Baylor Men's Basketball to Face Auburn in South Dakota to Open 2023-24 Season

WACO, Texas – Baylor men's basketball will tip off the 2023-24 season against the Auburn Tigers on Nov. 7, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

This season will mark the first time BU has opened the season with a power-six opponent since 2013-2014 when it opened against Colorado in the Tip-Off Showcase. Head coach Scott Drew is looking forward to going back to the Sanford Pentagon for a marquee matchup to start the season.

“We are thrilled to be heading back to the Sanford Pentagon for a great matchup with Auburn,” Drew said. “I have tremendous respect for Coach [Bruce] Pearl and what he has done with his program, and we look forward to a great game in November. Our team had a fantastic experience last year in Sioux Falls, and we are excited to be invited back again this season."

The meeting in South Dakota will be the eighth between the two programs, with Baylor winning five of the seven previous matchups, including the last meeting, 84-72, on Jan. 30, 2021. In that meeting, Baylor’s bench took the tiger by the tail as sophomore guard Adam Flagler scored a game-high 19 points and Matthew Mayer added 13 points and a couple of highlight-reel dunks to help the second-ranked Bears remain undefeated en route to the National Championship.

The trip to the Mount Rushmore State will be Baylor’s second in as many seasons after it defeated Gonzaga in a 64-63 thriller at the Sanford Pentagon last season. The Bears shut down Gonzaga’s Drew Timme, limiting him to just nine points, while Keyonte George scored a game-high 18 points, and Jalen Bridges sealed the game with a critical offensive rebound and a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds.

With a 67-64 win over Arkansas last season, BU finished the 10-year Big 12-SEC Challenge with an 8-2 mark, the best among any team in either conference. Drew has an 18-11 record against the SEC, including a 13-7 mark since 2012-2013.

While the full schedule will be released at a later date, Baylor previously announced it would participate in the NIT Season-Tip Off alongside Florida, Pittsburgh and Oregon State Nov. 22-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.