Despite going 2-0 in the first week of the college basketball season, the Auburn Tigers dropped three spots in the latest USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
Auburn opened the season ranked No. 22 but is now No. 25. Auburn defeated Bethune-Cookman, 95-90 in overtime to open the season, and on Thursday defeated Merrimack convincingly, 95-57. The star of the first week for the Tigers was UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall with a combined 53 points and 22 rebounds. He is leading Auburn in both categories through two games.
The Bethune-Cookman score was a surprising one and a lot of people were expecting Auburn to cruise to victory. However, that was just the third time this team had played in a game together. The Tigers also had preseason games versus Oklahoma State and Memphis. The Auburn defense struggled in game, and Bethune-Cookman shot the ball very well. They shot 50% from the floor and hit 12 of 23 three-pointers. Auburn shot just 26% from the three-point line, but spent a lot of time at the free throw line. They were 27 of 38 from the line. Hall was big in overtime scoring 7 of his 28 points.
Auburn did what was expected of them versus Merrimack and cruised to victory. In the 95-57 win, Auburn again had the advantage at the free throw line going 27 of 37. Auburn also dominated in rebounded with an 55-24 advantage. However, they did struggle from long range again going 6 of 24. Tahaad Pettiford is averaging 12 points per game, but he has struggled with his shooting. After two games he is shooting 31% and is 3 for 16 from beyond the three-point line. Auburn will need him to find his shot this season.
The Tigers are one of six SEC teams that are featured in the rankings this week. Kentucky is the highest ranked team at No. 8 followed by Alabama and Florida behind them. The Tennessee Volunteers are No. 18 and Arkansas is ranked No. 21.
Here’s a look at this week’s USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
| Rank | Team | Record | PTS | 1st | Prev | Chg | Hi/Lo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue | 2-0 | 749 | 21 | 1 | – | 1/1 |
| 2 | Houston | 2-0 | 746 | 7 | 2 | – | 2/2 |
| 3 | UConn | 2-0 | 682 | 0 | 4 | +1 | 3/4 |
| 4 | Duke | 2-0 | 661 | 1 | 5 | +1 | 4/5 |
| 5 | Michigan | 1-0 | 582 | 0 | 7 | +2 | 5/7 |
| 6 | Arizona | 2-0 | 574 | 0 | 13 | +7 | 6/13 |
| 7 | BYU | 2-0 | 544 | 0 | 8 | +1 | 7/8 |
| 8 | Kentucky | 2-0 | 537 | 2 | 9 | +1 | 8/9 |
| 9 | Alabama | 2-0 | 532 | 0 | 16 | +7 | 9/16 |
| 10 | Florida | 1-1 | 507 | 0 | 3 | -7 | 3/10 |
| 11 | Texas Tech | 2-0 | 454 | 0 | 11 | – | 11/11 |
| 12 | Louisville | 2-0 | 430 | 0 | 10 | -2 | 10/12 |
| 13 | St. John’s | 1-1 | 384 | 0 | 6 | -7 | 6/13 |
| 14 | Illinois | 2-0 | 379 | 0 | 14 | – | 14/14 |
| 15 | UCLA | 2-0 | 324 | 0 | 12 | -3 | 12/15 |
| 16 | Iowa State | 2-0 | 292 | 0 | 18 | +2 | 16/18 |
| 17 | Michigan State | 2-0 | 288 | 0 | 21 | +4 | 17/21 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 2-0 | 282 | 0 | 17 | -1 | 17/18 |
| 19 | Gonzaga | 2-0 | 249 | 0 | 20 | +1 | 19/20 |
| 20 | North Carolina | 2-0 | 225 | 0 | 25 | +5 | 20/25 |
| 21 | Arkansas | 1-1 | 135 | 0 | 15 | -6 | 15/21 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 2-0 | 100 | 0 | 24 | +2 | 22/24 |
| 23 | Creighton | 1-0 | 92 | 0 | 23 | – | 23/23 |
| 24 | Kansas | 1-1 | 82 | 0 | 19 | -5 | 19/24 |
| 25 | Auburn | 2-0 | 48 | 0 | 22 | -3 | 22/25 |
Others Receiving Votes
Vanderbilt 31; Oregon 26; Baylor 25; Indiana 24; North Carolina State 23; Virginia 14; San Diego State 10; Ole Miss 8; USC 6; Missouri 5; Georgetown 5; Clemson 5; Saint Mary’s 4; Georgia 4; Iowa 3; Ohio State 2; Texas 1; Kansas State 1
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn basketball falls to No. 25 in USA TODAY Coaches Poll
