Auburn Ranked 1 in AP Poll for the First Time in School History, Rematch with Alabama Upcoming
For the first time ever Auburn mens basketball is ranked first in the AP poll. Auburn defeated 12th ranked Kentucky on Saturday to vault them ahead of Gonzaga in Mondays latest release of the rankings.
"The No. 1 ranking matters because it's historical" said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. Auburn beat Kentucky 80-71. Sophomore transfer Walker Kessler led the way with 19 points and 7 rebounds, five star phenom Jabari Smith finished with 14 points and 7 boards and KD Johnson had 17 points.
Auburn (19-1,8-0) is one week away from the rematch against Alabama. Auburn was victorious in the first matchup against Alabama as they defeated the Crimson Tide 81-77 despite a late surge in the final minutes by Alabama.
Alabama on the other hand is 13-7 overall and 4-4 in conference play, they will host the defending national champions Baylor Bears and build momentum coming into next Tuesday's rematch with Auburn.
The Tide defeated Missouri at home Saturday 86-76. They started off slow, going down 14-3 early in the first before getting a spark off the bench by walk-on Britton Johnson. Jaden Shackelford finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds and JD Davidson had 17 points despite struggling to score this season.
Barring any unforeseen upset Alabama will travel to Auburn Arena with hopes of knocking off the number one team in the country for the first time since 1983 when Alabama traveled to UCLA and defeated the Bruins 70-67 under head coach Wimp Sanderson.
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