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Auburn basketball is looking to regain its spot as one of the top programs in the SEC this upcoming season.
After a disappointing 2025-26 season, the Tigers will have some work ahead of them to show they are back in that conversation.
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports released his SEC preseason power rankings on Wednesday, and the Tigers came in ranked No.
11 on the list.
For Auburn to become a top-five team in the SEC, a roster full of new faces will need to come together.
They do have the benefit of returning their backcourt from last season, featuring Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton.
However, Steven Pearl and staff overhauled the front court.
With KeShawn Murphy heading to the NBA and Filip Jovic transferring to UCLA, the Tigers went to the transfer portal.
The new front court will feature French center Narcisse Ngoy and a pair of in-state transfers, Thomas Dowd (Troy) and Adam Olsen (South Alabama).
The Tigers also added Santa Clara center Bukky Oboye and Creighton big man Owen Freeman to give the team some depth in the front court, something the team did not have last season.
A player to look out for will be Lithuanian wing player Mantas Rubstavicius.
Taking the top spot in his rankings were the Florida Gators.
Florida should be No.
1 on a lot of lists heading into the 2026-27 college basketball season.
The Gators return their talented front court of Reuben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, and Thomas Haugh, along with guard Boogie Fland.
Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky round out the top five.
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You can also follow Phillip on Twitter @PJordanSports This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn basketball is outside of Jon Rothstein's SEC preseason top 10.