SEC Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2018-19

By Brian Rauf | Jun 26, 2018

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 22: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats speaks to PJ Washington #25 in the first half against the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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AUBURN, AL – FEBRUARY 14: Bryce Brown #2 of the Auburn Tigers celebrates in the second half of a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Auburn Arena on February 14, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. Auburn defeated Kentucky 76-66. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

3. Auburn Tigers

Speaking of breakout seasons, no one saw Auburn’s coming last year. Now, Bruce Pearl’s squad will have to learn how to deal with expectations.

All but one rotation player (Mustapha Heron) returns from their 26-8 team that won their first NCAA Tournament game since 2003. They’ll also get both forwards Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy back after they missed all of the season due to eligibility concerns after they were linked to the FBI investigation. That duo was projected to be Auburn’s two best players a year ago, so to get them back as folks on the Plains thinking this group can accomplish some big things.

Auburn will still be a very good team and one that will get a high seed again come March, but I don’t see them repeating as conference champions (or co-champions).

Last year, the Tigers had a very favorable schedule that only saw them play the likes of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida one time each. That’s not to take away from what Auburn was able to accomplish but, with them having a more difficult schedule this time around (they will face Kentucky and Mississippi State twice along with road games against LSU and Vanderbilt), I don’t think they’ll have enough wins to finish in the top two.

That said, this team has the talent and depth to make a run to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament – and possibly to the Final Four.

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