Bruce Pearl names "three of the best" college basketball teams of 2024-25 season ft. Duke
The college basketball season is well underway and Bruce Pearl's Auburn is off to a hot start as they thrashed Vermont on Wednesday. Miles Kelly, a senior transfer, scored 21 points and grabbed three rebounds as the Tigers cruised to a 94-43 victory.
In the post-game conference, coach Pearl highlighted three teams that he believes are the best in the nation as of now.
"So we’ll put this one behind us real quickly and play what I think will probably be; to me, Houston, Duke, Alabama are three of the best teams in the country as I see it," Bruce said.
Interestingly, the Tigers will face each of these teams the coach mentioned later this season.
With a dominating opening game win, Auburn will travel to Houston, Texas to face the Cougars (No. 4) in The Battleground 2k24 on Saturday.
In another nonconference matchup, Auburn will play Cooper Flagg's Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 4 for the ACC–SEC Challenge.
Meanwhile, Bruce Pearl's men will face Alabama twice — home and away — with the first meeting scheduled for Feb. 15.
"I think regardless of the outcome, playing the number one or two team on the road and a team that is physical and old as Houston, where is it going to get hard? Maybe at Duke, maybe at Alabama," Bruce said (via 1819 news).
"If we're fortunate enough to make the NCAA Tournament and I'm always gonna put it like that for real, what opponent will we play in a neutral site that’s gonna be more difficult than at Houston, at Duke or at Alabama."
Bruce Pearl is happy with the team's performance in season opener
Auburn Tigers enjoyed a resounding victory over the Vermont Catamounts to kick off the new season.
Bruce Pearl men's went a 27-8 overall last campaign, winning the SEC Tournament and making it to the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. With a win on Day 1, Auburn is looking to build on last season's success.
"I think the outcome and the margin really have everything to do with the respect that we had for Vermont," Bruce said after the game. "We took them very seriously, we prepared very seriously and I promise you Vermont came in with a game plan to try and win this game."
The Tigers' tough defense allowed the Catamounts to make only 25.9% of their overall shots from the floor and 21.7% of their 3-point shots. Auburn faces Houston next on Nov. 9.