I explained in Sunday's update to the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings why I believe Purdue should be No. 1 when the Associated Press Top 25 poll updates Monday. If you missed it, go check it out so that I don't have to repeat myself and can instead use this space to focus on Auburn.
Did you see what Auburn did to USC?
The Tigers beat Bronny James and the Trojans 91-75 on Sunday to improve to 8-2 on the season. If not for Auburn coach Bruce Pearl scheduling a game at Appalachian State earlier this month that most high-major coaches would never schedule, Auburn would likely already be in the AP poll. But Pearl did schedule that game, and his Tigers lost it, so AP voters have largely ignored them.
Which is understandable.
The resume is still lacking a victory over a currently ranked team and does include that 69-64 loss to Appalachian State — plus the 88-82 season-opening loss to Baylor. That's not a great body of work. But it should be noted that Auburn's computer numbers are terrific across the board, in part because the Tigers are 4-0 against top-100 KenPom.com teams not named Baylor or Appalachian State with those four wins coming by an average of 19.5 points.
The Tigers have beaten Indiana by 28, St. Bonaventure and Virginia Tech by 17 each, and USC by 16. That's enough for me to put Auburn 24th in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 and 1.
Auburn has three more non-league games remaining — one against Alabama State (Friday), another against Chattanooga (Dec. 30) and the last against Penn (Jan. 2). All three will be played inside Neville Arena, where the Tigers are 34-2 in their past 36 contests. So, barring a surprise, Auburn will enter the SEC portion of its schedule with an 11-2 record and should be considered among the contenders to win the conference championship that Pearl has already won three times -- once at Tennessee (2008), and two more times at Auburn (2018, 2022).
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Fletcher Loyer finished with 27 points and four steals in Saturday's 92-84 win over Arizona. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday against Jacksonville. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Kevin McCullar finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 75-71 win at Indiana. The Jayhawks' next game is Friday against Yale. | -- | 23-11 |
| 3 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 70-66 win over Texas A&M. The Cougars' next game is Thursday against Texas State. vvv | -- | 32-5 |
| 4 |  | Donovan Clingan finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in Friday's 76-63 win over Gonzaga. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday at Seton Hall. | -- | 37-3 |
| 5 |  | Arizona allowed Purdue to shoot 53.8% from the field in Saturday's 92-84 loss to the Boilermakers. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Alabama. | -- | 27-9 |
| 6 |  | Oso Ighodaro finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 84-79 win over St. Thomas-Minnesota. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday at Providence. | -- | 27-10 |
| 7 |  | Zakai Zeigler finished with 20 points and eight assists in Saturday's 79-70 win over NC State. The Vols' next game is Thursday against Tarleton State. | -- | 27-9 |
| 8 |  | Coleman Hawkins finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 74-57 win over Colgate. The Illini's next game is Friday against Missouri. | -- | 29-9 |
| 9 |  | Rivaldo Soares finished with 13 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 81-47 win over Green Bay. The Sooners' next game is Wednesday against North Carolina. | -- | 20-12 |
| 10 |  | Johnell Davis finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 64-54 win over St. Bonaventure. The Owls' next game is Saturday against Arizona. | -- | 25-9 |
| 11 |  | Rob Dillingham finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 87-83 win over North Carolina. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday against Louisville. | -- | 23-10 |
| 12 |  | Armando Bacot was limited to nine points in Saturday's 87-83 loss to Kentucky. The Tar Heels' next game is Wednesday against Oklahoma. | -- | 29-8 |
| 13 |  | Baylor allowed Michigan State to shoot 63.3% from the field in Saturday's 88-64 loss to the Spartans. The Bears' next game is Wednesday against Duke. | -- | 24-11 |
| 14 |  | Gonzaga allowed UConn to shoot 55.8% from the field in Friday's 76-63 loss to the Huskies. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against Jackson State. | -- | 27-8 |
| 15 |  | Isaiah Stevens finished with 18 points and six assists in Sunday's 86-54 win over CSU Pueblo. The Rams' next game is Friday against Loyola Marymount. | -- | 25-11 |
| 16 |  | Richie Saunders finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 86-54 win over Georgia State. The Cougars' next game is Friday against Bellarmine. | -- | 23-11 |
| 17 |  | Jaemyn Brakefield finished with 27 points and three steals in Saturdays 88-78 win over Cal. The Rebels' next game is Tuesday against Troy. | -- | 20-12 |
| 18 |  | David Jones finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 79-77 win over Clemson. The Tigers' next game is Tuesday against Virginia. | -- | 22-10 |
| 19 |  | Chase Hunter was 3-of-11 from the field in Saturday's 79-77 loss at Memphis. The Tigers' next game is Friday against Queens. | -- | 24-12 |
| 20 |  | Kyle Filipowski finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 89-68 win over Hofstra. The Blue Devils' next game is Wednesday against Baylor. | -- | 27-9 |
| 21 |  | Steven Crowl finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's 75-60 win over Jacksonville State. The Badgers' next game is Friday against Chicago State. | -- | 22-14 |
| 22 |  | Reece Beekman finished with 21 points and five assists in Saturday's 56-54 win over Northeastern. The Cavaliers' next game is Tuesday at Memphis. | -- | 23-11 |
| 23 |  | Xavier Brown finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 88-71 win at Hampton. The Dukes' next game is Tuesday against Coppin State. | -- | 32-4 |
| 24 |  | Aden Holloway finished with 15 points and six assists in Sunday's 91-75 win over USC. The Tigers' next game is Friday against Alabama State. | -- | 27-8 |
| 25 |  | Trey Alexander finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 85-82 win over Alabama. The Bluejays' next game is Wednesday against Villanova. | -- | 25-10 |
| 26 |  | Jace Carter was 3-of-11 from the field in Saturday's 70-66 loss to Houston. The Aggies' next game is Friday against Houston Christian. | -- | 21-15 |
