Auburn's steady climb up the college basketball rankings continued on Monday when the Tigers landed at No. 9 in the AP Top 25 following a 70-55 thrashing of LSU in the SEC opener for both teams on Dec. 29. That impressive showing was good enough to bump Auburn (12-1) up two spots from No. 11. The Tigers began the season ranked No. 22 but have moved up in the poll every week except for the week after a 115-109 double-overtime loss against UConn in late November.
That defeat is the only loss on Auburn's ledger so far this season as the Tigers thrive behind one of the nation's best front courts. The tandem of five-star freshman forward Jabari Smith and North Carolina transfer center Walker Kessler are proving to be a nightmare for opponents. Both score 16 points against Auburn, and Kessler contributed 11 blocks and 10 rebounds to record the program's second-ever triple-double.
Other movement in this week's top-10 included Arizona rising one spot to No. 8 to replace Iowa State, as the Cyclones fell from No. 8 to No. 11 following a home loss against No. 1 Baylor. Seton Hall took one of the biggest hits in this week's poll, falling from No. 15 to No. 24 following a pair of close losses against Big East foes No. 16 Providence and No. 19 Villanova.
The Friars are up five spots this week amid a 13-1 start. They have already matched their win total from last season.
AP Top 25
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baylor (61) | 13-0 | 1,525 | 1 |
| 2 | Duke | 11-1 | 1,447 | 2 |
| 3 | Purdue | 12-1 | 1,376 | 3 |
| 4 | Gonzaga | 11-2 | 1,314 | 4 |
| 5 | UCLA | 8-1 | 1,287 | 5 |
| 6 | Kansas | 11-1 | 1,237 | 6 |
| 7 | USC | 12-0 | 1,015 | 7 |
| 8 | Arizona | 11-1 | 1,013 | 9 |
| 9 | Auburn | 12-1 | 976 | 11 |
| 10 | Michigan State | 12-2 | 934 | 10 |
| 11 | Iowa State | 12-1 | 896 | 8 |
| 12 | Houston | 12-2 | 849 | 12 |
| 13 | Ohio State | 9-2 | 819 | 13 |
| 14 | Texas | 11-2 | 640 | 17 |
| 15 | Alabama | 10-3 | 589 | 19 |
| 16 | Providence | 13-1 | 560 | 21 |
| 16 | Kentucky | 11-2 | 560 | 18 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 9-3 | 519 | 14 |
| 19 | Villanova | 9-4 | 437 | 22 |
| 20 | Colorado State | 10-0 | 386 | 20 |
| 21 | LSU | 12-1 | 371 | 16 |
| 22 | Xavier | 11-2 | 270 | 23 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 10-2 | 221 | 24 |
| 24 | Seton Hall | 9-3 | 174 | 15 |
| 25 | Texas Tech | 10-2 | 142 | 25 |
Others receiving votes: Illinois 74, Oklahoma 71, Loyola Chicago 40, UConn 39, West Virginia 6, Iowa 5, Minnesota 3, San Francisco 3, Davidson 3, Creighton 2.
