Auburn Basketball climbs two spots in latest ESPN Basketball Power Index rankings
Auburn won both of its road contests last week by an average margin of 16.5 points.
Because of the wins, Auburn’s stock keeps rising in the national polls. The Tigers remain a top-20 team in both the Associated Press poll as well as the USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
Auburn’s schedule will become increasingly difficult this week, as they face two ESPN Basketball Power Index top-30 squads in Texas A&M and West Virginia. The Aggies just lost their first SEC game of the season last Saturday, and West Virginia got off to a strong start in nonconference play by defeating teams such as Florida, UAB, and Pittsburgh.
How does Auburn stack up with the rest of the country according to the ESPN BPI? Take a look below.
Overall Ranking: No. 20
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Auburn climbs two spots to No. 20 in the ESPN BPI overall rankings after earning wins over LSU and South Carolina last week.
Strength of Record: No. 18
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Auburn’s 16-3 record is the third best in the SEC, trailing only Alabama and Tennessee.
Quality Win/Loss: 2-1
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Auburn has earned quality wins over Arkansas and Northwestern, while its’ lone quality loss is to Memphis.
Strength of Schedule: No. 63
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Auburn has won five games in a row, and will be put to the test as they play teams such as Texas A&M, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama in the coming weeks.
Nonconference Strength of Schedule: No. 90
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As the weeks pass by, Auburn’s nonconference slate continues to prove tough. Auburn’s nonconference schedule difficulty has climbed ten spots since last week.
NCAA Tournament seed projection: No. 6
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According to the latest edition of Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology, Auburn is projected to be a No. 6 seed in the East Regional. If this prediction were to come true, Auburn would face Virginia in the round of 32 for a chance to move on to the Sweet 16.
SEC Rank: No. 3
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Auburn rises from No. 5 to No. 3 in this week’s SEC, trailing just Alabama and Tennessee.
Texas A&M rank: No. 31
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Texas A&M dropped three spots from last week’s rankings after suffering its’ first loss of the SEC slate to Kentucky last Saturday.
West Virginia ranking: No. 28
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West Virginia will be the second Top-30 team that Auburn will face this week. The Mountaineers are 11-8 overall, but hold a 1-6 record against Big 12 teams.
