Following its winning of back-to-back games two weeks ago, Auburn basketball had an up-and-down week in SEC play last week, splitting a pair of games against Alabama and Florida. The Tigers took a small step down in many of the nation’s polls.
Auburn made the drop down to No. 12 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the Associated Press Poll. The latest edition of College Sports Wire’s power rankings held a similar fate for the Tigers, moving them down to No. 12 as well.
In Auburn’s revenge win over Alabama last Wednesday, the Tigers posed their will inside in the 18-point win. The same could not be said for the matchup with the Gators, however, as Auburn could not find much luck in any facet of the game on the way to a 16-point loss. Andy Patton still has the Tigers as the second-highest-ranking team in the SEC, with Rick Barnes and Tennessee sitting at No. 9. Purdue, UConn, Houston, Arizona and North Carolina make up the top five this week.
Neither Alabama or South Carolina made drastic moves, with the Crimson Tide dropping to No. 16 and the Gamecocks rising to No. 14. A noticeable name that is no longer in the rankings is Kentucky after it split a pair of games last week, including losing its third-straight in Rupp Arena at the hands of Gonzaga.
Auburn has a monumental chance to pick up two ranked victories at home this week with games against South Carolina on Wednesday and Kentucky on Saturday.
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