AUBURN, Ala. – A look at the SEC men’s basketball rankings and the Associated Press Top 25 poll might bring to mind a popular meme.

It’s the same picture.

Well, almost.

No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Auburn, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Florida. Five in the top seven, three more in the top 17 and three more SEC teams looming.

“The league is off to a historic start,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said.

Of the non-SEC teams in the top 15, the Tigers have played three and defeated two, No. 4 Iowa State and No. 15 Houston. A loss at Duke, currently ranked No. 5, represents the only blemish on Auburn’s record.

“We have a lot of tough games ahead of us, but we are very proud of the great start to our league,” said Pearl.

Before Auburn begins SEC play against Missouri on Jan. 4, the Tigers will play No. 1 Birmingham on Saturday. 16 Purdue against another quality opponent.

But first, Auburn tips off against Georgia State on Tuesday night at Neville Arena.

“A talented team, a very well-coached team,” Pearl said. “They play really hard. They have an SEC caliber starting lineup, great size and a really good inside game.”

While students are on vacation, fans arriving early will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the action at “The Jungle,” with Pearl hinting at elements of a track and field meet and a wrestling match.

“It’s a pretty fast-paced game, they play at a great pace,” he said. “This will be one of the more physical games we will play.”

It’s SEC vs. Sun Belt on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+ as the Tigers (9-1) take on the Panthers (4-6). Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will bring the action to Auburn Sports Network listeners.

Jeff Shearer is a senior writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer