Auburn returns multiple key players from its Southeastern Conference Tournament championship team last season, creating high expectations for the 2024-2025 campaign.

Despite that, Bruce Pearl said before the team’s first practice that he knows “less about this team than many of the teams that I’ve coached.” Key players such as Johni Broome, Chad Baker-Mazara, Dylan Cardwell and others return, but the Tigers also welcomed two freshmen and four transfers.

It created a roster that Pearl is still learning, but one that is talented enough to warrant a No. 11 ranking in the preseason AP Poll.

With the regular season less than a week away, here‘s a closer look at Auburn’s roster:

The guards

Players: Fr. Tahaad Pettiford, Sr. JP Pegues, Sr. Denver Jones

Auburn’s backcourt will look different this season after losing the likes of Aden Holloway, Tre Donaldson and KD Johnson, but Pearl and his staff reloaded over the offseason.

Pettiford and Pegues are the two newcomers, Pegues transferring from Furman and Pettiford signing as the No. 29 overall recruit in the country, according to 247Sports. Jones is the lone returner in the group, but is expected to play a slightly different role this season, featuring more as a point guard.

Jones and Pegues are expected to be the two primary players at point guard and will likely play together. Pearl said he wasn’t initially going to play Pettiford at the one this season, but his early development allowed him to create a role at that spot.

While the newcomers bring plenty of excitement, Jones may be the player to watch here. Pearl gave Jones a lot of credit during the preseason for his development over the offseason and he‘s arguably the Tigers’ best defensive guard.

“You can’t sleep on Denver,” Pearl said on the first day of practice. “He’s getting downhill scoring. He has been our most consistent defensive guard from a standpoint of pretty much bringing it every day.”

The wings

Players: Fr. Jahki Howard, Fifth year Chris Moore, Sr. Chad Baker-Mazara, Sr. Miles Kelly

Auburn brings two key contributors back on the wing, while adding two exciting newcomers in 2024-2025.

Baker-Mazara was named to the preseason All-SEC third team, coming off a season where he averaged 10 points per game and shot 41.8% from 3-point range. He and Moore both made starts at the three for Auburn last season and will both split playing time with Kelly.

Multiple Auburn players have already called Kelly, who led Georgia Tech in scoring last year, the best shooter on the team. He averaged 13.9 points per game last season and shot 32.1% from 3-point range. Those were slight dips from the 2022-2023 season where Kelly averaged 14.4 points per game and shot 37.9% from 3-point range.

Moore started at the three for Auburn in the exhibition versus Furman, but only played seven minutes compared to 24 from Baker-Mazara. Kelly didn’t play in that game due to an illness.

While he may not play as big of a role as the other three, Howard brings plenty of excitement to the rotation. His athleticism stands out more than anything else and he had 10 points against Furman.

How the lineups look during the season with those three players and what role Howard plays remains to be seen, but Pearl said earlier in the preseason that 10 players will play double-digit minutes.

The bigs

Players: Sr. Johni Broome, Sr. Ja’Heim Hudson, Sr. Addarin Scott, Sr. Chaney Johnson, Grad student Dylan Cardwell

Auburn’s frontcourt is arguably the strongest unit on the team, led by Broome, a preseason All-American.

Who plays next to him has been one of the stories of the preseason, with Auburn trending towards playing a two-big lineup with Cardwell, a move that would put Broome at the four. That was the starting lineup against Furman, and Pearl explained the choice when speaking to reporters on Thursday.

“We started that way, because I think both those guys have put themselves in position where they warrant that,” Pearl said. “I could start Chaney in a game and have it not be a factor. So, I think right now that we’re able to start that way. We may not always start that way, but I think it also presents the opponent with a challenge to guard our guys on the inside.”

Johnson is another player Pearl has praised throughout the preseason for his offseason growth and a bigger role could be in order this season for the former Alabama-Huntsville transfer.

Hudson will also contribute in the frontcourt, likely as a rotational player. He spent last season at SMU where he averaged 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m