As their undefeated start to the season continues, including a win against a top-five opponent, the Auburn Tigers made another jump in the AP Poll..
Auburn checks in at No. 4 this week – one spot higher than their previous ranking. The Tigers improved to 3-0 with a 79-56 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes on Wednesday.
Auburn has one more opportunity to tune up before the tough slate it will face in Maui right before a road game against the No. 12 Duke Blue Devils. The Tigers’ non-conference schedule continues to be one of the toughest in college basketball this season.
Following Alabama’s loss against No. 13 (now ranked No. 6) Purdue, Auburn is now the highest-ranked team in the SEC. Apart from Auburn, six other SEC teams checked into the top 25 this week: No. 8 Alabama (-6), No. 9 Kentucky (+10), No. 11 Tennessee (no movement), No. 20 Arkansas (-2) and No. 21 Florida (-1).
The Tigers host the North Alabama Lions at Neville Arena tonight. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT and this is the only contest Auburn will have before the release of next week’s AP Poll.
Kentucky’s 10-spot jump comes after a 77-72 win over No. 6 (now ranked No. 12) Duke. Three other SEC teams, Ole Miss, Texas and Mississippi State, are receiving votes.
Not including two potential games in the Maui Invitational, Auburn has 13 teams against ranked opponents remaining on its schedule. Nine of them are against SEC opponents, the other four in order are No. 7 Iowa State, No. 6 Duke, No. 21 Ohio State and No. 13 Purdue.
After tonight’s contest against North Alabama, the Tigers turn their attention to the Maui Invitational. Their first opponent will be the No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones on Monday at 8 p.m. CT. ESPNU will carry the television broadcast.
