AUBURN, Ala. – No. 2 Auburn needed six weeks to accomplish what previous Tigers teams had accomplished in 75 years: defeat four ranked opponents that were not in the conference’s regular season.

By beating No. 4 Houston, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 12 North Carolina and No. 16 Purdue, all on the road at Neville Arena, Auburn is at the forefront of discussions about metrics, rankings and bracketology this year There is still one game left in 2024.

“We play good basketball on both ends of the court,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “We share the ball, we shoot it, we defend it well, we rebound the ball a little better. “Areas we can continue to improve would be transition offense and defense.”

Another opportunity to make history awaits Monday against Monmouth. A win would give Auburn a winning percentage of .861 over the last nine seasons, which is tops in the SEC.

“I’m a big fan of history and making history,” said Pearl, whose program has gone 92-15 in non-conference competition since 2016-17.

To get there, the Tigers would have to beat Monmouth, a team whose 2-10 record is deceptive, according to Pearl.

“They’ve only played one home game, beating Seton Hall at Seton Hall,” he said. “I think that says a lot.”

At the top of Pearl’s scouting report for Monmouth is No. 1, 6-7 guard Abdi Bashir, who scored 38 points at Rutgers last month and is averaging 21.6 points per game while shooting 3-pointers. Shooting 42.9 percent.

“A great player,” Pearl said.

With Auburn students on break, Monday’s matchup provides early-arriving fans another opportunity to fill The Jungle on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Our kids are grateful that Auburn gave them the opportunity to play in front of a sellout crowd at Neville Arena,” Pearl said. “You feel the love of the Auburn family.

“The Auburn family helps us play well. We go to work every day and try to reward the Auburn family for giving up this opportunity.”

With the SEC opener against Missouri on Saturday five days later, the Tigers will face Monmouth on Monday at 5:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will headline the action for Auburn Sports Network listeners.

Jeff Shearer is a senior writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer