Since the publication of the timetables, Auburn Basketball against Houston was considered the potential game of the year, a November game with late March pedigree. Needless to say, Saturday’s game at Houston’s Toyota Center lived up to the hype.

The two teams were tied throughout the first half, with only a Cougars batter increasing the deficit to two scores.

At the start of the second, UH seemed to have AU figured out. The Cougars pushed their lead to nine points, the closest they came to a double-digit lead in the opening minutes of the half. However, the Tigers fought back and managed to equalize a few minutes before the end of regulation time.

A few minutes later, AU took the lead. But UH didn’t go down without a fight as the two teams traded the lead 13 times. In the end, Houston (1-1) blinked first, as Auburn (2-0) escaped the Toyota Center with a 74-69 victory.

Tahaad Pettiford has a blast for Auburn basketball

Freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford had a debut to forget Wednesday, fouling out and missing every single one of his shots. Luckily for the Tigers, Pettiford forgot – and did so quickly.

The New Jersey native scored 21 points off the bench Saturday, good enough to lead the team. Most impressive was his performance throughout this close competition. Not only did he hit a team-high five 3-pointers, but he scored 15 points in the second half before outscoring the entire Cougars bench on his own.

Defenses are ready to fight

Both Auburn and Houston were expected to have excellent defenses early in the season, and both teams proved their defensive worth on Saturday.

The Tigers held the Cougars to just 41 percent shooting, including 38 percent from 3-point range, but Houston responded in kind. While UH held Auburn to a respectable 53% shooting rate, AU shot just 30% from deep.

More Auburn basketball: Auburn basketball: Three players who will define the 2024-25 season for Bruce Pearl’s Tigers

Fallout from the flight

The Tigers made headlines long before the ball was knocked down Saturday, when the team’s flight was reportedly turned around Friday night due to an altercation between players while the plane was in the air.

Learn more about the flight: Auburn basketball flight forced to return after altercation between players | Reports

While the team managed to travel to Houston on Friday, the two players allegedly involved — freshman forward Jahki Howard and redshirt junior transfer Ja’Heim Hudson — were not there following a suspension and did not play Saturday night.

What’s next

Auburn will host Kent State on Wednesday.

This article was originally published on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball dominates Houston in early season heavyweight showdown