The college basketball season is still months away but it is never too early to look ahead for the next season. Auburn is looking to replace their two best players from last season but is adding several talented players.
With the transfer portal still having several talented players, it is tough to get an accurate picture of each team for next season but that did not stop Gary Parrish of CBS Sports from updating his Top 25 And 1 rankings for the next season.
Auburn is an interesting place as they look to replace Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler but returns a strong core of guards and is adding two talented big men. That is enough for Parish to rank the Tigers at No. 14 in his ranking.
The Tigers’ ranking is based on Auburn returning four of the top six scorers – among them K.D. Johnson, Wendell Green and Allen Flanigan – from a team that earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a nice incoming class highlighted by Morehead State transfer Johni Broome and five-star center Yohan Traore.
With all the talent on the roster, it will be about how quickly Bruce Pearl can get everyone on the same page as they attempt to make another NCAA Tournament run.
Here is a look at the full ranking, which features six SEC teams.