BIRMINGHAM — Auburn basketball is the bonafide underdog for the first time in a long time. Fittingly enough, the last it played in such a circumstance was against the same opponent.
The Tigers head to Legacy Arena on Sunday, where they’ll face No. 2 Houston, (2 p.m. CT, ESPN), which is also ranked as the No. 1 team in the country in the AP Poll. The Tigers are a 7.5-point underdog, but the last time these programs faced off, then-No. 11 Auburn went to then-No. 4 Houston. Despite in-air troubles, the Tigers pulled off an upset against the favored Cougars, setting the precedent for an SEC championship-winning, Final Four-reaching campaign.
“It’s about six or seven steps up when you’re playing a program like Houston,” head coach Steven Pearl said Friday, Nov. 14. “It’s a team that, over the last 10 years, has been the best defensive team in college basketball. What they do, they do at such a high level.”
It’s a hefty change of pace for Auburn, which is undefeated against mid-major squads to start the 2025-26 campaign. Regardless of the result, it’ll serve as a vital litmus test for the Tigers and where they stand among the nation’s best.
Here’s everything you need to tune into today’s contest.
What channel is Auburn basketball vs. Houston on today?
STREAM AUBURN BASKETBALL VS. HOUSTON HERE
Kevin Brown will be on play-by-play duties for Sunday’s game, with former St. John’s head coach Fran Fraschilla doing color commentary.
Listen live to Auburn basketball vs. Houston on the radio
Sunday’s game will be broadcast live on WLWI FM (92.3) in Montgomery and WGZZ FM (94.3) in Auburn. The radio call can also be streamed online. Here are the announcers:
- Play-by-play: Andy Burcham
- Analysis/Color: Randall Dickey
What time do Auburn basketball and Houston play today?
- Time: 2 p.m. CT
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 16
- Location: Legacy Arena (Birmingham)
Auburn is 2-7 all-time against the Cougars. This will be their third meeting in four seasons, with the latest installment giving the Tigers their second-ever victory against Houston.
Auburn basketball’s 2025-26 schedule
Record: 3-0
- Nov. 3: No. 22 Auburn 95 Bethune-Cookman 90 (OT)
- Nov. 6: No. 22 Auburn 95, Merrimack 57
- Nov. 11: No. 25 Auburn 93, Wofford 62
- Nov. 16*: No. 25 Auburn vs. No. 2 Houston (2 p.m., ESPN)
- Nov. 19: No. 25 Auburn vs. Jackson State (8 p.m., SECN+)
- Nov. 24*: No. 25 Auburn vs. Oregon (7 p.m., TruTV)
- Nov. 25*: No. 25 Auburn vs. No. 5 Michigan (7:30 p.m., TNT)
- Nov. 26/27*: TBD
- Dec. 3: No. 25 Auburn vs. North Carolina State (8 p.m., ESPN)
- Dec. 6: No. 25 Auburn at No. 6 Arizona (9 p.m., ESPN)
- Dec. 13: No. 25 Auburn vs. Chattanooga (3:30 p.m., SECN)
- Dec. 20*: No. 25 Auburn at No. 1 Purdue (5:30 p.m., Peacock)
- Dec. 29: No. 25 Auburn vs. Queens (9 p.m., SECN)
- Jan. 3: No. 25 Auburn at Georgia (Noon, SECN)
- Jan. 6: No. 25 Auburn vs. Texas A&M (8 p.m., SECN)
- Jan. 10: No. 25 Auburn vs. No. 21 Arkansas (5 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2)
- Jan. 14: No. 25 Auburn at Missouri (6 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU)
- Jan. 17: No. 25 Auburn vs. South Carolina (5 p.m., SECN)
- Jan. 20: No. 25 Auburn at Ole Miss (8 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU)
- Jan. 24: No. 25 Auburn at No. 10 Florida (3/3:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2)
- Jan. 28: No. 25 Auburn vs. Texas (6 p.m., ESPN2)
- Jan. 31: No. 25 Auburn at No. 18 Tennessee (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
- Feb. 7: No. 25 Auburn vs. No. 9 Alabama (3/3:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2)
- Feb. 10: No. 25 Auburn vs. Vanderbilt (6 p.m., SECN)
- Feb. 14: No. 25 Auburn at No. 21 Arkansas (7:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2)
- Feb. 18: No. 25 Auburn at Mississippi State (8 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU)
- Feb. 21: No. 25 Auburn vs. No. 8 Kentucky (7:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2)
- Feb. 24: No. 25 Auburn at Oklahoma (8 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU)
- Feb. 28: No. 25 Auburn vs. Ole Miss (7:30 p.m., SECN)
- March 3: No. 25 Auburn vs. LSU (9 p.m., SECN)
- March 7: No. 25 Auburn at No. 9 Alabama (7:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2)
All times central. Asterisks denote neutral site competition.
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.