The No. 2 Auburn Tigers handled business on Tuesday by taking down Texas at Moody Center in Austin, 87-82.
The win was tighter than most fans wanted. The Tigers led by as many as 21 points in the second half before the Longhorns pieced together a strong comeback effort to trim the Auburn lead to 83-80 with 0:33 remaining in the game.
As a team, Auburn shot 48% from the field and outrebounded the Longhorns, 37-30. The victory moves the Tigers to 2-0 in SEC play ahead of Saturday’s contest at South Carolina. How did Tuesday’s results affect its KenPom ranking?
Here is a look at where Auburn ranks in major categories measured by KenPom analytics following a busy midweek slate of college basketball action.
Overall: No. 2
For the first time in several weeks, Auburn is not sitting atop the KenPom rankings. Duke jumped Auburn on Tuesday, but Thursday’s update shows that the Tigers and Blue Devils are tied at the top spot with a net rating of +36.68.
Adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 1
The good news is that Auburn remains the top squad in terms of adjusted offensive efficiency. KenPom forecasts Auburn to score 131.1 points per 100 possessions, nearly six points greater than the No. 2 team, UConn.
Adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 18
Auburn holds a top-20 ranking in defensive efficiency following midweek action. Auburn is projected to allow 94.4 points per 100 possessions, the fourth-best defense in the SEC according to KenPom.
Adjusted tempo: No. 155
Auburn produced 67 possessions in its game vs. Texas on Tuesday. That is below Auburn’s forecasted average of 69.1 possessions per game according to KenPom.
South Carolina overview
South Carolina will enter Saturday’s game with Auburn with a 0-2 mark in the SEC after dropping two tough games to Mississippi State and Alabama. Here is a look at where the Gamecocks rank in every major KenPom category following Wednesday’s 88-68 loss to Alabama.
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Overall: No. 81
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Offensive efficiency: No. 115 (109.5)
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Defensive efficiency: No. 69 (99.9)
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Adjusted tempo: No. 255 (66.7)
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Where does Auburn rank in the latest KenPom update?
