When Bruce Pearl made history for Auburn basketball, he wasn't surprised. His team was prepared to take on No. 2 Alabama. The 94-85 victory didn't come as much of a shock. Following the game, Pearl explained to the rest of the nation about where his team stands.

“We acted like we were the No. 1 team,” Pearl said via Jeff Borzello of ESPN. “We prepared like we were the No. 1 team. And we are the No. 1 team in the country.”

The Tigers are the No. 1 team in the country and have only two losses on the season. Their most recent came against Florida basketball on their home floor. Despite uncertain injuries to Auburn basketball's Johni Broome, they've maintained that standard.

Plus, this isn't Pearl's first rodeo with a top-tier matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams. When he was with Tennessee, he took down Memphis, who was the top team in the country. Fast forward to Auburn basketball and he has them at the top of college basketball.

In February's mock selection, the Tigers are set to be the top seed in the tournament. While March Madness brings its share of twists and turns, a win like this is huge for the program. Heading into the back end of February and into March is what they needed.

Furthermore, the SEC conference championship could go to Auburn basketball.

The SEC has been stacked from top to bottom for basketball this season. Heading into the game, the top three teams were all SEC schools (Auburn, Alabama, and Florida). Their loss to Florida was by nine points, but still a shock. Two games later, the Tigers reclaimed the throne as the top school in college basketball.

Auburn basketball is ninth in the country in points per game. Broome has been the focal point of the offense, but Pearl's system has the Tigers rolling. He has a pace and space approach, mixed with some post-centric offense for Broome. Plenty of offense is created by Broome's presence alone.

Guys like Miles Kelly and Tahaad Pettiford can take advantage. Plus, their offensive rating is the best in the country. Although it's college basketball and the offense fluctuates, it's a telling sign of where Pearl has the program. At the end of the day, there's plenty more basketball before Auburn can officially be the top dog in the country.

Either way, their confidence is sky-high and they'll look to carry it over to against Arkansas on Wednesday.