Auburn clinging to spot in AP poll after back-to-back losses

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl speaks to an official during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against West Virginia on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/Kathleen Batten)
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Auburn has extended its program-record streak of consecutive weeks ranked in the AP poll, but Bruce Pearl’s team is hanging on by a thread.

The Tigers dropped 10 spots in the Week 13 AP poll released Monday, falling to No. 25 in the latest rankings following back-to-back losses last week. Auburn lost at home to Texas A&M, 79-63, last Wednesday as it saw its 28-game home winning streak snapped. That was followed by an 80-77 loss at West Virginia in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday, as the Tigers fell short of a second-half rally from a 16-point halftime deficit.

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The two losses dropped Auburn to 16-5 on the year, and the Tigers are now fourth in the SEC standings. Despite the slip in the rankings, Auburn has now been ranked in the top-25 for 32 consecutive weeks -- a streak that began with last season’s preseason AP poll. It’s the longest such streak in program history; the Tigers surpassed the previous program record of 30 with last week’s poll, when they were ranked 15th in the country.

The team stumbled last week, however, losing back-to-back games for the first time since it lost three consecutive games late in the 2020-21 season -- at Kentucky, at LSU and at home against Florida. That loss to the Gators two seasons ago was the Tigers’ last loss at home until Wednesday’s setback against the Aggies, which snapped Auburn’s nation-leading 28-game home winning streak.

Auburn is one of three SEC teams ranked in the Week 13 AP poll, along with No. 2 Tennessee and No. 4 Alabama. Missouri, Texas A&M and Arkansas all received votes but were not ranked.

Auburn will attempt to bounce back this week with a matchup against Georgia at Neville Arena on Wednesday (6 p.m. on SEC Network), followed by a Saturday showdown on the road against No. 2 Tennessee (1 p.m. on ESPN). The Bulldogs handed the Tigers their first loss of SEC play on Jan. 4 in Athens, Ga., while Auburn lost its last matchup in Knoxville, Tenn., against Tennessee last February.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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