Auburn begins week at No. 5 in latest KenPom update
The No. 24 Auburn Tigers are one of the hottest teams in college basketball.
Auburn smacked around Arkansas last Saturday, 83-51, for its seventh-straight win to open the SEC slate. During the stretch, Auburn has won each game by a margin of 28 points.
The stretch can be credited to Auburn’s road loss to Appalachian State on Dec. 3, which has fueled its current win streak and allowed Auburn to play virtually flawlessly at a tough venue such as Bud Walton Arena on Saturday.
“We can’t go to App State and not think we can win and then think we’re going to beat Arkansas in the first game, really?” head coach Bruce Pearl said Saturday. “You have to put your team in that situation where we didn’t play well and we had issues at App State and weren’t able to win the game. I thought the experience definitely helped us this time around. It was good for our team to see, we aren’t winning games on the road if we let the environment to get the most of us,”
Their recent stretch of dominance can be seen in the recent KenPom update, in which Auburn can be found in the top 10 of three major categories. Here’s a look at where Auburn checks in this week ahead of two home games against SEC competition.
Overall ranking: No. 5
Auburn begins the week as the second-highest ranked SEC team in the latest KenPom rankings update. The Tigers trail only Tennessee (No. 4), who opened the SEC slate by humbling previously-unbeaten Ole Miss, 90-64 on Saturday. Auburn hosts No. 34 Texas A&M and No. 83 LSU this week.
Adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 9
Auburn’s recent run of wide-margin defeats has boosted its offensive efficiency ranking over the last several weeks. According to KenPom, Auburn is forecasted to score 119.2 points per 100 possessions, which is third-highest in the SEC behind Alabama (No. 1) and Kentucky (No. 8).
Adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 8
The Tigers are in the top-10 of yet another category, adjusted defensive efficiency. Auburn is expected to allow opponents to score just 93 points per 100 possessions according to KenPom, which is better than programs such as Purdue, Michigan State, and Marquette.
Adjusted tempo: No. 69
Auburn basketball finds ways to create offensive chances. The Tigers begin the week at No. 69 in adjusted tempo by posting 71.3 possessions per game. On Saturday, Auburn had 70 offensive possessions and scored on 38 of those.
Strength of Schedule: No. 115
Auburn’s lowest-rated feature in the KenPom is its strength of schedule. According to KenPom, Auburn’s opponents are projected to score 106.3 points per 100 possessions while allowing opponents to score 104.6 points per 100 possessions, which both rank No. 115 nationally.
Texas A&M overview
Auburn hosts Texas A&M on Tuesday night for the SEC home opener at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN 2. The Aggies opened SEC play last Saturday by losing to LSU, 68-53 at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.
Here’s a look at where Texas A&M checks in this week in every major category measured by KenPom.
Overall: No. 34
Adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 20 (117.2)
Adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 76 (100.4)
Adjusted tempo: No. 325 (65.6)
Strength of Schedule: No. 32
