Auburn cracks top 10 of USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll ahead of NCAA Tournament

The Tigers are among the top movers in this week’s poll after winning the SEC Tournament on Sunday.

Auburn basketball battled Florida for the SEC Tournament crown on Sunday and rose from the dust as victors.

Due to its tournament win, the Tigers are among this week’s top movers in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Auburn will enter the first round of the NCAA Tournament as the No. 7 team in the country, rising five spots from their spot at No. 12 last week.

Auburn’s SEC Tournament final opponent, Florida was this week’s biggest mover by rising six spots to No. 23 after taking down Alabama and Texas A&M before meeting Auburn in the championship game. St. Mary’s joins Auburn by moving up five places from its previous position. Illinois and Iowa State gained ground in this week’s poll by advancing four spots. Creighton suffered the biggest drop of the week by falling five places to No. 11.

The final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll ahead of the NCAA Tournament features six SEC teams. Tennessee remains the top team in the conference at No. 6, one spot ahead of Auburn. Kentucky is next at No. 12, followed by South Carolina at No. 17 and Alabama at No. 18. The Gators round out the list at No. 23.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 UConn 31-3 800 (32) +1
2 Houston 30-4 752 -1
3 Purdue 29-4 740
4 Iowa State 27-7 697 +4
5 North Carolina 27-7 672 -1
6 Tennessee 24-8 595 -1
7 Auburn 27-7 573 +5
8 Marquette 25-9 560 +2
9 Arizona 25-8 544 -2
10 Illinois 26-8 508 +4
11 Creighton 23-9 506 -5
12 Kentucky 23-9 415 -3
13 Baylor 23-10 411
14 Duke 24-8 400 -3
15 Saint Mary’s 26-7 297 +5
16 Gonzaga 25-7 220 -1
17 South Carolina 26-7 218 -1
18 Alabama 21-11 197 +1
19 Utah State 27-6 193 -1
20 Kansas 22-10 188 -3
21 BYU 23-10 182
22 Texas Tech 23-10 134 +1
23 Florida 24-11 130 +6
24 Wisconsin 22-13 110
25 San Diego State 24-10 74 +2

Schools Dropped Out

No. 22 Nevada; No. 24 Dayton; No. 25 Washington State

Others Receiving Votes

New Mexico 68; Washington State 63; James Madison 30; Dayton 30; Nevada 29; Drake 29; Nebraska 12; North Carolina State 11; Colorado 4; Indiana State 2; Boise State 2; Pittsburgh 1; Michigan State 1; McNeese State 1; Grand Canyon 1

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