Auburn basketball ended its SEC Tournament championship season on a sour note last month by dropping its lone NCAA Tournament game to Yale, 78-76. The loss made a giant impact on where the Tigers finished in the final polls.
The final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was released Tuesday, and the Tigers will cap the 2023-24 season by being ranked No. 17, which is a 10-spot drop from their standing in the final regular season poll.
The round-of-64 loss, plus their plummet in the final rankings, place Auburn in College Sports Wire’s loser column. Patrick Conn writes that the Tigers must re-load to reach its full potential next season.
One of the few upsets of the NCAA Tournament came at the expense of the Auburn Tigers. Bruce Pearl and company fell to Yale in the 4-13 first-round matchup in the East bracket. Yale won only their second win all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Their quick exit caused them to fall out of the top 10 down to No. 17.
Bruce Pearl and the staff will need to reload and get ready for another run in 2024-25.
Five SEC teams earned a spot in the final ranking. Alabama, the conference’s lone representative in the Final Four, ends the season at No. 4 after its impeccable run. Tennessee is one place behind Alabama at No. 5, with Kentucky and South Carolina finishing at No. 19 and No. 23 respectively.
The full USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn | 37-3 | 775 (31) | – |
| 2 | Purdue | 34-5 | 744 | +1 |
| 3 | Houston | 32-5 | 651 | -1 |
| 4 | Alabama | 25-12 | 542 | +14 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 27-9 | 638 | +1 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 29-8 | 578 | -1 |
| 7 | Illinois | 29-9 | 561 | +3 |
| 8 | Iowa State | 29-8 | 539 | -4 |
| 9 | Duke | 27-9 | 521 | +5 |
| 10 | Creighton | 25-10 | 473 | +1 |
| 11 | Marquette | 27-10 | 457 | -3 |
| 12 | Arizona | 27-9 | 440 | -3 |
| 13 | North Carolina State | 26-15 | 389 | +20 |
| 14 | Baylor | 24-11 | 330 | -1 |
| 15 | Clemson | 24-12 | 325 | – |
| 16 | Gonzaga | 27-8 | 312 | – |
| 17 | Auburn | 27-8 | 302 | -10 |
| 18 | San Diego State | 26-11 | 217 | +7 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 23-10 | 171 | -7 |
| 20 | Utah State | 28-7 | 164 | -1 |
| 21 | Kansas | 23-11 | 135 | -1 |
| 22 | Saint Mary’s | 26-8 | 128 | -7 |
| 23 | South Carolina | 26-8 | 124 | -6 |
| 24 | Washington State | 25-10 | 62 | +3 |
| 25 | Texas Tech | 23-11 | 49 | -3 |
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