Auburn basketball

There are some big games in the SEC in men's college basketball this week. The biggest involve a couple of teams from the state of Alabama. Top-ranked Auburn faces Ole Miss before heading to Kentucky on Saturday, while the No. 6 Crimson Tide face Mississippi State and Tennessee.

Auburn remained atop the AP Top 25 for the seventh straight week Monday while preseason No. 1 Kansas fell out of the men’s basketball poll for the first time since February 2021. The Tigers were a unanimous No. 1 and were followed by Duke, Florida, Houston and Tennessee in the top five.

Johni Broome had 16 points and 13 rebounds and No. 1 Auburn overcame a rough offensive performance to beat Arkansas 67-60 on Wednesday night. After winning at Alabama on Saturday in a game between the top teams in the poll, Auburn avoided its second straight home loss.

The No. 1 Auburn Tigers will host conference opponent Arkansas. The teams meet Wednesday for the first time this season. Auburn is 11-1 against the SEC, and Arkansas is 4-8 against conference opponents.

The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide take on the No. 1 Auburn Tigers. The teams meet Saturday for the first time this season. Alabama is 10-1 against the SEC, and Auburn is 10-1 against conference opponents.

Denver Jones scored 21 points as No. 1 Auburn held off Vanderbilt 80-68 Tuesday night to avoid the Tigers’ first losing skid of the season. Now Auburn goes into Saturday’s big showdown for the top of the Southeastern Conference standings along with supremacy in the state of Alabama and the top of the AP Top 25. The Tigers came into Tuesday night tied with No. 2 Alabama in league play.

Auburn is still No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men's basketball poll despite a loss to Florida. The Tigers received 34 first-place votes from a 61-person media panel. No. 2 Alabama moved up a spot and received 23 first-place votes.

The basketball version of the Alabama-Auburn rivalry has heated up as both programs have risen into national prominence. The Tigers and Crimson Tide have become regulars in the AP Top 25 and each has made a trip to the Final Four in the past five years, including Alabama’s first trip last year.

Oklahoma visits the No. 1 Auburn Tigers after Jeremiah Fears scored 21 points in the Sooners' 97-67 win against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Tuesday's meeting is the first this season for the two teams. Auburn is 8-0 against the SEC, and Oklahoma is 3-5 against conference opponents.

LSU hosts the No. 1 Auburn Tigers after Jordan Sears scored 21 points in LSU's 80-73 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The teams meet Wednesday for the first time this season. LSU is 1-5 against the SEC, and Auburn is 6-0 against conference opponents.