Auburn men's basketball ranked No. 1 for first time in school history

AUBURN — The history of Auburn men's basketball has been designated by a few great moments, sometimes decades apart, and particularly by the bittersweet brevity of those moments. An unforgettable season here or there. A generational player. An unprecedented run in March.

It's safe to say the 2021-22 Tigers have already cemented themselves within the ranks of those memorable teams, but whether they transcend the others will be determined by whether they can build on a recent pattern of sustained success. Growth in coach Bruce Pearl's program can be measured by continuing to reach heights that no other Auburn team has. That's primarily in reference to postseason performance, yes, but other milestones will certainly help in the record books.

The Tigers can check off a major bucket-list item now.

On Monday for the first time in school history, Auburn is ranked No. 1 in the country in the Associate Press poll.

The program had never accomplished it: Not Isaac Okoro and the 2019-20 juggernaut that was defending a Final Four trip. Not Chris Porter and coach Cliff Ellis in 1999, despite a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed. Not the two-loss 1959 squad. Not celebrated and soon-to-be bannered coach Sonny Smith's 1986-87 team that reached the top five. Not even NBA legend Charles Barkley, who peaked at No. 14 and No. 16 in the coaches' and AP polls, respectively. That was in 1984, near the end of his Auburn years.

The Tigers (18-1, 7-0 SEC) topped the AP poll that has been continuously used as the sport's primary metric since the 1950-51 season. They remained No. 2 behind Gonzaga in the Ferris Mowers Men's Basketball Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY.

TOURNAMENT RESUME: Auburn basketball NET ranking: Where Tigers land in rankings, Quadrant 1 record, more

INSIDE PEARLVILLE: How Auburn basketball became the biggest party on campus with win over Kentucky

Auburn received 45 first-place AP votes to Gonzaga's 15.

"The No. 1 ranking matters, because it's historical," Pearl said. "So I'm very happy for Auburn. I'm very happy for my coaches and our players to be able to achieve that. That said, we've got a lot of work to do. There are reasons why we were down double digits at home to Kentucky, or on three different occasions being down double digits on the road."

The program's previous highest-ever ranking in either poll was No. 2, an accolade achieved in both 1959 and 1999.

And last week. Auburn catapulted from No. 4 to No. 2, lingering behind Gonzaga despite earning 11 more first-place votes from AP voters. That result was to the chagrin of the Auburn fanbase, which felt wronged by outlier placement as low as No. 9. (Cue mass hysteria from Auburn's "Tent City" outside the arena.)

But the Tigers were not to be denied. They have been climbing all season and climbing for the last five years from Final Four "underdogs" to this. They toppled No. 12 Kentucky on Saturday, supplanting the SEC's blueblood 80-71 in one of the most anticipated games in school history. Securing a two-game lead against the rest of the SEC was finally enough to elevate them over the top in one poll.

Auburn has won 15 straight games. Its only loss was in double overtime to Connecticut, after rallying from down 15 points in the second half.

The Tigers are No. 5 in the all-important NET rankings and No. 5 in the predictive Kenpom metric as of Monday.

The ascent has been exhilarating, and a few years in the making. Now comes the considerable burden of protecting the No. 1 ranking, which can be fun in its own ways but often reveals itself to be a task that upends even the most dominant teams.

Auburn travels to Missouri (8-10, 2-4) on Tuesday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network) then returns home for the SEC/Big 12 challenge Saturday against Oklahoma.

When Auburn peaked at No. 2 in 1999, it only lasted a week. Two seasons ago, Pearl led the Tigers to No. 4 before losing twice in the same week and quickly falling to No. 16.

Time at the top of the polls can be ephemeral. At the very least, enjoy it while it lasts — like the other great, fleeting moments in Auburn basketball's history.

Of course, this team has bigger goals. Pearl is a legacy-conscious coach who talked about his appreciation of history leading up to the Kentucky matchup.

In the history books, this Auburn team is hoping to avoid brevity and achieve timelessness.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn men's basketball is No. 1 for first time in program history