Auburn Basketball Ranked Very Low on Rothstein’s Preseason SEC Rankings

The Auburn Tigers, for the second straight year, are set to almost entirely rebuild their roster. Headed into last season, the Tigers were set to return only a single major contributor from their Final Four run: Tahaad Pettiford. This year, they are set to return two major contributors: Pettiford (again) and NIT MOP Kevin Overton.

With a massive rebuild such as this, uncertainty tends to follow in spades. As a result, the Tigers have fallen quite low on Jon Rothstein’s SEC Power Rankings, but the Tigers may soon prove his evaluation to be quite incorrect.

Steven Pearl’s squad is currently rated as the No. 11 team in Rothstein’s Power Rankings, only above Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Mississippi State and South Carolina. Since LSU is unfinished at this time, they have been left off the rankings, for now.

SEC Preseason Power Rankings. pic.twitter.com/z1GHHkQKaN
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 1, 2026

This ranking may come as something of a slap in the face to fans of the Tigers, who are largely expecting a massive rebound year after the disappointment that was last season. The Tigers, in case you live under a rock, missed out on the NCAA tournament entirely in their first year under Steven Pearl, choosing to settle for the NIT, where they took home the championship.

This year, though, the Tigers are set to be a force to be reckoned with, regardless of what early rankings say. After all, we are still closer to last season than to next season, so these rankings are almost certainly going to change as practices begin and preseason hype begins to build.

After the NIT run, a large number of Tigers departed, whether for the NBA or to the transfer portal, and as a result, the Tigers have reloaded with a litany of top-level prospects, both foreign and domestic. Headlining the Tigers’ new additions is Mantas Rubštavičius, a Lithuanian big man who provides incredible upside from anywhere on the floor.

Additionally, the Tigers inked Narcisse Ngoy, a French seven-footer who was drafted by the Clippers just a few days ago. Ngoy chose to forego his draft spot to spend the year with the Tigers, though the Clippers will continue to hold his rights for his eventual NBA run.

The Tigers have also added Thomas Dowd, Owen Freeman, Adam Olsen and George Kimble through the portal, while signing three-star prospect Caleb Williams, who visited Auburn for his freshman orientation this past weekend.

The Tigers are certainly set to have a top-level roster this year, capable of giving the top teams in the SEC a good fight.

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