Yahoo Sports Auburn is kicked out of KenPom top 25 following loss to Kentucky
Saturday’s game between Auburn and Kentucky had the makings of being a barn burner for the first 15 minutes of game time.
However, when the Wildcats gained control with 5:03 remaining in the first half, they turned on the jets and left Auburn in the dust. Kentucky outscored Auburn 71-50 over the game’s final 25 minutes to win big, 86-54.
Kentucky built an 11-point halftime lead and led by as many as 40-points before an 8-0 run by Auburn trimmed the lead to 32 points by the game’s end.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was less than thrilled with his team’s performance.
“It was just awful on all ends of the court,” Pearl said Saturday following his team’s loss to Kentucky. “We got beat in every facet of the game. We weren’t competitive. We were obviously ready to play because we played well early but from the last four minutes of the first half all the way through the second half, a very, very poor performance–a very, very poor effort. I apologize to our fans for such a letdown.”
As a result, Auburn’s place in the latest KenPom rankings has suffered drastically. With two games remaining in the regular season, Auburn will need to play incredibly well in order to boost their chances for a comfortable NCAA seeding. The road will not be easy as their final two opponents, Alabama and Tennessee closed Saturday as top-five teams in the KenPom.
Here’s how Saturday’s loss affects Auburn in the latest KenPom ranking update:
Overall Ranking: No. 30
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The 32-point loss did a number to Auburn’s overall KenPom ranking as they fell eight spots from last Wednesday’s update following the win over Ole Miss.
Houston, UCLA, Alabama, Tennessee, and UConn round out the top five following Saturday’s action. That spells bad news for Auburn, as the Tigers face two of the KenPom’s top five teams in the final week of the regular season.
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: No. 77
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Auburn suffered another noticable drop, this time in adjusted offensive efficiency. Auburn checks in at No. 77 entering Sunday, which is a ten-spot drop from Wednesday. According to KenPom, Auburn is projected to score 111.0 points per 100 possessions.
Gonzaga is the best team in this category by scoring a projected 123.4 points per 100 possessions.
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: No. 19
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
The Tigers suffer a small drop in adjusted defensive efficiency from No. 15 to No. 19. Despite the dip, Auburn remains in the top 25 by allowing their opponents to score a projected 94.5 points per 100 possessions.
Auburn’s regular-season finale foe, Tennessee, is the nation’s best team. KenPom forecasts the Volunteers to allow a total of 86.7 poins per 100 possessions.
Adjusted tempo: No. 153
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Auburn gained a couple of spots in the adjusted tempo category by creating an estimated 68 possessions per game. In Saturday’s game at Kentucky, Auburn had 65 offensive possessions, but only scored on 24 of them.
St. John’s and Alabama have the most offensive possessions per game according to KenPom, as they are projected to have 73.5 possessions per game.
Strength of Schedule: No. 33
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Kentucky’s strong win over Auburn actually benefits the Tigers. Auburn now holds the No. 33 toughest schedule in the nation according to KenPom, which is a nine-place increase from Wednesday’s game against Ole Miss.
Kansas holds on to the nation’s toughest schedule.
Alabama ranking
The Tuscaloosa News
Alabama improved to 25-4, 15-1 in SEC play after defeating Arkansas, 86-83. Here’s a look how their win over the Razorbacks affects their KenPom rankings
