For the first time since the 1999-2000 season, Auburn basketball is ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll.
It matches the highest ranking in program history.
The latest AP Top 25 Poll, which was released Monday, had Auburn at No. 2 following a successful road trip where it went 2-0 against then-ranked No. 24 Alabama and Ole Miss. With former No. 1 Baylor and former No. 3 UCLA dropping at least one of their games, the Tigers were able to climb into the No. 2 spot.
Only two-loss Gonzaga is above them, grabbing the No. 1 spot.
Gonzaga earned 1,486 points in the poll. Auburn missed the No. 1 spot by four points, earning 1,482.
Auburn — along with Texas A&M — is still unbeaten in SEC play and one of three teams in the country with only one loss (Colorado State, Arizona).
The team is tied with Davidson for the nations' longest active win streak at 13 consecutive victories, with their lone loss coming in game four of the season — a double-overtime contest against UConn.
Auburn was previously ranked No. 1 in Sports Illustrated's 1999 preseason poll but the AP Poll had Auburn listed as No. 4 at the time. The Tigers climbed from No. 4 up to No. 2 that season as well.
Auburn will have a chance to play as the No. 2 team in front of its home crowd this week. The Tigers have two home games — one against Georgia on Wednesday and a date with No. 12 Kentucky on Saturday.
Kentucky is the second-highest ranked team in the SEC, behind Auburn. Others include No. 13 LSU and No. 24 Tennessee.
Tip-off against Georgia, the bottom-dwellers of the SEC, is set for 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Those not in Auburn Arena can watch the game on ESPNU.
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Originally from Helena, Ala., Caleb Jones is a senior studying journalism at Auburn University. He has been on staff with The Plainsman since 2019.
You can follow him here on Twitter: @calebjsports
