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Uh oh. Look out.
Auburn basketball is ranked #11 in the preseason AP Poll. This is NOT a drill.
Nearly half the AP Top 25 ballots had some combo of Kansas, Kentucky, Gonzaga and Duke in the top 4. Call it a clear tier. Here's a full breakdown of the preseason poll by @aaronbeardap. https://t.co/ZE9u91FPzB
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) October 22, 2018
First of all, this is the first time that Auburn has been ranked in the preseason polls since 2000, when the Tigers were coming off of two really great seasons in a row under Cliff Ellis. Now, the true defending SEC Champions will get to protect the title against the field as the hunted, not the hunter.
However, the SEC has four other ranked teams in the Top 25, and two of them will be extremely tough outs.
- Kentucky is #2, with the Wildcats bringing in the usual boatload of freshman talent under John Calipari.
- Tennessee is #6, after returning last year’s SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams. The Volunteers received one first-place vote as well.
- Mississippi State checks in at #18, after finishing last season 25-12 and making a run in the NIT.
- LSU is #23, as the Tigers boast Tremont Waters. LSU finished last year 18-15 and lost in the second round of the NIT.
Either way you look at it, Auburn returns as the defending champion, but doesn’t actually garner the most attention in the league. Kentucky and Tennessee will be great, but Auburn’s got the pieces back to make another title run. We’ve got a top 25 matchup coming on November 9th when #25 Washington comes to Auburn to take on the Tigers. War Eagle!