Auburn Basketball Ranked Embarrassingly Low in Jon Rothstein’s Preseason Rankings

The CBS Sports analyst isn't high on Steven Pearl's group entering the 2026-27 season.

The Auburn Tigers were ranked 44th in Jon Rothstein's preseason rankings, which were released this week. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Just because it’s still July does not mean it is not time to get at least a little excited about the Auburn Tigers’ upcoming basketball season, which is set to begin on Oct 14, just a mere 78 days from the writing of this article.

Basketball season seems to always be upon us before we know it, but one man who is ahead of the curve, of course, is Jon Rothstein, who recently released his top 50 preseason rankings.

The Tigers, perhaps to the surprise of some, made the list, albeit all the way down at No. 44, with the projected starting five of Tahaad Pettiford, Kevin Overton, Thomas Dowd, Owen Freeman and Bukky Oboye.

If you haven’t been keeping up with offseason moves this year, many of these names may sound unfamiliar to you, because, well, the Tigers were forced to nearly completely overhaul their roster, yet again, after last year’s NIT run. The only major returners the Tigers have, in their starting rotation or on the bench, are Pettiford and Overton, the latter of whom was the 2025 NIT MOP.

The Tigers have reloaded their roster quite impressively and seem to be in a much better spot than they were this time in last year’s rebuild, as there is no lack of big man depth and elite returning talent at the big man positions.

Of those not named in Rothstein’s starting five, Mantas Rubstavicius and Narcisse Ngoy stand out, especially given the fact that they are the Tigers’ two international transfers, both of whom I expect to make a massive impact on the team this year. Rubstavicius, a Lithuanian professional player, is a 6-foot-6 powerhouse guard who could severely shake things up in the SEC this year.

Conversely, Ngoy, the Tigers’ first international signing of the offseason, is a true big man who transferred in after playing in a French professional league. Standing at 7 feet tall, Ngoy is one of two (Oboye) seven-footers represented on the Tigers’ roster, a stark contrast from the undersized big men the Tigers played with last year.

Auburn may have missed out on the NCAA Tournament in 2025, but there is no doubt in my mind that if this lineup meshes well, the Tigers could find themselves not only in the tournament, but with a high seed and making a deep run.

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