Auburn basketball ended its bizarre week on a high note.
Following an impressive 94-43 win over Vermont to kick off the 2024-25 campaign last Wednesday, Auburn (2-0) traveled to Houston, Texas to battle the Houston Cougars in a March Madness caliber game at Toyota Center, home of the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
Their trip to Houston began with controversy as an incident on the team’s flight forced two players to miss the game. However, it affected the Tigers minimally as they would sneak out of the Lone Star State with a 74-69 win.
The win was deemed impressive by voters in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, as the Tigers move into the No. 4 slot heading into the second week of action. Auburn’s seven-spot jump was the second-highest advancement of the week, trailing just Ohio State, who checks in at No. 22 this week after beginning the season unranked, a 15-spot difference.
Alabama is the highest-ranked SEC squad at No. 2 after earning two wins to start the season. Tennessee joins the Crimson Tide and Tigers in the top 10 at No. 9 while Kentucky (No. 18), Florida (No. 19), Arkansas (No. 21), and Texas A&M (No. 23) round out the SEC’s representation in the top 25. Texas and Ole Miss were removed from the top 25 considerations this week.
Week 1 Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll
| Ranking | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 2-0 | 759 (21) |
| 2 | Alabama | 2-0 | 724 (4) |
| 3 | UConn | 2-0 | 702 (3) |
| 4 | Auburn | 2-0 | 660 (2) |
| 5 | Gonzaga | 2-0 | 651 (1) |
| 6 | Duke | 2-0 | 608 |
| 7 | Iowa State | 1-0 | 576 |
| 8 | Arizona | 2-0 | 516 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 2-0 | 502 |
| 10 | Houston | 1-1 | 488 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 1-1 | 456 |
| 12 | Purdue | 2-0 | 437 |
| 13 | Creighton | 2-0 | 385 |
| 14 | Baylor | 1-1 | 328 |
| 15 | Marquette | 2-0 | 308 |
| 16 | Indiana | 2-0 | 234 |
| 17 | Cincinnati | 2-0 | 230 |
| 18 | Kentucky | 2-0 | 182 |
| 19 | Florida | 2-0 | 179 |
| 20 | Illinois | 2-0 | 151 |
| 21 | Arkansas | 1-1 | 150 |
| 22 | Ohio State | 1-0 | 148 |
| 23 | Texas A&M | 1-1 | 99 |
| 24 | Rutgers | 1-0 | 84 |
| 25 | St. John’s | 2-0 | 79 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 19 Texas; No. 22 UCLA; No. 25 Ole Miss
Others Receiving Votes
Texas Tech 75; Ole Miss 60; Texas 54; Xavier 38; Oregon 37; Michigan State 29; BYU 29; UCLA 18; UCF 17; Wake Forest 12; Saint Mary’s 12; Kansas State 9; Clemson 9; New Mexico 8; Dayton 8; North Florida 7; Maryland 5; Providence 4; Mississippi State 4; Nevada 2; San Francisco 1; Grand Canyon 1
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