Auburn Basketball returns to top 20 in latest USA TODAY Coaches Poll
The members of the Associated Press felt that Missouri’s win over Kentucky was good enough to propel them to a No. 20 ranking in this week’s poll. Missouri jumped Auburn, which moved Bruce Pearl’s squad down to No. 22 despite earning a win over Florida last Wednesday.
This week’s USA TODAY Coaches Poll favored Auburn more than the Associated Press, as they move the Tigers to No. 20, which is a three-spot increase from the week prior.
Auburn is one of six SEC teams to earn a spot in this week’s USA TODAY Coaches Poll. Alabama is the highest-rated team in the conference, checking in at No. 7 following a win at then-No. 20 Mississippi State last Wednesday. Tennessee checks in at No. 9 following a road win at Ole Miss, and Arkansas fell six places to No. 13 after losing a tough road tilt at LSU.
Missouri moves into the top 25, rising ten places to No. 21 following Wednesday’s win at Kentucky. The loss to Missouri affected Kentucky immensely, as they fell eight places to No. 25, which was the biggest drop of any top 25 teams from last week’s rankings.
Here’s a look at the USA TODAY Coaches Poll for the week of Jan. 2
Ranking | Team | Record | Last Week | Weekly Change |
1 | Purdue | 13-0 | 1 | — |
2 | Houston | 14-1 | 3 | 1 |
3 | Kansas | 12-1 | 4 | 1 |
4 | Arizona | 13-1 | 5 | 1 |
5 | Connecticut | 14-1 | 2 | -3 |
6 | 12-1 | 6 | — | |
7 | 11-2 | 9 | 2 | |
8 | UCLA | 13-2 | 8 | — |
9 | 11-2 | 10 | 1 | |
10 | Gonzaga | 12-3 | 11 | 1 |
11 | Virginia | 10-2 | 12 | 1 |
12 | Miami-Florida | 13-1 | 16 | 4 |
13 | 11-2 | 7 | -6 | |
14 | Duke | 11-3 | 14 | — |
15 | 10-2 | 15 | — | |
16 | Baylor | 10-3 | 13 | -3 |
17 | Texas Christian | 12-1 | 19 | 2 |
18 | Xavier | 12-3 | 25 | 7 |
19 | Indiana | 10-3 | 18 | -1 |
20 | Auburn | 11-2 | 23 | 3 |
21 | Missouri | 12-1 | NR | 10 |
22 | New Mexico | 14-0 | NR | 8 |
23 | 10-3 | NR | 3 | |
24 | Illinois | 9-4 | 22 | -2 |
25 | Kentucky | 9-4 | 17 | -8 |
25 | Iowa State | 10-2 | NR | 7 |
Dropped Out: No. 20 Mississippi State; No. 21 Maryland; No. 24 West Virginia.
Receiving Votes: Mississippi State 47; Kansas State 38; Louisiana State 35; Providence 30; West Virginia 28; Charleston 24; San Diego St. 17; Michigan St. 14; Marquette 14; Saint Mary’s 12; Penn St. 11; Maryland 9; Virginia Tech 6; Florida Atlantic 3; UAB 2; Texas Tech 1.
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SEC Basketball standings as calendar turns to January
