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It’s the last day of 2018, and that means it’s time for another edition of the Associated Press college basketball rankings. There hasn’t been much happening since Kansas was upset before Christmas, so look below for the full set.
AP POLL ALERT: Duke stays at No. 1 in latest AP Top 25 poll as top 12 remain unchanged; Kentucky climbs to No. 13. Read the full poll here: https://t.co/25RqXI8PMC pic.twitter.com/TYEDinsOEo
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) December 31, 2018
Auburn stays ranked 12th in the poll, after the non-conference portion of the schedule has finalized. The Tigers finished 11-2, with losses coming to the current #1 team in Duke by just 6 points, and at the current #18 team NC State by 7 points. Both of those defeats came away from home, and Auburn will begin SEC play on the road at Ole Miss, but that won’t happen until a week from Wednesday on January 9th.
Here’s the current top ten:
- Duke
- Michigan
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Kansas
- Nevada
- Gonzaga
- Michigan State
- Florida State
- Virginia Tech
Auburn sits behind Texas Tech and just ahead of Kentucky. Other SEC teams in the poll are Mississippi State at #17, and then Florida’s receiving votes. The Tigers will play current #3 Tennessee on the final weekend of the year at Auburn Arena, and have Kentucky at home on January 19th at either 3:00 or 5:00 pm.
As for the schedule this week around the Top 25, here are the games of notes:
1/1/19 - #18 Marquette @ St. John’s - Mustapha Heron can help the Red Storm take out one of the top teams in the Big East.
1/2/19 - #11 Texas Tech @ West Virginia - a team ahead of Auburn heads into a tough atmosphere in Morgantown.
1/2/19 - #23 Oklahoma @ #5 Kansas - one of the best recent rivalries in the Big 12 hits Lawrence.
1/5/19 - #8 Michigan State @ #14 Ohio State - two teams ranked near Auburn play each other. One has to lose, so the Tigers may end up getting a bump without having to play.
1/5/19 - #13 Kentucky @ Alabama - we get a glimpse at two of Auburn’s future opponents.
1/5/19 - #9 Florida State @ #4 Virginia - again, a chance for a team above Auburn to lose.
1/5/19 - Georgia @ #3 Tennessee - another look at future opponents for the Tigers.
Conference play begins around the country this week, so look for next week’s rankings to likely have a huge change! War Eagle!