Oklahoma State Set for Preseason Exhibition With Auburn

Oklahoma State basketball is back out on the basketball court tonight as they face Auburn in a preseason exhibition in Birmingham, AL, at the Boutwell Auditorium.

This game is a part of the week-long event in Birmingham, called Ballin in Boutwell, with games against Alabama and Florida State and Samford and Alabama A&M. 

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, and you can stream the game on YouTube at YouTube.com/@HibbettOfficial, as Hibbett, the sporting goods store, along with Nike, are the main sponsors.

This marks the fifth time these two teams have met, with both teams having won two games apiece, most recently the 2016 Big 12/SEC Challenge with the Pokes beat the Tigers 74-63 in Auburn, AL.

The Cowboys are coming off a 17-18 overall season last year, and 7-13 in Big 12 play. This marks the second season under head coach Steve Lutz, with just three players returning from last year’s squad. Senior forward Robert Jennings II started all 35 games last year, averaging just 16.5 minutes per game. He shot nearly 80% from the free throw line, averaging 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

There are several players on the Pokes’ roster who are out of the transfer portal, as well as two first-year non-traditional age players from overseas. 

As for Auburn, they’re coming off a Final Four appearance last year, going 32-6 overall and 15-3 in SEC play. They beat 16-seed Alabama State, nine-seed Creighton, five-seed Michigan and two-seed Michigan State, before falling 79-73 to eventual champions Florida in Final Four. They averaged 83 points per game on nearly 48% shooting from the floor. 

Now, this is a different team with a new head coach, Steve Pearl, former assistant and son of former head coach Bruce Pearl.