The Southeastern Conference released the 2020 conference basketball schedule with dates, times and network designations.
Auburn will go into the season as defending SEC Tournament Champions and as a Final Four participant in 2019. Here is an early look at Auburn’s SEC schedule.
Auburn’s 2020 SEC schedule is going to be tougher than 2019 having to play Tennessee twice and traveling to Florida. Auburn’s young roster will be tested with road games early as they will have the target on their backs coming off an SEC Tournament Championship and Final Four run.
Jan. 4 (Sat.) - at Mississippi State - 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network) – Auburn opens up conference play at The Hump where the Bulldogs lost a lot of scoring in Quinndary Witherspoon and Lamar Peters.
Jan. 8 (Wed.) - Vanderbilt - 8 p.m. (SEC Network) – Auburn’s first home game will come against first year head coach Jerry Stackhouse taking over a team that was winless in 2019. Good luck to Coach Stackhouse in his first SEC game with a raucous Jungle on their first day back from Winter Break.
Jan. 11 (Sat.) - Georgia - 5 p.m. (ESPN/2/U) – Georgia is in year two with Tom Crean and it shows in their recruiting rankings. Expect Georgia to be much improved with a top pro prospect in Anthony Edwards.
Jan. 15 (Wed.) - at Alabama - 8 p.m. (ESPN2/U) – First year head coach Nate Oats will get his chance against Auburn at home early in the schedule. In fact, this is the earliest trip to Tuscaloosa for Auburn since a January 10th trip in 1996.
Jan. 18 (Sat.) - at Florida - 12:30 p.m. (CBS) – Auburn will play their first of three games on CBS at the O’Dome in what will cap a tough two-game road stretch. The Gators are a potential preseason top five team. Auburn has not won in Gainesville since 1996.
Jan. 22 (Wed.) - South Carolina - 6 p.m. (ESPN2/U) – South Carolina returns to Auburn Arena since watching Auburn celebrate their 2018 SEC regular season championship.
Jan. 25 (Sat.) - Iowa State (Big 12/SEC Challenge) – 11 a.m. (ESPN/2/U) – This matchup’s time and network has not been decided, but will be a big test for the Tigers as the defending Big XII champions enter The Jungle.
Jan. 28 (Tue.) - at Ole Miss - 8 p.m. (ESPN/2/U) – Auburn’s results against Ole Miss in 2019 are not what you would expect from a Final Four team. They lost by 15 in the opening game of conference play and then by five at home.
Feb. 1 (Sat.) - Kentucky - 5/7 p.m. (ESPN/2/U) – Any team loves when Kentucky comes to town but hosting the Wildcats will feel a little different this time around. Auburn defeated Kentucky in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four in 2019, so Kentucky will be looking to avenge that loss.
Feb. 4 (Tue.) - at Arkansas - 6 p.m. (SEC Network) – Arkansas will be without Daniel Gafford, but feature Isaiah Joe this season. Auburn cannot get stuck on the Kentucky game or look ahead to the upcoming LSU game.
Feb. 8 (Sat.) - LSU - 11 a.m. (ESPN/2/U) – LSU comes into the 2019-20 season as defending SEC regular season champions. They bring in five-star Trendon Watford who attended Mountain Brook High School in Alabama.
Feb. 12 (Wed.) - Alabama - 6 p.m. (ESPN2/U) – Auburn looks to continue their domination of Alabama in Auburn Arena. Will we see a much improved and developed Alabama team at this point in the season?
Feb. 15 (Sat.) - at Missouri - 5 p.m. (ESPN/2/U) – Auburn took care of Missouri in Auburn Arena and the SEC Tournament in 2019. They will make the trip to Columbia in 2020.
Feb. 19 (Wed.) - at Georgia - 6 p.m. (ESPN/2/U) – Georgia might be a similar story to Alabama if they continue to improve throughout the year with such a young roster.
Feb. 22 (Sat.) - Tennessee - 11 a.m. (CBS) – Auburn and Tennessee have developed a bit of a rivalry over the past two years even if Auburn is 3-0 in those games including a 20 point victory in the SEC Tournament Championship in 2019. Both teams lose a lot from their 2018-19 teams but are looking to reload. This game will be in the spotlight on CBS.
Feb. 25 (Tue.) - Ole Miss - 6 p.m. (ESPN/2/U/SEC Network) – Auburn lost an ugly game to Ole Miss at Auburn Arena last season, but this might be another ugly matchup between two powerhouses.
Feb. 29 (Sat.) - at Kentucky - 2:45 p.m. (CBS) – In Auburn’s final CBS game during the regular season, they will travel to Lexington where they lost by 27 points last season. It was the turning point for the Tigers in 2019, but they will look to use this as a solidifying win heading in to March.
March 4 (Wed.) - Texas A&M - 6 p.m. (ESPN/2/U) – This will be another midweek matchup between powerhouses that Auburn cannot overlook. Texas A&M brings in Coach Buzz Williams from Virginia Tech after a disappointing season in 2018-19.
March 7 (Sat.) - at Tennessee - 11 a.m. (ESPN/2/U) – Auburn concluded their 2019 regular season against Tennessee at 11 a.m. and will do the same in 2020. The difference is that it will be in Knoxville instead of the friendly confines of Auburn Arena.
Auburn opens up the 2019-20 season on Nov. 5 against Georgia Southern at a time to be announced.
