CBS Sports and Bleacher Report college basketball analyst Andy Katz recently ranked the top 10 college basketball student sections heading into the 2024-2025 college basketball season. Beginning his list with Cameron Indoor Stadium, which Auburn will travel to in December to take on Duke in the ACC/SEC Challenge, Katz ranks Auburn’s student section as his seventh best environment heading into this season.
While the No. 7 ranking may seem low to some Tiger fans, Auburn is the only school in the SEC to make the cut in Katz’s top 10. In fact, almost all of Katz’s list includes schools north of the Mason Dixon Line as Purdue (2), Kansas (3), Michigan State (4), Gonzaga (5), Uconn (6), San Diego State (8), Rutgers (9), and Providence (10) round out the top 10.
Neville Arena and the Auburn Jungle may not be in most top 5 lists yet, but the rise of Auburn as one of the most difficult environments in college basketball has been drastic. Once an afterthought of an arena in the SEC, Bruce Pearl has turned the Jungle into a premier destination for college basketball fans and Auburn fanatics alike.
With one of the most brutal non-conference stretches in Tigers history on deck to start this season, ‘The Jungle’ will need to show out in full force when Auburn’s basketball team tips off the season in a few short months. While the Tigers only have to travel to one of the desintations ranked on Katz’s list (Duke), Bruce Pearl’s squad does have a neutral site series with Purdue (2) starting in 2024.
While the first game is set to take place in Birmingham, 2025’s matchup in Indianapolis is sure to bring out many Boilermaker faithful. Auburn’s 2024-2025 season tips off on November 6 from Neville Arena when the Tigers host NCAA Tournament main-stay Vermont.
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