Auburn Basketball Continues Streak of No. 1 AP Top 25 Poll Ranking
The Auburn Tigers hung onto the No. 1 spot in the updated AP Top 25, extending their streak heading into the final week of the regular season.
Auburn has been ranked the top men’s college basketball team for eight straight weeks. The Tigers are the longest-tenured No. 1 team since UConn. UConn is the only other program to hold the title for at least six weeks during the 2015-2016 season.
Auburn began its stretch of ranked opponents to close the regular season on Saturday. The Tigers still have to play No. 22 Texas A&M and No. 7 Alabama before the SEC Tournament on March 12.
Bruce Pearl and his team conquered No. 17 Kentucky in their last game, 94-78. It was the first time since 1988 that Auburn had won a game against Kentucky in Rupp Arena.
Auburn’s leading scorer Johni Broome was held to nine points, his lowest scoring total since Jan. 11. Broome averages 18.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
However, with Kentucky’s defense focusing on Broome, the door was open for other Auburn players. Miles Kelly finished with a season-high 30 points, Chad Baker-Mazara accounted for 22 points, and Tahaad Pettiford scored 21 points off the bench.
Auburn now will shift focus to a struggling Texas A&M team. The Aggies have lost four games in a row heading into Tuesday’s matchup, which will be their first meeting of the season with the Tigers.
Texas A&M lost 89-70 to No. 3 Florida in its last game. Texas A&M shot 39% from the field and 29.4% from three-point range.
The ranked showdown will be in College Station, with tipoff at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
