Auburn basketball’s updated SEC title odds from ESPN’s BPI
Entering Saturday, the Auburn Tigers have a comfortable lead in the SEC regular-season championship race.
On Wednesday, the No. 1 Tigers took down Arkansas to improve its record to 12-1 in SEC play. In addition to the win, Auburn took another step forward Wednesday as archrival Alabama dropped its second consecutive game, falling at Missouri. Auburn’s win at Arkansas, plus Alabama’s loss to Missouri, extended Auburn’s first-place cushion to two games with five contests remaining in the regular season.
The Crimson Tide has slipped to No. 3 in the SEC standings, tied with Florida with 10-3 SEC records. Neither team holds a tiebreaker as the teams have yet to meet on the court. That will change on Wednesday, March 5 when Alabama hosts Florida for a pivotal game in the SEC standings.
Ahead of Saturday’s action, here is a look at the top five teams in the SEC.
- Auburn (24-2, 12-1 SEC)
- Florida (23-3, 10-3 SEC)
- Alabama (21-5, 10-3 SEC)
- Missouri (20-6, 9-4 SEC)
- Texas A&M (20-6, 9-4 SEC)
Four of Auburn’s final five games will be against ranked opponents. Should Auburn slip once or twice before the end of the regular season, who will be the Tigers’ biggest challenger? Florida and Alabama have yet to play, but Alabama will have the toughest road between the two. All five of Alabama’s remaining opponents are ranked including games at home with Tennessee and Florida and a road game at Auburn. Florida will close out the year with home games against Texas A&M and Ole Miss, and a road game at Alabama. Texas A&M has beaten Missouri this season, so there is a chance that the Aggies could have a say in who wins the crown, especially if it upsets Auburn at home on March 4.
There are plenty of “what if” scenarios with five regular season games remaining. If the season ended today, who would be the champion of the SEC? Here is a look at the five teams with the best chance to gain the SEC regular season crown according to the latest BPI data from ESPN.
- Auburn (98.2%)
- Florida (5.9%)
- Alabama (3.5%)
- Texas A&M (0.6%)
- Missouri (0.3%)
