Appalachian State handed Auburn a memorable upset three seasons ago. Now the Mountaineers will try to do it again, this time against a Tigers team riding the nation’s longest active home non-conference winning streak.
Auburn (1-0) hosts Appalachian State (2-0) on Monday night, seeking its 69th consecutive home non-conference victory.
The Mountaineers defeated Auburn 69-64 in December 2023, when the Tigers were ranked in the Top 25. Appalachian State went on to win 27 games and capture the Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship that season.
This time, the Mountaineers arrive with a defense that has allowed just 46 points per game through two contests.
Appalachian State opened with a 63-49 victory over Merrimack before defeating Christendom, a non-NCAA opponent, 108-43. The Mountaineers ranked 16th nationally in scoring defense last season, allowing 66.1 points per game.
“It’s a team that defensively has always done a lot of really good things and that’s no different this year,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “They’ve held their first two opponents to 49 and 43 points. They have good depth. They have good shooters this year. They’ll present some real challenges for us.”
Auburn opened its season Wednesday with a 92-59 victory over Southeastern Louisiana.
Tahaad Pettiford scored 18 points after missing his first eight shots, while Kevin Overton and Kolby King contributed 12 apiece. The Tigers had five players reach double figures and received 62 points from newcomers.
Auburn’s depth could be tested against a Mountaineers program that has led the Sun Belt in scoring defense for five consecutive seasons under coach Dustin Kerns.
“Really good defensive teams win,” Kerns told the North Carolina Sports Network. “Our guys take a lot of pride in having that reputation.”
Jaylen Colon leads Appalachian State with 11.5 points per game through two contests. He scored 14 points and made four 3-pointers in the season-opening victory over Merrimack.
Auburn, meanwhile, is looking to build on last season’s NIT championship.
The Tigers face another significant challenge after Monday’s contest, with No. 5 Arizona scheduled to visit Neville Arena on Friday.
