Auburn moves to No. 1 in AP Poll for second time in program history
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For the second time in program history, the Auburn men’s basketball team has ascended to the top of the Associated Press rankings.
The Tigers, who grabbed two road wins in SEC play last week, received 60 of 62 first-place votes to move to No. 1 in the country. It’s the first time Auburn has been voted to the top spot since Feb. 7, 2022.
Keep reading to see more about Auburn’s historic start to the season and what comes next + find out how far back Alabama is in the latest poll.
Auburn men’s basketball
Auburn has won 15 of its first 16 games, the same start it had in the 2021-22 season when the Tigers were last ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll. That team ended that season ranked 8th in the final AP poll and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers have also won its first three SEC games for the second straight season and the third time in the last four years. Auburn is chasing its first SEC regular season title since 2022.
Auburn has been the top overall seed in ESPN’s bracketology for the last month. The Tigers are also ranked No. 1 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, receiving 25 of 31 first-place votes.
Bruce Pearl’s team already has signature wins over No. 2 Iowa State and No. 3 Duke this season. And there will likely be more opportunities against top 10 teams during the regular season including:
- No. 6 Tennessee (Jan. 25)
- No. 5 Florida (Feb. 8)
- at No. 4 Alabama (Feb. 15)
- at No. 8 Kentucky (March 1)
- No. 4 Alabama (March 8)
The Tigers return to action Tuesday night when they host No. 14 Mississippi State. The game is scheduled to tip off at 6PM on SEC Network.
Program history was already made once earlier this season when Pearl became the winningest coach in Auburn men’s basketball history.
Alabama jumps to No. 4
The Crimson Tide has also won its first three SEC games, claiming a top-10 victory on the road over the weekend against Texas A&M. That win was good enough to move up one spot in this week’s rankings.
Alabama, which was ranked second in the preseason AP Poll, is currently 14-2 overall with an eight-game winning streak. The latest bracketology from ESPN has Alabama as a No. 2 seed.
The Tide is the second highest-ranked SEC team in the AP Poll, being one of nine teams from the conference in this week’s Top 25 including:
- No. 1 Auburn
- No. 4 Alabama
- No. 5 Florida
- No. 6 Tennessee
- No. 8 Kentucky
- No. 11 Texas A&M
- No. 15 Mississippi State
- No. 21 Ole Miss
- No. 23 Georgia
Alabama will return to Coleman Coliseum this week, hosting the 21st-ranked Rebels on Tuesday night. The game is slated to tip off at 6PM on ESPNU.
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