HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team will suit up and officially begin the 2026-27 season Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. against Auburn at Neville Arena.
Southeastern opens its nonconference schedule with a trip to the Plains to face the Tigers before meeting up against Arkansas-Little Rock (0-1) Saturday at 7 p.m. Wednesday's contest will be streamed on the SEC Network+ while Saturday's game against the Trojans will be televised on ESPN+. Live stats, provided by the hosts, can be accessed on the men's basketball schedule page. Both games can be heard on KSLU 90.9 The Lion and worldwide online at either www.LionSports.net/listenlive or www.LionUpRadio.org, or via the following apps – the Lions Gameday Experience and MyTuner Radio.
SLU will be battle tested to kick start the season, seeking to reestablish its former up-tempo, gritty style of play with 14 newcomers. Southeastern will heavily rely on its depth to undergo its challenging nonconference slate under eighth-year head coach David Kiefer.
Amongst the influx of fresh new faces, the Lions will depend on the production of Nevada transfer Tyler Rolison to spearhead the green and gold's backcourt. Rolison appeared in 92 games with the Wolf Pack, shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 80.6 percent from the free throw line. Southeastern will also lean on the versatility of its forwards to assert their presence in the paint. The Lions will depend on Bryant transfer Quincy Allen alongside sophomore returner Garrett Shoemaker and McNeese transfer Yanis Ndjonga inside the lane.
Auburn is returning from a successful postseason run, winning the NIT championship with a victory over Tulsa. The Tigers finished the 2025-26 season 22-16 overall and 7-11 in SEC play as preseason All-SEC guard Tahaad Pettiford returns for his junior campaign. Pettiford closed out last season as Auburn's second leading scorer, averaging 15.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Kevin Overton also added to Auburn's offensive threat last season as the third leading scorer, recording 14.1 points per game while shooting 41.3 percent from behind the arc.
The Tigers also used the off season to rebuild with nine additions to their roster, including South Alabama transfer Adam Olsen to strengthen their accuracy from the three-point line. Bukky Oboye alongside international player Narcisse Ngoy will look to solidify Auburn's post presence this season.
Arkansas-Little Rock will seek to bounce back after suffering a 82-72 loss against VCU in its season opener Monday. The Trojans battled throughout the contest, but could not overcome VCU's second half surge as the Rams pulled away. Three Trojans finished the game in double-figures led by Jah'Likai King with 27 points, finishing 9-13 from the field and 3-4 from behind the arc.
Junior forward Papa Amadou Kante followed with 13 points and seven rebounds while Aaron Clark added 11 points. Arkansas-Little Rock claimed 32 points in the paint and capitalized on 12 points off turnovers.
Concluding Saturday's contest, Southeastern will remain on the road, traveling to Oxford, Miss. to face Ole Miss Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday's game against the Rebels will be streamed on the SEC Network+.
HARDWOOD CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the basketball program are encouraged to join the Hardwood Club. Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letterwinners. All membership fees and donations to Hardwood Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern basketball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Basketball, follow @LionUpMBB and @DavidKieferSLU on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. Southeastern is implementing mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets. All tickets will be available via e-mail in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
