Texas (12-8, 3-4 SEC) heads to Neville Arena on Wednesday evening hoping to gain some traction against Auburn (13-7, 4-3 SEC), a team riding a three-game winning streak that includes a 76-67 triumph over Florida. Which squad will come out on top?
Our Texas vs. Auburn breakdown examines the expected starting lineups, crucial individual battles, and a final score prediction for this SEC showdown.
Texas vs. Auburn Projected Lineups and Key Matchups
Texas Longhorns
- Tramon Mark (10.6 PPG)
- Jordan Pope (11.0 PPG)
- Dailyn Swain (16.9 PPG)
- Camden Heide (9.1 PPG)
- Matas Vokietaitis (15.1 PPG)
Auburn Tigers
- Tahaad Pettiford (14.9 PPG)
- Kevin Overton (13.1 PPG)
- Keyshawn Hall (20.9 PPG)
- Sebastian Williams-Adams (6.5 PPG)
- KeShawn Murphy (9.7 PPG)
Sean Miller enters Wednesday’s contest with an on-court career record of 499-204 (.710) in 21 seasons as a collegiate head coach, putting him one win from the 500-milestone.
Texas will make its first trip to Auburn since Feb. 11, 1911, the first game the Longhorns played east of the Mississippi River in program history.
Dailyn Swain has emerged as Texas’s most dangerous weapon. Through his first 20 games as a Longhorn, the talented junior has averaged career highs in points (16.9), assists (3.3), and steals (1.9).
Over his last two games, Swain has averaged 27.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals while converting 68.8 percent from the floor. He’ll face a stern test against Auburn’s length and athleticism.
Senior forward Keyshawn Hall is Auburn’s top player. The 6-7 transfer from Central Florida is averaging 20.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, which rank third and fifth, respectively, in the SEC.
Against Arkansas, the UCF transfer became the first Tiger since 1994 to record back-to-back 30-point games. Texas must find a way to limit his touches without overcommitting and leaving Auburn’s shooters open.
Steven Pearl, in his first season as head coach after Bruce Pearl’s retirement, has Auburn playing at a high level at home with an 11-3 record. Auburn leads the all-time series 2-1, with the last meeting an 87-82 Auburn win on Jan. 7, 2025, in Austin.
Texas vs. Auburn Prediction and Preview
Both of these teams are fresh off a weekend win over a ranked opponent, but only one can keep the momentum going in a game that my numbers have viewed as a near coin flip in terms of profile.
These two programs rank just three spots apart in my power rankings, and that’s saying something in a sport that has 365 teams.
Auburn’s overall profile is a little less impressive, but when you adjust for the fifth hardest strength of schedule, this game could come down to the wire. If that’s going to be the case, I typically side with “easy” points.
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The Longhorns rank in the bottom 20% of D-I teams in terms of opponent free throws attempted per field goal, a weakness that is always at risk of being exploited when playing on the road.
Auburn’s front court can’t shoot free throws for anything, but if this game is as tightly contested as I expect, it’ll be their guard initiating everything, and their three primary scorers all shoot north of 80% from the line.
Combine that with slightly less turnover equity and my belief that Tahaad Pettiford is an NBA talent, I’ve got the Tigers escaping, but not without a fight.
Prediction: Auburn 79, Texas 74
How To Watch Texas vs. Auburn
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2025
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Auburn, AL
- Arena: Neville Arena
- TV Channel: ESPN2
- Live Stream: FuboTV
