Auburn basketball experienced the highs and lows of playing an SEC schedule last week.
The Tigers began the week by defeating then-No. 11 South Carolina by 40 points on Wednesday, only to suffer its first home loss of the season on Saturday to then-No. 20 Kentucky on Saturday.
How does a week like the one Auburn experienced affect its place in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll? Voters are a little forgiving of teams who sustain a loss to lower-ranked teams. This week, Auburn checks in at No. 14 in the coaches poll, down two from last week.
After losing on the road at Auburn, South Carolina dropped its weekend contest to LSU. Their tough week plummets them to No. 20, making them the biggest drop of the week. As for Kentucky, they rise three places to No. 17.
Five SEC programs are in this week’s coaches poll. Tennessee remains the top SEC team at No. 5 while Alabama jumps ahead of Auburn at No. 13.
A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | UConn | 24-2 | 800 (32) | – |
| 2 | Houston | 22-3 | 764 | +1 |
| 3 | Purdue | 23-3 | 715 | -1 |
| 4 | Arizona | 20-5 | 710 | +2 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 19-6 | 641 | +4 |
| 6 | Iowa State | 20-5 | 607 | +4 |
| 7 | Duke | 20-5 | 580 | +1 |
| 8 | Marquette | 19-6 | 553 | -4 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 20-6 | 546 | -4 |
| 10 | Kansas | 20-6 | 538 | -3 |
| 11 | Baylor | 19-6 | 508 | +2 |
| 12 | Illinois | 19-6 | 431 | +2 |
| 13 | Alabama | 18-7 | 417 | +2 |
| 14 | Auburn | 20-6 | 335 | -2 |
| 15 | Creighton | 19-7 | 329 | +1 |
| 16 | Dayton | 21-4 | 300 | +2 |
| 17 | Kentucky | 18-7 | 291 | +3 |
| 18 | Saint Mary’s | 21-6 | 251 | +1 |
| 19 | San Diego State | 20-6 | 185 | +12 |
| 20 | South Carolina | 21-5 | 180 | -9 |
| 21 | BYU | 18-7 | 105 | -4 |
| 22 | Washington State | 20-6 | 97 | +12 |
| 23 | Texas Tech | 18-7 | 71 | +4 |
| 24 | Colorado State | 20-6 | 65 | +1 |
| 25 | TCU | 18-7 | 64 | +8 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 21 Oklahoma; No. 21 Wisconsin; No. 23 Virginia; No. 24 Indiana State
Others Receiving Votes
Gonzaga 61; Virginia 59; Florida 40; South Florida 35; Utah State 24; Michigan State 23; Grand Canyon 23; Wisconsin 16; Clemson 12; Oklahoma 9; Florida Atlantic 9; Nevada 4; James Madison 1; Boise State 1
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