AUBURN — Another big-time matchup has been added to the 2024-25 Auburn basketball schedule.
The Tigers will play Purdue at Birmingham's Legacy Arena on Dec. 21, Auburn announced Monday. The matchup is the first half of a two-year series with the Boilermakers, who will also play Auburn at Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse in December 2025.
Purdue is coming off a season in which it played for the national championship before getting knocked out by UConn.
"I am grateful to Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers for agreeing to a two-game series to be played this year in Birmingham and next year in Indianapolis," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said in a statement. “Matt has one of the finest college basketball programs in the country. His kids play hard and play the right way. Purdue is one of the top programs in the Big Ten winning three conference championships and being ranked No. 1 nationally over the last three seasons.
“We are excited about playing in Birmingham, which will serve as an NCAA Regional site. With a quality opponent like Purdue, I would anticipate us selling out Legacy Arena. I know the Auburn Family will step up and meet that challenge. We are excited for our players, because if you want to be the best, you have to play the best.”
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Painter has won at least 29 games in three consecutive seasons and has made the NCAA Tournament four straight times. For the first time since the 2019-20 campaign, however, the Boilermakers will have to play without star center Zach Edey.
"We are excited to be part of an outstanding two-year series with Auburn, beginning in December in Birmingham, then returning to Indianapolis in 2025," Painter said in a press release. "We strive to make our non-conference schedule very competitive, and Auburn will be one of the top teams in the SEC this coming season."
Auburn will also play at Duke next season as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Tigers are set to participate in the the 2024 Jim Maui Invitational, too. They won't see every team there, but the field includes Colorado, Dayton, Iowa State, Memphis, Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn.
The SEC released in May the locations for its conference games next season. The Tigers will host Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Their road tests are at Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball will play Final Four participant in Birmingham next season
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