Florida.
Olivia Bennett 
When Bruce Pearl held the reins of the Auburn basketball program, he curated the 2025 schedule with one singular focus: returning to the Final Four. Following that campaign, which saw the team miss the tournament entirely and finish with a 17-16 record, the program shifted toward a new era under his son, Steven Pearl.
A Challenging Road Ahead
As Steven Pearl takes the lead on nonconference scheduling, he remains committed to keeping the Tigers battle-tested. Speaking to 205focus.com during the SEC spring meetings, Pearl noted that he expects the upcoming slate to maintain a top-25 strength of schedule ranking.
"Not as tough, but it’ll be a top 25 strength of schedule," Pearl said. "Obviously, we play Arizona at home. They’ll be a top five, top 10 team coming in the season. We’re also playing in the Players Era against West Virginia, which was a tough draw in that 1st game. And then if you win, you got to play teams like Kansas or Houston or Florida."
The Tigers aim to improve upon last season's results, where they struggled against Houston and Arizona but secured a signature road win against Florida. Beyond those marquee matchups, Auburn is scheduled to head to Nashville this December to face Wisconsin and will take on an opponent in the road ACC/SEC Challenge.
Building the Resume
"So, schedule will be really difficult as it has been in the past, but for us, I feel like that just gives us a great opportunity to build our resume and get us ready for SEC play," Pearl said.
Auburn Athletics Director John Cohen expressed full confidence in the staff's ability to navigate this transition and reach the NCAA tournament. "Steven’s done a great job for the last 10 years evaluating kids," Cohen told 205focus.com. "There’s two final fours that are a result of he and that staff doing a great job with evaluation, especially out of the portal. So, we’re very confident in his ability to continue to do that."
The 2026-27 squad features a major roster overhaul with ten newcomers, complemented by key returners Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton. As the team officially began preparations for the new season this week, they are also gearing up for a foreign tour in Greece scheduled for August.
