Auburn men’s basketball returns to the court on Friday when the No. 22 Tigers (1-0) host the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (0-1).
The Tigers, who earned a 77-54 victory over Morehead State on Tuesday, were led by newcomers in the season opener. Auburn’s top two scorers, rebounders and assisters were all playing in their first game for Auburn.
Wendell Green Jr. tallied 19 points, while K.D. Johnson scored 12 points off the bench. Freshman Jabari Smith and transfer Walker Kessler both grabbed six rebounds, while Green and Smith each had three assists.
Louisiana-Monroe was 7-19 in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, which ended with a first-round loss to South Alabama in the Sun Belt Tournament. Under coach Keith Richard, who is in his 12th season leading the Warhawks, ULM has a record of 128-214.
ULM, much like Auburn, utilized the transfer portal to replace two starting guards. The Warhawks signed Reginald Gee from Austin Peay and Andre Jones from Nicholls State. Gee averaged 9.1 points per game for Austin Peay during the 2020-21 season, while Jones averaged 10.9 points per game for Nicholls State.
As a result, the Warhawks return a team loaded with experience. In addition to the transfers, the Warhawks returned guard Elijah Gonzales, who started 13 games last season. Forwards Thomas Howell, who started four games last year, and Russell Harrison, who started every game but two, also returns for Louisiana-Monroe.
The Warhawks began their season against one of Auburn’s conference rivals, LSU. ULM suffered a 101-39 defeat in Baton Rouge, but Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was quick to point out how the Warhawks began the game.
“It was 22-17 after about 12 minutes of play at LSU,” Pearl said. “We’ll be preparing for the team we saw in the first 12 minutes.”
Despite the recent struggles, Pearl sees the talent on the ULM team.
“I think they’re athletic, I think they’re deep, I think they’re really well-coached,” Pearl said. “Coach Richard has been there for a number of years and he’s got a great background and a great pedigree.”
Auburn has faced Louisiana-Monroe three times in program history, with the Tigers winning every time. Pearl is 9-0 against Sun Belt teams while at Auburn, including victories last season over South Alabama, Troy, and Appalachian State.
“The Sun Belt Conference is a great conference, it’s an athletic conference,” Pearl said.
Friday’s game will begin at 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed on the SEC Network-plus and ESPN-plus. Including last week’s exhibition, it will Auburn’s third game in eight days. It will be Auburn’s final home game until Wednesday, Dec. 1.
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Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
