Auburn men’s basketball isn’t resting on its laurels following a Final Four run in 2025.

After the successful season that featured arguably the toughest schedule in program history, the Tigers are set to face another gauntlet in the 2025-2026 season. It includes nonconference games against Houston, Purdue, Arizona, Michigan, Oregon and NC State, followed by the grind of the Southeastern Conference.

The difference this season is that Auburn will do so with a revamped and brand-new team.

Last year, the Tigers felt equipped to handle the daunting nonconference schedule with an experienced team and a group that had continuity. Associate head coach Steven Pearl didn’t suggest that this year’s team can’t handle it, but it’s a different kind of challenge.

“Some people think, ‘Oh, it’s not as tough as last year.’ I disagree, because the competition is just as good, but we’re playing with 10 new guys,” Pearl said at the Auburn Ambush event in Alexander City. “I feel like it was even harder than it was a year ago, just based on what our roster is like.”

Star point guard Tahaad Pettiford is the only scholarship returner from last year’s Final Four team. The group Auburn brought in around him is talented, but doesn’t have the experience playing together that last year’s team did.

That can make the heavyweight bouts that Auburn will have in the beginning of the season tough, as the team will still be in the early stages of learning how to play together.

On the other side of that coin, it’s arguably the fastest way for a team to learn how to play together, even if it results in a couple of early losses.

“We’ll obviously be really challenged heading into another really challenging SEC schedule,” Pearl said. “It’s going to be daunting, but it will obviously help us get ready for league play — and it will obviously help us get ready for the tournament.”

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at@peter_rauterkusor email him at[email protected]m