Auburn Tigers Drop in ESPN’s Updated Power Rankings

The Auburn Tigers fell on the road to Texas A&M 83-72 on Tuesday night, and despite still holding the nation’s most impressive resume, they find themselves out of the top spot in ESPN’s College Basketball Power Rankings.

All in all, it’s not surprising to see Duke climb above them into the No. 1 spot as Auburn falls to No. 2. The Blue Devils and Tigers are now even on record at 27-3, and Duke holds the head to head advantage courtesy of their 84-78 win over Auburn in December.

However, Duke hasn’t played a ranked team (at the time of the game) since that December 5th win over the Tigers, almost unheard of in the tradition-rich ACC. Playing a softer schedule, Duke has looked unbeatable. They’ve won their last-seven games by an average of 32 points.

Clemson is now ranked No. 11 in the country, and that was Duke’s last loss.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello was caught a bit off guard by Auburn’s lackadaisical showing against Texas A&M as he justified the move to No. 2.

“Auburn was surprisingly noncompetitive against Texas A&M on Tuesday, never leading, and trailing by three or more possessions for the majority of the second half,” wrote Borzello on ESPN. “The Tigers had their worst defensive performance since a loss to Duke in early December, allowing the Aggies to dominate on the offensive glass with 24 rebounds for 29 second-chance points.”

Auburn was noncompetitive against the Aggies, but it was hardly surprising. The Tigers had clinched the regular season SEC Championship at Kentucky, and the grind and celebration afterwards showed Auburn was prime for a road letdown against a desperate Aggies team. In fact, it was predictable.

Borzello also points to a key loss in the lineup for the Tigers as a factor in the defeat.

“The absence of Denver Jones was noticeable, but Johni Broome not looking superhuman for the second straight game was also difficult for Auburn to overcome. Broome is averaging 8.5 points and 6.5 boards over his past two games,” wrote Borzello.

Head coach Bruce Pearl said after the game that Jones is close to returning. Auburn is looking to set a record for most SEC wins in a season from their program, and they shouldn’t need any help in the motivation department against Alabama on Saturday.

Arguing about which team should get which No. 1 seed makes for a fun debate, but in the end, both Auburn and Duke are going to have to get it done on the court over the course of the next month.