Auburn earns No. 1 ranking in AP, Coaches college basketball polls after 15-1 start
AUBURN — For the second time in program history, Auburn men’s basketball is the No. 1-ranked team in college basketball.
The Tigers were elevated to the top spot in both the AP and Coaches polls after spending the last few weeks at No. 2. Off to a 15-1 start with seven Quad I wins and a Maui Invitational championship, reaching No. 1 is important to head coach Bruce Pearl.
Even if it’s only January.
“It matters because it’s history,” Pearl said after Auburn’s 66-63 win over South Carolina. “I’d rather be number one at the end of the year, but we’ll take it. We’ll take it when we can get it.”
Auburn has reached No. 1 for the first time since the 2021-22 season and the second time in program history. The Tigers spent three weeks at No. 1 that season.
Auburn is also No. 1 in the latest Coaches Poll.
The Tigers received 60 first-place votes. Iowa State is ranked No. 2 and received one first-place vote. Duke is three, Alabama is four, Florida is five, Tennessee is six, Kentucky is eight, Houston is 10, Texas A&M is 11, Mississippi State is 15, Purdue is 17, Memphis is 18, Ole Miss is 21 and Georgia is 23.
That means Auburn still has four ranked non-conference wins on their resume. And, 11 of Auburn’s remaining 15 SEC games are against teams currently ranked in the Top 25.
Auburn still plays Alabama (2x), Ole Miss (2x), Georgia (2x), Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
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The Tigers’ seven Quad I wins are tied for the most in college basketball with Oregon, and two clear of the next closest team.
Auburn remains the only team in college basketball with a Top 10 scoring margin (20.6) and a Top 10 strength of schedule (No. 4 per KenPom).
Among reputable computer ratings, Auburn remains No. 1 in KenPom and the NCAA NET ratings, is No. 2 in Torvik and EvanMiya’s ratings, and is No. 3 in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.
If the Tigers want to hold onto that No. 1 ranking, they will likely have to navigate through Mississippi State at home and Georgia on the road this week without All-American Johni Broome. Broome suffered a non-surgical, ankle sprain against South Carolina last Saturday. His timetable for return is to be determined at the moment.
