Seven months to the day, No. 20 Auburn returned to State Farm Arena for the first time since punching its ticket to the Final Four — but this time, with an entirely new look.
With Steven Pearl at the helm, newcomer Keyshawn Hall put on a show, posting 20 points in Auburn’s 100-71 victory over Memphis in its final exhibition game.
“I thought our guys responded well to a disappointing performance against Oklahoma State,” Pearl said.
Turnovers plagued Memphis, as 17 of its 23 giveaways came in the first half, allowing Auburn to seize control early.
“It was about coming out, punching them in the mouth and not relaxing,” Hall said.
Auburn’s defense looked much crisper Thursday night, holding Penny Hardaway’s squad to 71 points and 36.8% shooting from the field. It was a strong bounce-back performance after Auburn surrendered 97 points in its overtime loss to Oklahoma State two weeks ago. The Tigers’ play on the defensive end will be something Pearl and his staff look to tighten up during their first three non-conference games before taking on No. 2 Houston on Nov. 16.
“We started out in our zone defense, and I think it really threw them off guard,” Pearl said. “Credit to our guys for really locking into the scouting report.”
Elyjah Freeman’s athleticism was on full display Thursday night, as the Lincoln Memorial transfer recorded eight points and six rebounds. It will be exciting to watch the sophomore continue to grow on the Plains.
“He does so many little things that really impact winning, and that’s why he’s going to be such a big factor for this team moving forward,” Pearl said of Freeman.
The orange and blue jumped out to a 9-0 lead courtesy of back-to-back buckets from Hall and never looked back, cruising to a 25-point advantage at halftime.
In the second half, Auburn kept its foot on the gas, with freshman Kaden Magwood recording 11 points while shooting 100% from the field and knocking down two 3-pointers.
“I thought he showed a lot of really good things tonight,” Pearl said of Magwood’s performance. “He showed that he’s got a lot of potential for us, so I’m excited for him.”
Tahaad Pettiford, the lone returning starter from the historic 2025 Final Four team, had a slow start in the first half but turned it on late with a dunk and a 3-pointer to end the opening frame with nine points. The 6-foot-1 guard finished the night with 11 points.
Pearl said at his introductory press conference to expect growing pains early in the season but that his team has a lot of talent and will bounce back. That’s exactly what fans saw tonight in Atlanta.
Auburn will open up the season Monday night in front of a packed Neville Arena against Bethune-Cookman. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CST.
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Rory is a sophomore majoring in journalism sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @RorymGarvin
