GAMEDAY GUIDE
Date: Monday, December 29, 2025
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Neville Arena (Auburn, Ala.)
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Queens Game Notes
 
QUEENS (5-7 OVERALL, 0-0 ASUN)
 
THE MATCHUP
Monday night marks the first all-time meeting between Queens and Auburn, and the Royals second straight showdown with an SEC squad.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Queens dropped a 108-80 battle at #14 Arkansas before the Christmas Break. The Royals were unable to overcome 17 turnovers as the Razorbacks capitalized with 25 points off those miscues. The first half saw the Royals turn the ball over 14 times before only committing three the rest of the way, as the Razorbacks only outscored the Royals 48-44 in the second half.
 
FIRST TIME OPPONENTS
Auburn will be the ninth first-time opponent for the Royals this season after previous meetings with Villanova, Duquesne, Sacred Heart, Furman, Virginia, South Carolina State, Wake Forest, and Arkansas.
 
SCORING OFFENSE
The Royals have been one of the nation's highest scoring mid-major offenses this season, averaging 84.0 points per game, a mark that ranks 72^nd in the country. According to KenPom, the Royals rank 84^th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, which is the highest amongst ASUN programs and 23^rd amongst non-power five college basketball programs.
 
FIVE FOR 10
Scoring runs deep throughout the Royals lineup this season as Queens has seen five guys reach double figures in the same game on five occasions.
 
CENTURY MARK
Queens reached the century mark in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2021-22 season when the Royals took down Gardner-Webb 107-74 before handling South Carolina State 102-78.
 
ELITE SHOOTER
After breaking the single-season school record last season with 115 threes made, sharpshooter Chris Ashby is 23 threes away from tying the all-time school record set by Chris Benson in 2003. This season, the Houston, Texas, native leads the ASUN in threes made and ranks 32^nd in the country.
 
FRESHMAN FACILITATOR
Rookie Jordan Watford has been one of the nation's best first-year distributors, ranking 16th in the country among freshmen with 4.3 assists per game. Watford is averaging the most assists per game by a true freshman at Queens since Vashon Fullwood distributed 5.3 per game in 1991-92.
 
DOUBLE THE MANN
Senior Nasir Mann is having a career-best season, averaging 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Mann ranks seventh in the league in scoring and 15^th in rebounding. Through non-conference action, the guard has eclipsed double figures in 10-of-12 games.
 
'TIS THE SEASON
Head Coach Grant Leonard has taken the college basketball world by storm with his Holiday sweater collection. The festive tradition has expanded from a single game to the entire month of coaching in a Holiday sweater. The unique tradition has been featured on global publications such as ESPN and Yahoo Sports, as well as national outlets such as The Field of 68.
 
STREET DOGS
A new face behind the Royals bench, Buddy, has become a staple in the Royals locker room. A new tradition started this season, head coach Grant Leonard awards Buddy, a hollow replica of a dog, to the "Street Dog of the Game," or the person who makes an energetic impact in the game. Buddy sits by that player's locker until the next game, and has even made appearances in the postgame press conferences.
 
 
AUBURN (8-4 OVERALL, 0-0 SEC)
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Coming into the 2025-26 season, Auburn was ranked No. 20 in the AP Men's Basketball Top 25 poll. However, the Tigers have since dropped out of the recent poll after an 8-4 start to the season. Auburn was picked sixth in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll behind the likes of Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Arkansas.
 
HOME AT THE STRIPE
The Tigers have been one of the nation's best at getting to the charity stripe and converting, averaging 27.2 attempts per game and 19.9 makes per game, which are both 17^th in the country.
 
ALL-SEC STANDOUT
Sophomore guard Tahaad Pettiford was named to the Sports News Preseason Third Team All-American Team and Preseason First Team All-SEC. This season, Pettiford is pouring in 15.2 points per game on 38-percent shooting from the field.
 
PLAYER TO WATCH
Senior Keyshawn Hall was one of 30 players named to the Lute Olson Award Early Season Watch List by CollegeInsider.com. Hall is netting a team-high 20.3 points while also pulling down a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game.
 
NEW PEARL IN CHARGE
Following the departure of his father just before the season, Steven Pearl stepped into the lead role of the Tigers program. The 12-year assistant at Auburn has helped the Tigers win five SEC Championships over the past eight years, including two Final Four runs. Before ascending to his current role, Peal was named one of the 50 most impactful high-major assistant coaches by Silver Waves Media. Pearl has helped develop and produce four NBA Draft first-round picks in Chuma Okeke, Isaac Okoro, Jabari Smith, and Walker Kessler and second round pick Johni Broome.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow Queens Men's Basketball on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok for news and updates throughout the season. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media to stay up to date on all the Royals sports in action.