How far did Auburn basketball move up in the latest USA TODAY coaches poll?
It's a young season, but Auburn men's basketball had one of the biggest early wins over the weekend, defeating then-No. 4 Houston 74-69 on the road.
The Tigers have been recognized accordingly.
It was a seven-spot jump for the Tigers in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll, with them rising from No. 11 in the rankings to No. 4. They also saw a six-spot bump in the AP's weekly rankings, and they're now sitting at No. 5 in that listing — meaning Auburn is a consensus top-five team nationally. The seven-spot jump in the Coaches Poll was the biggest of any ranked team.
Still, Auburn is only the second-highest-ranked team in the Southeastern Conference, with Alabama sitting at No. 2 in both USA Today's and the AP's listings. The Tigers and the Crimson Tide make up a seven-team contingent of ranked SEC schools, with Tennessee (No. 9), Kentucky (No. 18), Florida (No. 19), Arkansas (No. 21) and Texas A&M (No. 23).
Two other SEC schools — Texas and Ole Miss — fell out of the USA Today ranking after sitting at No. 19 and No. 25, respectively, last week.
Auburn's victory over the Cougars was its third in 15 tries under head coach Bruce Pearl. Freshman Tahaad Pettiford was perhaps the Tigers' biggest highlight, scoring a game-high 21 points off the bench, while All-American Johni Broome scored another 20.
This was also far from the last time Auburn will take on a ranked opponent this season, if not another top-five foe.
At the month's end, the Tigers will head to Hawaii and take part in the 2024 Maui Invitational, which includes four teams currently ranked in the Coaches Polls among the eight-team field. They'll also play No. 22 Ohio State and No. 12 Purdue before entering conference play.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Where does Auburn basketball sit in the latest USA TODAY coaches poll?
