Auburn basketball looks to give the Auburn fan base something to look forward to this season after the football team’s disappointing start to the 2024 season.
Bruce Pearl’s bunch could do just that this season as the Tigers are expected to perform at a high level based on the preseason polls. The Associated Press poll placed Auburn at No. 11 in its debut poll last week. The USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll feels the same sentiments by also giving Auburn the No. 11 slot in its preseason poll.
Auburn is one of nine SEC teams to find a place in the poll and is the second-highest-ranked squad from the conference. No. 2 Alabama is the only SEC school to begin the season ranked higher than Auburn, with Tennessee (No. 12), Texas A&M (No. 15), Arkansas (No. 16), Texas (No. 19), Florida (No. 21), Kentucky (No. 23), and Ole Miss (No. 25) following suit.
In non-conference play, Auburn will battle three top-10 teams (No. 4 Houston, No. 5 Duke, and No. 6 Iowa State), with the opportunity to meet No. 3 UConn and No. 10 North Carolina as part of the Maui Invitational.
This season’s schedule will be a challenging one, but it is one that head coach Bruce Pearl and the rest of the Tigers are ready to approach head-on. Here is a look at this season’s first USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
2024-25 Preseason Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll
| Rank | School | Last Year’s Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 23-11 | 743 (15) |
| 2 | Alabama | 25-12 | 718 (6) |
| 3 | Connecticut | 37-3 | 717 (6) |
| 4 | Houston | 32-5 | 698 (4) |
| 5 | Duke | 27-9 | 625 |
| 6 | Iowa State | 29-8 | 591 |
| 7 | Gonzaga | 27-8 | 575 |
| 8 | Baylor | 24-11 | 545 |
| 9 | Arizona | 27-9 | 510 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 29-8 | 498 |
| 11 | Auburn | 27-8 | 465 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 27-9 | 437 |
| 13 | Purdue | 34-5 | 390 |
| 14 | Creighton | 25-10 | 342 |
| 15 | Texas A&M | 21-15 | 332 |
| 16 | Arkansas | 16-17 | 272 |
| 17 | Marquette | 27-10 | 268 |
| 18 | Indiana | 19-14 | 208 |
| 19 | Texas | 21-13 | 166 |
| 20 | Cincinnati | 22-15 | 163 |
| 21 | Florida | 24-12 | 130 |
| 22 | UCLA | 16-17 | 123 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 23-10 | 95 |
| 24 | Illinois | 29-9 | 87 |
| 25 | Mississippi | 20-12 | 66 |
Dropped Out:
No. 13 North Carolina State (26-15); No. 15 Clemson (24-12); No. 18 San Diego State (26-11); No. 20 Utah State (28-7); No. 22 Saint Mary’s (26-8); No. 23 South Carolina (26-8); No. 24 Washington State (25-10); No. 25 Texas Tech (23-11)
Others Receiving Votes:
Texas Tech (23-11) 60; Rutgers (15-17) 57; St. John’s (20-13) 42; Xavier (16-18) 26; Michigan State (20-15) 25; Brigham Young (23-11) 16; Oregon (24-12) 16; Kansas State (19-15) 11; Boise State (22-11) 9; Saint Mary’s (26-8) 9; Clemson (24-12) 8; Dayton (25-8) 7; Ohio State (22-14) 7; Maryland (16-17) 4; Grand Canyon (30-5) 3; Mississippi State (21-14) 2; Princeton (24-5) 2; San Diego State (26-11) 2; Virginia (23-11) 2; Wake Forest (21-14); Wisconsin (22-14)
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