Exclusive; Auburn rises to No. 12 in latest AP Poll
With two wins last week, including the first in Quad 1, Auburn men’s basketball jumped from No. 16 to No. 12 in the AP rankings.
In the first game of the week, Auburn defeated Vanderbilt 81-54 for the second time this season. Auburn dominated the entire game as Vanderbilt never gained a lead. Auburn’s defense held the Commodores to under 60 points. It is the fourth time the Tigers have done so in conference play.
Auburn traveled to Oxford, Mississippi to face another sold out team. The Tigers, who gave up 44 points in the first half, trailed by 9 points at halftime. But Auburn turned on the Rebels, scoring 56 points in the second half while shooting 73.3 percent from the field, winning 91-77.
After a home loss to Tennessee, Kentucky fell seven spots in the latest poll, making the Tigers the second-best SEC team behind No. 6 Tennessee. Not. South Carolina (No. 15), Alabama (No. 16) and Kentucky (No. 17) are the other SEC ranked teams.
Auburn has two more chances to win the Quad 1 this week, according to the NCAA’s NET measurement system. Auburn is scheduled to play Alabama in its second game of the season on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. On ESPN2. Alabama moved up eight spots from no. 24 at no. 16 after beating Mississippi State 99-67.
The Tigers are scheduled to travel to Gainesville, Florida next February. They will face the Florida Gators, who received no votes in the final ballot, on the SEC Network at 2:30 PM on the 10th. Gainesville has proven to be a difficult place for Auburn to win, their last win in Florida coming in the 1995-96 season.
