Auburn Falls to No. 4 in AP Poll Ahead of NCAA Tournament
Despite being named the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Auburn Tigers have slipped in the latest AP Top 25 rankings. Now ranked No. 4, they trail behind the No. 3 Florida Gators, No. 2 Houston Cougars, and No. 1 Duke Blue Devils. This marks the lowest Auburn has been ranked since Week 4 of the regular season when they were also positioned at No. 4. However, at that time, the Tigers were still undefeated.
Why Did Auburn Drop in the Rankings
The Tigers’ recent struggles, particularly in the final stretch of the regular season and the SEC Tournament, contributed to their drop in the AP Poll. Auburn began the last week of the regular season with a tough road loss to No. 12 Texas A&M in College Station. Shortly after, they suffered another defeat—this time at home against their in-state rivals, No. 7 Alabama. These back-to-back losses knocked Auburn down to No. 2 in the AP rankings, with Duke taking over the top spot.
SEC Tournament Struggles
Despite finishing as the top seed in the SEC Tournament and securing a double bye, Auburn’s postseason run did little to boost their ranking. The Tigers had the advantage of avoiding Alabama, Florida, and Kentucky on their side of the bracket, making their path to the SEC Championship theoretically more manageable.
Auburn started the tournament with a win against Ole Miss in the quarterfinals, a result that was largely expected given the matchup. However, in the semifinals, the Tigers ran into trouble against the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee, the fourth seed in the SEC Tournament, had also received a double bye and entered the game well-rested. Auburn struggled to contain Tennessee’s standout guard Zakai Zeigler, leading to their third loss in their last four games.
Florida Jumps Auburn in Rankings
The Tigers’ loss to Tennessee ultimately allowed Florida to leapfrog them in the AP rankings. The Gators went on to defeat Tennessee in the SEC Championship game, solidifying their position as the No. 3 team in the country.
Despite their drop in the AP Poll, Auburn still enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. However, their recent struggles raise questions about whether they can regain their dominant form in time for March Madness.
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