Auburn will open the 2023-24 basketball season in a neutral-site matchup against Big 12 power Baylor, it was announced Thursday.

The Tigers and Bears will meet Nov. 7 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The 10-year-old arena has hosted a number of Division I basketball games over the years, including Baylor’s 64-63 victory over Gonzaga last season.

“Auburn and Baylor are powerhouse college basketball programs, and this matchup will be an incredible start to the 2023-24 college season at the Sanford Pentagon,” said Jesse Smith, vice president of Sanford Sports. “It does not matter where in the country these teams are from — fans in South Dakota love basketball, and they will help make this game a memorable one for the athletes and coaches.”

Auburn and Baylor both reached the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2023. Scott Drew’s Bears won the national championship in 2021, two years after Bruce Pearl’s Tigers reached their first Final Four.

Baylor leads the all-time series with Auburn 5-2. The teams last met in the 2021 Big 12/SEC Challenge, with the Bears winning 84-72 in Waco, Texas.

“What a great opportunity to play a perennial Top 10 program with a great coach like Scott Drew,” Pearl said. “Our guys came to Auburn and the SEC, to play against the very best. We will get to see right away where we are as a team. A marquee matchup like this, playing a guaranteed Quad 1 opponent, will help us build our potential tournament resume and get us prepared for league play.”

The Baylor game is Auburn’s first officially scheduled game for 2023-24, but the Tigers reportedly have non-conference games scheduled against Indiana (December in Atlanta) and Penn (Jan. 2 in Auburn). The Tigers will also reportedly headline the four-team Legends Classic in Brooklyn Nov. 16-17 against Oklahoma State, Notre Dame and St. Bonaventure.