Auburn ranked #2 in AP poll

[gravejd 3,270]

We've gotta stop with the 4-5 min scoring droughts each game before i believe we will win out. Kentucky is going to be a really good test. 

[BJCrawford 1,568]

Good grief. We are a 22 point favorite tonight???? 

[cheap seats 40]

44 minutes ago, AUinMS9528 said:

We’ve shown some vulnerabilities the last few games, but we’re still a work in progress.  We are not playing our best basketball yet, and that should concern the other top teams.   That being said, I very seriously doubt we win out.   I originally predicted we would go 13-5 in the SEC.  I think we clear that mark by a game or 2.  15-3 wouldn’t surprise me at all.  UK this week, @UF, @UT, and @MSU are probably the biggest threats, but also OM and bama will be looking for revenge and OM always makes me nervous, and bama is so unpredictable you never know what may happen in that game.   
Side note: We are 22 point favorites over uga tonight!!!!  I’ve never seen an SEC game line that high!  I hope we cover easily!   I would love for us to beat them by 40!

@Arkansas too. 

[Viper 3,132]

1 hour ago, gravejd said:

Kentucky is going to be a really good test. 

Could be the first matchup before we rematch them in the Final Four. These two teams are that good. 

[slyinsocal 831]

1 hour ago, gravejd said:

We've gotta stop with the 4-5 min scoring droughts each game before i believe we will win out. Kentucky is going to be a really good test. 

Copy. UK has looked much more dangerous lately. Their road blowout of Vandy and insane shooting performance while topping 100 points against Tennessee is very concerning. Rick Barnes' teams generally do a very good job of keeping the score down.

[slyinsocal 831]

A signature win over UK should elevate them up to #1. First things first tonight.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

12 hours ago, Rednilla said:

Wow, really? Am I the only one who feels a bit queasy at this note?

Well it’s a computer model. Based on the performance of Auburn vs the performance of other teams (and I believe home vs away), they just predict a score  

Not like it’s someone heaping praise 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

2 hours ago, BJCrawford said:

Good grief. We are a 22 point favorite tonight???? 

UGA is 230rd in the NET and 264th in RPI. They’re just a different caliber of bad

[Viper 3,132]

1 hour ago, slyinsocal said:

A signature win over UK should elevate them up to #1. First things first tonight.

Couldn’t care less how much we win by tonight. Just get out tonight without injury.

Then let the peacock roar. 

[AUBwins 10,075]

3 hours ago, Viper said:

Could be the first matchup before we rematch them in the Final Four. These two teams are that good. 

And SEC Tourney

[Viper 3,132]

33 minutes ago, AUBwins said:

And SEC Tourney

Thought about that, but rarely do SEC teams meet in the SEC and NCAA Tourney. See the 2019 SEC Tourney when TN beat UK. LSU could beat AU or UK in the semis. 

[AUBwins 10,075]

3 hours ago, Viper said:

Thought about that, but rarely do SEC teams meet in the SEC and NCAA Tourney. See the 2019 SEC Tourney when TN beat UK. LSU could beat AU or UK in the semis. 

That's true.  Partially because for teams that win regular season rarely get affected much with a conference tourney loss.  Either way, the point remains.  UK and Auburn are great teams this year. 

[cole256 17,051]

11 minutes ago, AUBwins said:

That's true.  Partially because for teams that win regular season rarely get affected much with a conference tourney loss.  Either way, the point remains.  UK and Auburn are great teams this year. 

Yes. It's because usually a team that beat a team in conference and both are good enough to get in the tournament they probably are going to have similar records or at least close enough where they are in the same stratosphere so their rankings are going to be closer which means they aren't going to be in each other's path until later rounds. It's not hey they are both in the SEC or something like that.

[CT Tiger 136]

Assuming we take care of business tonight, I think (hope) that the players will use this as motivation, playing with a chip on their shoulders against UK on Saturday. 

[cole256 17,051]

Dangerous game. They have the best guard and he's their lead so it's a threat (Kentucky)

Edited January 20, 2022 by cole256

[Chaotic_zx 1,044]

I see a few things happening Saturday against Kentucky. How Auburn responds will determine the game obviously. 

• The Kentucky offense will attempt to get Kessler out of the lane. Then attempt penetrating drives against Wen Green and Zep Jasper due to their size. 
• The Kentucky offense will attempt to get get Kessler isolated on a drive by a UK player. It will be an attempt to get him in foul trouble. 
• The Kentucky defense will play some sort of zone to see if Auburn can hit the shots. 

[AUApostle 7,651]

UK - Love it.  Reality check game to see how good we really are....and 10 games after to correct and clean up things.

Edited January 20, 2022 by AUDevil

[81spacetiger 157]

Noone mentioned it, so I'll add the comment to this thread; in looking at the coaches poll Auburn is #2 but the voting spread is much greater -there is a coach who thinks were #22.  So given the commentary on someone on the AP side voting us in at #9, perhaps that isn't so egregious. 

A coach knows the effort it takes to pull together a team and make it very competitive.  So I find it hard to believe there is a coach who thinks our body of work is only worth a #22 ranking.  I would love to know who that is...

Awesome win last night even though the team didn't look as crisp/sharp.  Nice to be able to win that big win your not playing your best.  Looking forward to the game this Sat..

Jerry

[81spacetiger 157]

8 minutes ago, 81spacetiger said:

 

 

[81spacetiger 157]

Correction, the #22 was in reference to our initial ranking position.  I am still searching to see how the coaches voted, just curious.

[tgrogan21 6,198]

36 minutes ago, 81spacetiger said:

Noone mentioned it, so I'll add the comment to this thread; in looking at the coaches poll Auburn is #2 but the voting spread is much greater -there is a coach who thinks were #22.  So given the commentary on someone on the AP side voting us in at #9, perhaps that isn't so egregious. 

A coach knows the effort it takes to pull together a team and make it very competitive.  So I find it hard to believe there is a coach who thinks our body of work is only worth a #22 ranking.  I would love to know who that is...

Awesome win last night even though the team didn't look as crisp/sharp.  Nice to be able to win that big win your not playing your best.  Looking forward to the game this Sat..

Jerry

I know you corrected your misunderstanding about the #22 but I think there's always been a bit of a difference in coaches and AP because the coaches just don't have the time to watch games. So unless teams lose or a coach has played that team they're not going to have a team jump someone who hasn't lost.

[81spacetiger 157]

12 minutes ago, tgrogan21 said:

I know you corrected your misunderstanding about the #22 but I think there's always been a bit of a difference in coaches and AP because the coaches just don't have the time to watch games. So unless teams lose or a coach has played that team they're not going to have a team jump someone who hasn't lost.

50 minutes ago, 81spacetiger said:

 

Yes, it is like the football side too.  That said, I would have guessed we would have been higher up in # 1 votes, but not so.

[tgrogan21 6,198]

4 minutes ago, 81spacetiger said:

Yes, it is like the football side too.  That said, I would have guessed we would have been higher up in # 1 votes, but not so.

Win on Saturday and there's no doubt we'll be #1 in both. I've been nervous about the game all week but looking at a tweet earlier about our home record over the last several years makes me a lot less nervous.

Those 4 losses:

2019 - Texas A&M by 3 2018 - #12 Kentucky by 2 2018 - Ole Miss by 5 2017 - Texas A&M by 1

Edited January 20, 2022 by tgrogan21

[NoALtiger 3,856]

2 hours ago, 81spacetiger said:

Noone mentioned it, so I'll add the comment to this thread; in looking at the coaches poll Auburn is #2 but the voting spread is much greater -there is a coach who thinks were #22.  So given the commentary on someone on the AP side voting us in at #9, perhaps that isn't so egregious. 

A coach knows the effort it takes to pull together a team and make it very competitive.  So I find it hard to believe there is a coach who thinks our body of work is only worth a #22 ranking.  I would love to know who that is...

Awesome win last night even though the team didn't look as crisp/sharp.  Nice to be able to win that big win your not playing your best.  Looking forward to the game this Sat..

Jerry

You know we are rolling high when someone says we didn’t look clean and crisp in a 23 point beatdown win. Bruce has to be the single greatest athletic hire in AU history. Who woulda thought Jay Jacobs name would be on that??  

[81spacetiger 157]

2 hours ago, tgrogan21 said:

Win on Saturday and there's no doubt we'll be #1 in both. I've been nervous about the game all week but looking at a tweet earlier about our home record over the last several years makes me a lot less nervous.

Those 4 losses:

2019 - Texas A&M by 3 2018 - #12 Kentucky by 2 2018 - Ole Miss by 5 2017 - Texas A&M by 1

Here is a good layout of the AP voters:  https://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/grid

If you hover over the "AU", you can see where each voter had us in their ballot.  Do the same thing over "UK" and you will see Jesse Newell had UK 2 spots in front of us. If we win this Sat he is sure to make an adjustment that (in itself) should move us in the AP poll to #1.

It is less clear what would happen in the Coaches poll as the math (28 point difference; 23 to 8 1st place votes) indicates there is a greater gap between us and Gonzaga.  I think Gonzaga may have to lose a game.  But I don't think that would matter as these polls do not figure into the dance selection/seeding.

AP #1 recognition is awesome and a first, but we should all recognize there are lots of firsts still in front of this team.  They are a joy to watch as they continue to get better.  

Next first will be the unanimous overall #1 seed.  There are some bracketologists that have us there already. Win the rest of the games and we'll get the over #1 seeding.