In one of the most anticipated early-season matchups in college basketball, the No. 4 Houston Cougars play host (it's considered a neutral site game) to the No. 11 Auburn Tigers as part of the Mattress Firm Battleground 2k24. But soon after taking off for their flight to Houston, Texas, Auburn basketball, who routed their Vermont to start their 2024-25 season, had to turn the plane around because of “horseplay between players on the flight that could have escalated into a fight,” per Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68.

Jonathan Hardison of WBRC6 reported that air traffic control audio reveals a pilot telling ATC, “We have a bunch of basketball players fighting.”

Houston opened the game as 4.5-point favorites. Auburn basketball is led by senior guards Miles Kelly and Denver Jones.

Auburn basketball could have scandal brewing

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is no stranger to controversy. Before joining Auburn in 2014, he was with the Tennessee Volunteers from 2005 to 2011. He was investigated for inviting recruits to his home as part of an unofficial visit and told those in attendance to lie about it. Tennessee basketball imposed sanctions on Pearl and his coaching staff by reducing salaries. The Volunteers also restricted his off-campus recruiting for a year. In November 2010, the SEC ordered Pearl to sit out from Tennessee's first eight SEC games.

Related Auburn Basketball NewsArticle continues below
Auburn surpasses Duke as championship favorites after 7-0 start
Auburn surpasses Duke as championship favorites after 7-0 start
The player who just passed Cooper Flagg as John Wooden Award favorite
The player who just passed Cooper Flagg as John Wooden Award favorite
Why Auburn’s Maui Invitational win makes them early NCAA Tournament favorite
Why Auburn’s Maui Invitational win makes them early NCAA Tournament favorite

Tennessee eventually fired Pearl in March 2011 after learning of more NCAA violations. In August 2011, the NCAA handed down a three-year show-cause penalty, meaning his penalties for violations would remain even if hired by another school during that period. He would not be allowed to participate in any recruiting activities or contact recruits.

Auburn basketball hired Pearl in March 2014. In his 11 seasons with the Tigers, he has a 215-119 record, including one appearance in the Final Four in 2018-19. Due to former assistant coach Chuck Person's entanglements in the 2017-18 NCAA men's basketball corruption scandal, Auburn was ruled ineligible from postseason play in 2021, and Pearl was suspended for two games during the 2021-22 season. The Tigers were also forced to vacate 12 wins from the 2016-17 season.