John Fanta
College Basketball broadcaster and reporter
If you wait until March to experience the madness, you’re missing out on the beauty of January’s chaos. As we approach winter, I liken it to the dog days of baseball. Some of the best teams in men’s college basketball are going to lose, and at least during week one, we’re seeing a combination of dramatic finishes and eyebrow-raising final results that make you question what we’ve been watching all season.
This past week, I’ve been handing out the Monopoly “get out of jail free” card that we’ve always hoped to get when playing the popular board game. In total, 18 of the top 25 from last week were lost.
We saw it in Minneapolis on Thursday night when Dawson Garcia hit a 3-pointer in the paint as time expired to give Minnesota a shocking 84-81 win over ranked Michigan:
In Milwaukee, a Marquette team that had gone 10-0 on the season at home was shocked by a Xavier team that entered with an 0-7 record in Quadrant 1 games:
In Morgantown, West Virginia’s top 10 killers saw their first win of the season in Year 1 of the Darian DeVries era with a stunning 64-57 victory over No. and four are:
And in Nashville, a Tennessee team that beat previously ranked Georgia by 18 on Wednesday went to Vanderbilt and fell short, 76-75, for only the Vols’ second loss of the season. Meanwhile, Mark Byington earned his first signature win in Year 1 at the helm, a huge victory that puts the Commodores in my Field of 68 right now.
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Amid the frenzy and madness, Auburn and Duke remained unscathed. The Tigers continued without Johni Broome and followed up a dominant win over Mississippi State with a 70-68 victory at Georgia on Saturday. When Tahaad Pettiford cooks from beyond the arc, the freshman shifts the Tigers into a different gear. One of the best first-year players in the game, the 6-foot-1 guard scored 24 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, while strong shooters Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly they had 13 points. Broome’s comeback win over Georgia (39-38) was impressive, as was a 22-point blowout over Mississippi State in which Chaney Johnson had 17 points and eight rebounds and Baker -Mazara scored 20.
Meanwhile, for the Blue Devils, Cooper Flagg sure likes Saturday’s games. Three of his last five games have fallen on Saturday, and he has scored at least 24 points in all three – going for 28 points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in an 88-63 victory over the Blue Devils. at Boston College on Saturday night. Coming off a scoreless game against Miami (Fla.), junior guard Tyrese Proctor scored 20 points in the win. Freshman Isaiah Evans, who had 18 in a win over Auburn on Dec. 4, had three digs and posted 16 on Saturday night in New England. With their past two wins coming by a combined 60 points, the Blue Devils have jumped to No. 1 in the KenPom rankings.
With that said, let’s get to our Top 25!
1. Auburn (17-1)
Duke may be number one in one statistical model, but the Tigers aren’t taking the throne for me. Their backfield group is the best in the country, in my opinion, and it showed how well coached Bruce Pearl was this past week without Broome going 2-0. In the two wins, Baker-Mazara was 6-of-11 from long range and continues to add a solid presence. The Tigers have a bye week before hosting Tennessee on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET) in one of the biggest games of the season so far.
2. Duke (16-2)
The Blue Devils have the nation’s longest winning streak at 12 games after Saturday’s blowout at the Conte Forum and are on a 5-0 run — their best start in away games since the 2018-19 season when they won their first seven contests. The streak is the program’s longest since the 2014-15 season, when the program last won a national championship. This team defends at a high level and has the best player in the sport. When Proctor brings his A game, Duke is very difficult to beat.
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3. Iowa State (15-2)
No, I’m not chastising the Cyclones for losing in a true West Virginia road game. They were 1 of 17 from 3-point range and had just four assists while committing 14 turnovers in the loss. Yes, the Mountaineers defense was a distraction and had a lot to do with that, but those numbers show if it’s not your day, it’s not your day. Iowa State’s 17-point home win earlier in the week over Kansas keeps them in my top 3. You will see why next:
Sure, Alabama lost at home to Ole Miss this past week, but the response in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday with a 102-97 win over the Wildcats is reason enough for me to keep the Crimson Tide in my top five. What was wrong with the loss of the rebels? Ole Miss held Mark Sears and Labaron Philon to 2-for-16 shooting from the floor, using their athleticism and length to shut down the Alabama backcourt duo. On Saturday, Sears posted 24 points and nine assists, while Grant Nelson had 25 points and 11 rebounds. Nate Oats’ team will probably be in my Final Four when I fill out my bracket. I trust their experience and ability to score goals.
5. Houston (14-3)
Did you know that Kelvin Sampson is 20-1 in his last 21 games coaching in the Big 12? That’s completely counterintuitive, especially considering that one loss came to Kansas — where almost no one is winning. In other words, Houston was unstoppable everywhere else. They beat UCF on Saturday, 69-68, in the J’Wan Roberts final.
Houston hosts Utah on Tuesday (8 pm ET) before visiting Kansas on Saturday (6:30 pm ET).
6. In Florida (16-2)
I have the Gators in sixth place even after losing to Missouri, who joined my rankings this week, because they’re the powerhouse of Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky in the rankings — and both the Vols and Wildcats lost on the weekends. Sure, Florida lost at Rupp Arena, but that head-to-head win over Tennessee matters. It wasn’t like I was discounting that last week, I just thought it was tough to move the Vols from the top spot to completely out of the top five. But Gator fans, I think Walter Clayton and Alijah Martin are one of the best two players in the nation and you have a great team that can make it to the Final Four.
While Chaz Lanier led four Vols in double figures with 17 points on Saturday, the Tennessee star and All-American candidate had five turnovers in the loss to Vanderbilt. The offensive drought could still be a theme for the Vols, and their bench can’t be written beyond Jordan Gainey. He was quiet on Saturday, finishing 1-of-6 from the floor. The Vols will host Mississippi State on Tuesday (7 pm ET) before visiting Auburn on Saturday (8:30 pm ET), followed by hosting Kentucky and Florida the following week. Life in the SEC!
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8. in Kentucky (14-4)
The Wildcats opened the week by dominating Georgia, but Saturday’s loss marked the second time in the past two weeks that Kentucky has allowed at least 100 points. The defense has to be cleaned up or this team’s ceiling will be heavily supported in the NCAA tournament.
9. State of Michigan (16-2)
In his 30th season at the helm, Tom Izzo has a 16-2 team that has won 11 straight games and is tied for the top spot in the Big Ten at 7-0. Michigan State extended its impressive winning streak, the program’s longest since the Spartans went to the Final Four in the 2018-19 season, with an 80-78 victory over Illinois. What makes this Spartan team so special? Their ability to generate speed and penetrate through pulls, with Tre Holloman delivering 17 points on Sunday and double-double performances from Frankie Fidler and Coen Carr. Their ability to settle into the game is also impressive, as MSU overcame a 20-10 loss out of the gates and shut down the Illini on the perimeter, holding them to 5-of-24 from 3-point range. Izzo also notched his 350th Big Ten victory, putting him one shy of Bob Knight’s record for all-time wins in the conference. What a start to the year in East Lansing, and yes, the Breslin Center was undisturbed on Sunday.
The Golden Eagles are off to their best start in Big East play since 2008-09, and still have wins over Purdue, Georgia and Wisconsin – all of which are scheduled this week. What went wrong compared to Xavier? The Golden Eagles trailed by 19 points in the second half, and it was too much for the win, giving Xavier its first series win in six meetings. If you limit Kam Jones and Stevie Mitchell, you can beat Shaka Smart’s team. They were tied 7 times out of 24 on the field.
11. Purdue (15-4)
12. Kansas (13-4)
13. Texas A&M (14-4)
14. Mississippi State (15-3)
15. Illinois (13-5)
16. Conn (13-5)
17. Ole Miss (15-3)
18. In Oregon (15-3)
19. In Michigan (14-4)
20. St. John’s (16-3)
21. In Wisconsin (15-3)
22. West Virginia (13-4)
23. Memphis (14-4)
24. Missouri (15-3)
25. Louisville (14-5)
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers sports in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to being the lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary for the Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on @John_Fanta.
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