Did beating Purdue give Auburn basketball the top spot in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll?

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The back and forth between the humans and computers continues.

For weeks now, one could head to the NET Rankings, or KenPom, or T-Rank or EvanMiya and see the same message. Auburn basketball was the best team in the nation, at least based on the analytics. But that hasn’t translated over to the national top 25 polls, and that remains the case this week.

Bruce Pearl’s Tigers remain No. 2 in this week’s USA TODAY Coaches Poll, inching ever so closer to top-ranked Tennessee. Auburn received 11 first-place votes — two more than last week — to the Volunteers’ 20.

FULL RANKINGS: See the full USA TODAY Top 25 rankings here

‘IT WAS MY DECISION’: Auburn basketball’s Johni Broome recaps return from shoulder injury

The AP’s Top 25 slate furthered the stagnation, as Auburn remained No. 2 there as well. It received 21 first-place votes to Tennessee’s 41.

Auburn remains second-best in the eyes of the voters after an 18-point win over then-No. 16 Purdue on Saturday in Birmingham. The Tigers did so with Johni Broome in tow, who appeared likely to miss a vital matchup with a shoulder injury he’d suffered earlier in the week.

With the victory, the Tigers secured a nation-leading fourth win over a ranked opponent. It was also their sixth Quad 1 victory in seven opportunities this season. Each of those seven contests was away from home.

As of Monday, the Tigers still sit a No. 1 in every major analytical listing.

There’s still one more game on Auburn’s nonconference slate, against Monmouth at 5:30 p.m. CT Dec. 30 at Neville Arena. It’ll begin conference play Jan. 4 against Missouri, with tipoff slated for 3:30 p.m. at Neville Arena.

Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl greets fans after the game as Auburn Tigers take on Purdue Boilermakers at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. Auburn Tigers defeated Purdue Boilermakers 87-69.

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, the platform…

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Author : The Montgomery Advertiser

Publish date : 2024-12-23 18:08:00

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