After picking up two wins in the past week, including its first Quad 1 win, Auburn men’s basketball rose from No. 16 in the AP rankings to No. 12.
In its first contest of the week, Auburn defeated Vanderbilt for the second time this season 81-54. Auburn was in control for the entire game, as Vanderbilt never held a lead. Auburn’s defense held the Commodores under 60 points – the fourth time in conference play the Tigers have done so.
Auburn then traveled to Oxford, Mississippi, to face another sold-out crowd. After allowing 44 points in the first half, the Tigers faced a nine-point deficit going into the break. However, Auburn flipped the switch on the Rebels and shot 73.3% percent from the field in the second half, scoring 56 points in a 91-77 victory.
After a home loss to Tennessee, Kentucky dropped seven spots in the newest poll, making the Tigers the second-highest-ranked SEC team, only behind No. 6 Tennessee. No. 15 South Carolina, No. 16 Alabama and No. 17 Kentucky are the other ranked SEC squads.
This week, according to the NCAA's NET metric system, Auburn gets two more chances to claim Quad 1 victories.
Auburn will host Alabama in the teams' second meeting of the season on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. Alabama jumped eight spots from No. 24 to No. 16 after an impressive win over Mississippi State 99-67.
The Tigers will then travel to Gainsville, Florida, on Feb. 10 at 2:30 p.m. on SEC Network to take on the Florida Gators, who did not receive any votes in the most recent poll. Gainesville has proved to be a troubling place for Auburn to find a win, with their most recent victory at Florida coming in the 1995-96 season.
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Craig Noyes is a junior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
Twitter: @craignoyes58
