ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Auburn men’s basketball team added a challenging non-conference opponent to its 2019-20 schedule as the program is set to play in the sixth annual Veterans Classic, Nov. 8, at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, Md.
The Tigers will take on Davidson at 5 p.m. CT, while host Navy follows with a contest vs. East Carolina at 7:30 p.m. CT. Both games are set to be televised by CBS Sports Network.
The Veterans Classic, held annually around Veterans Day, honors our nation’s veterans and showcases the U.S. Naval Academy.
Auburn is also set to take part in learning the inner workings of the U.S. Naval Academy through guided tours held on the day before the game.
“From an education standpoint, when our country was going through the situation of standing for the flag or not, it became evident to me that our student-athletes have never lived through a war,” head coach Bruce Pearl said. “They’re too young to be involved in the draft age and really didn’t have much exposure to the services, military and some of that history. To give our guys the opportunity to play in the Veterans Classic and a chance to see first-hand our great service academies was a great opportunity.
“People in the world of college basketball know that you don’t schedule Bob McKillop and Davidson because he’s too good of a coach and they’re too good of a program. We built this program on the belief that we want our players to play against the best.”
The Tigers are coming off a banner season with a trip to the Final Four, SEC Tournament championship and a 30-10 overall record. Davidson has played in either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT in seven of the last eight seasons.
Auburn and Davidson have met just once in program history. The Tigers took a 66-59 victory over the Wildcats on Dec. 28, 1951, in Charlotte.
Tickets for the doubleheader are now on sale through the Navy Ticket Office at either 1-800-US4-NAVY or by clicking on the TICKETS tab in the masthead of NavySports.com and then selecting BASKETBALL. Reserved tickets for the doubleheader in the lower level of Alumni Hall are $25 and upper level general admission seats can be purchased for $15.
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For more information, contact Cody Voga