It didn‘t take long for Auburn men’s basketball to be met with a Final Four caliber test.

When it faces Houston Saturday night, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, according to KenPom, will clash, creating one of the most intriguing early season games in college basketball.

The two teams are similar. Experienced roster, highly regarded head coach, great defense, giving Auburn one of its toughest games of the season long before the grind of Southeastern Conference play.

“I think regardless of the outcome, playing the No. 1 or 2 team on the road and a team that is as physical and old as Houston — where is it going to get harder?” Bruce Pearl said on Thursday.

Here’s a closer look at Houston:

The team

Like Auburn, Houston has already played once this season, securing a 97-40 win over Jackson State Monday night. The Cougars were never really tested in that game, leading 52-13 at halftime before running away with a 57-point win.

Houston returns four starters from last season’s team and replaced standout guard Jamal Shead with Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan.

The last time Houston and Auburn played was in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Houston won that game 81-63 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.

“I feel like the guys who was here still remember that game. I still remember that game myself,” Johni Broome told reporters Thursday.

How they play

Under head coach Kelvin Sampson, Houston has long been known as one of the best defensive teams in the country. The Cougars have finished in the top 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency, according KenPom, in each of the last four seasons, and currently rank No. 1 in that category this year.

Often utilizing athletic and physically strong players, Houston is most known defensively for how it blitzes ball screens.

On every ball screen, two players will swarm the ball handler, forcing him to make a quick decision. This can often force turnovers and if nothing else can disrupt the rhythm of teams’ halfcourt sets.

Houston had a 24.4% turnovers percentage last season, ranking third in Division I. Against Jackson State, Houston scored 35 points off 21 turnovers.

Like Vermont in Auburn’s, first game, Houston is also known for playing slow. It ranked No. 349 (out of 363) in adjusted tempo last season, averaging 63.5 possessions per 40 minutes and averaging 18.9 seconds per possession.

It also ranked 11th in the country in offensive rebound percentage last season at 36.8%, further extending its methodical possessions.

“We’re going to spend a lot more time studying film and breaking everything down,” Pearl said Thursday. “Rebound the basketball, take care of the basketball, make a few shots. We’ll have a chance to win.”

Players to watch

As mentioned earlier, Houston isn’t much different from the team it had last season that finished 32-5.

LJ Cryer is the team‘s top returning scorer, averaging 15.5 points per game last season. He and fellow guard Emmanuel Sharp are the only returners who averaged double figures last season, but Uzan’s addition gave more firepower to the backcourt.

He started all 32 games for Oklahoma last season, averaging nine points and 4.4 assists per game. Uzan came close to a triple double against Jackson State, finishing with eight points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.

In the frontcourt, J‘Wan Roberts was Houston’s top contributor last season, averaging 9.5 and 6.8 rebounds. He also had the highest offensive rating on the team last season, according to KenPom, ranking 140th out of 2261 eligible players.

Compared to Auburn, Houston has a relatively small roster, with only one player taller than 6-foot-9, that player being a true freshman who didn‘t play in Houston’s season opener.

Like Auburn, the team is deep. Ten players averaged 10 or more minutes for Houston last season.

“Well, one of the things about Houston is they’ve got two frontline — their 4 and 5 are both inside players, clearly inside players, that’ll play 25 or 30 minutes together. Then they’ll play about 10 minutes of small ball,” Pearl said. “So, your traditional 4-man for many teams will have a hard time with Houston because their 4-man is a monster. Roberts is a powerful player. So, we’ll play some big, as we have. If we stay out of foul trouble, we’ll maybe play a little bit more.”

Houston plays as a team, but it isn’t lacking individual players that can hurt any team. The test for Auburn Saturday night will be one of its toughest of the season, but how the Tigers handle that test could say a lot about where this team is compared to expectations.

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