After a 7-0 start full of tests and tough games, Auburn will likely face its toughest on Wednesday when it plays Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The SEC/ACC Challenge matchup against Duke is Auburn’s first true road game of the year and takes place at one of the most famous venues in all of college basketball.

“Growing up watching Duke and seeing how crazy their crowd is, it’s every kid’s dream to play at Cameron,” Auburn forward Chaney Johnson told reporters Monday. “To finally have a chance to go there and win a big game is big for us.”

Duke is undefeated in its four home games this season, but none of those wins came against teams ranked higher than 125 in KenPom. The Blue Devils’ two losses (Kentucky and Kansas) were both neutral against the top five teams in the final AP poll.

Wednesday night will be Bruce Pearl’s first time training at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but he acknowledged the challenges the crowd will bring and described how the team will prepare for the environment.

“It’s going to be a game where we’re working here in Neville today with our noise abatement equipment on so the boys can’t hear me,” Pearl said on Monday. “That’s definitely going to impact the way we play, so guys are going to have to be very perceptive coming out of the huddle, know what we like, know what the breakdowns are – be effective with our hand signals and things like that in order to communicate can.” to the team.”

According to KenPom, offensive playmaking and execution will be especially important against Duke, as the Blue Devils are No. 1 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. Auburn ranks first in adjusted offensive efficiency.

Of the two teams’ metrics, perhaps the most interesting contrast is Auburn’s two-point field goal percentage compared to Duke’s two-point field goal percentage on defense.

Duke holds teams to a 40.3% shooting percentage on two-pointers, fourth in the country, and Auburn shoots 65.7% on its two-pointers, the best rate in the country.

“You know what a fan I am of making history,” Pearl said. “So whether it’s one offense versus one defense… to me it’s more about us having a chance to compete against such a great program in such a great venue.”

Auburn leading scorer Johni Broome emphasized the importance of the matchup and added what a road win against Duke would mean for the program.

“Growing up, you always watched teams like Duke, Kentucky and the Blue Bloods. But I feel like we’ve established ourselves here at Auburn as one of the best basketball programs in the country,” Broome said. “The opportunity to go to Duke, play there and have a chance to win at Cameron would be special for us and our program.”

Wednesday night’s game against Duke is scheduled to begin at 8:15 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN.

Peter Rauterkus reports on Auburn Sports AL.com. You can follow him on X below @peter_rauterkus or send him an email at [email protected]M