Auburn wasn't able to justify staying in the top 25 in the eyes of the writers Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Auburn Drops Out of AP Basketball Top 25

Originally posted on Auburn Tigers on SI | By Brooks Crew | Last updated Dec 22, 2025 4:30 PM ET

Unsurprisingly, the Auburn Tigers have fallen completely out of the AP Poll top 25 in the wake of the team’s third blowout loss this season. The Tigers were formerly ranked No. 21 in the country.

On Saturday, the Tigers fell in ugly fashion to the No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers by a final score of 88-60, marking their third straight blowout loss to a top-10 team. Auburn’s also lost to No. 1 Arizona by 29 and No. 2 Michigan by 30.

The Tigers still received the third-most votes of unranked teams and are ranked 37th by net rating in the KenPom rankings.

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Following a year in which the Tigers spent time at the No. 1 spot, won the SEC in the regular season and made it to the Final Four, this season could prove to be quite a disappointing one for the Auburn faithful if this pace keeps up.

Steven Pearl’s squad has struggled to find its identity in the first year at the helm for the son of legendary Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, largely due to the fact that the Tigers returned just one scholarship player from 2024: Tahaad Pettiford.

The Tigers’ makeup this year has been almost exclusively transfers and true freshmen, except for Pettiford, and as such, the team has had a difficult time finding its rhythm, especially against top opponents. Auburn nearly took down now No. 8 Houston, losing by just a point earlier this season, but they’ve not been able to muster that level of production in games since.

Keyshawn Hall, Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton have been bright spots on an otherwise bleak season for the Tigers, while the Tigers’ big men, Filip Jović and KeShawn Murphy, have struggled both offensively and defensively.

If the Tigers can fix a few things up, though, they could be set to make their way back onto the rankings before long. Free-throw shooting has been a redundant issue for Pearl’s squad in 2025, as well as struggles to capitalize on turnovers. If Auburn can get those issues sorted, as well as work towards a cleaner defense, the team could very well find itself back in the rankings soon.

Up next for the now unranked Tigers is a tune-up matchup against Queens, in which Tiger fans will get to see if their team rises or folds under their newfound disappointment. The game is set to be played on Monday, Dec. 29, and will tip at 9 p.m. CST.