AUBURN — In previewing another upcoming ranked matchup, Auburn basketball had something new to talk about Monday.
It didn’t have to do with a loaded SEC. Or the status of Johni Broome after injuring his ankle against South Carolina on Saturday. It had to do with the number next to Auburn’s name, as the Tigers became the consensus No. 1 nation earlier in the day, voted No. 1 by both the USA TODAY Coaches and AP Top 25 polls.
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“Us being ranked No. 1 in the country, I think it’s deserving, considering the schedule we’ve played and the teams that we’ve beaten — the great teams that we’ve beaten — and the job this team has done,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “It matters to me, because making history at Auburn matters. Representing the SEC, having another SEC team to be No. 1 in the country and, obviously, having all the teams ranked in the top 10. Right now, 12 teams are projected to be in the NCAA Tournament from our league, is unprecedented and historical.
“Proud of our league, and proud of our accomplishment. When we were No. 1 back in 2022, we spent several weeks there. And I did feel like we were the best team in the country then. I did. And I just don’t feel that way right now. However, I feel even more deserving of the ranking now more than ever before, because of what these guys have done.”
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Pearl said he’s uncertain that Auburn’s the best team in the nation, in part, because it’s not at full strength. While Broome is nursing a “non-surgical” ankle sprain, Pearl officially ruled him out for Tuesday’s game against No. 15 Mississippi State.
That doesn’t change the fact that half of both polls’ top 10s are SEC squads, and while Broome’s absence, if only for a game, will make it harder for the Tigers to retain that status, it’s something that’ll go down in the history books.
“I think it’s a box checked,” Pearl said. “We’ve checked the box. It’s great to be able to say it, and it’s great for (Auburn basketball sports information director) Marlene’s (Navor) notes. Now, I don’t belittle it. We made history. Here we are in January. How many games have we won in a row now? Let’s say eight in a row. Which is really hard to do here in the middle of January, and we have seven Quad 1 wins; not one at home. It’s a great time to step back and look at what’s been accomplished. OK? Box checked.”
Dylan Cardwell, who was part of Auburn’s first No. 1 team during the 2021-22 season, echoed his head coach, in that the ranking doesn’t change much for the Tigers.
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“It doesn’t change our M.O,” Cardwell said. “We have a lot of places to improve on: offensive rebounding, being more physical as a team. It’s not the end of the road for us. No. 1 is cool, but we can’t hang a banner for No. 1. That’s what I preach to these guys; I’ve been No. 1 before. It doesn’t really mean much, just a little number by our name.”
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Everything Bruce Pearl, Auburn basketball said about No. 1 ranking
