John Fanta
College Basketball broadcaster and reporter
It was a road test weekend for some of the top teams in college basketball, and the heavyweights found a way to get through them all and avoid an upset. But as big a story as any in the country this weekend revolves around my No. 1 team, Auburn. What did Johnny Broome come down with? Bruce Pearl calls an ankle sprain importantand the leading national player is expected to miss some time. The good thing is that the MRI on Sunday confirmed that Broome does not need surgery. The bad news is that Broome is out for good.
The Tigers still found a way to defeat South Carolina on the road, 66-63, as Tahaad Pettiford came up with clutch free throws and Pearl’s team came away with a shutout. But now we have to ask, how long will Broome miss? Will he be back to normal when he returns? What will Auburn look like without the guy who has been the best player in the country for most of the season? In the unforgiving SEC, it won’t take long to find out what the Tigers are without him. Auburn hosts top-20 Mississippi State on Tuesday before visiting hot and ranked Georgia on Saturday. It sounds like Broome’s condition isn’t too bad, but fluid.
The team has the best backcourt group in the country – led by five other scorers in double figures over Broome, including Chad Baker-Mazara, Denver Jones and Pettiford – and fifth-ranked Dylan Cardwell. to replace Broome. That said, it’s not time to panic by any means for the Tigers.
This is still a top 10 team without Broome, but having a player who averaged 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game made the Tigers the best team in the world. Without him, they can struggle, but I still believe in this team and I think they will be in San Antonio in the Final Four this April. However, this injury creates a potential revolving door for our No. 1 seed over the next two months on the road to March Madness.
Auburn wasn’t the only heavyweight to face and pass a challenging road test this weekend. Iowa State played one of the best games of the day with Saint Mary’s transfer Joshua Jefferson forcing overtime at the buzzer and then hitting the game-winning free throw to pull out an 85-84 victory at Texas Tech. Alabama battled Texas A&M, 94-88, behind 27 points from Mark Sears, while Tennessee responded to a loss to Florida and defeated Texas, 74-70.
[Read more: Ranking the top 50 players and coaches in the country]
Three more headlines of the week?
St. John’s, which has won nine of its last 10 games, is back in our rankings this week after two double-digit wins at Xavier and at home against Villanova. RJ Luis turned in a first-team All-Big East selection, going for 30 points and 10 rebounds in the win over the Wildcats. Rick Pitino now has a team that is 14-3 and well on track for the NCAA Tournament. They can make a real run in March, especially if the perimeter shooting continues like it did in the win over Villanova.
What about Mike White and Georgia? The Bulldogs, who haven’t appeared in the NCAA tournament in a decade, are 14-2 after winning two of 25 over Kentucky and Oklahoma. Five-star freshman Asa Newell is a top-10 NBA Draft pick and playing at a very high level, while sophomore Silas Demary jumped well and turned Dakota Leffew into a quality scorer in his last role. This week is big for Georgia with a trip to Tennessee on Wednesday followed by a matchup with Auburn on Saturday.
Finally, we turn to Utah State’s one loss, which was down 79-77 with nine seconds left against Boise State on Saturday before Ian Martinez hit a 3-pointer and fouled off an improbable sequence that gave the Aggies the victory.
The Aggies are on their third head coach in as many years and are well on track to make a third straight NCAA Tournament. From now-Utah coach Craig Smith to now-VCU coach Ryan Odom now-Washington head coach Danny Sprinkle on the slam-dunk hire of Jerrod Calhoun talks to Aggies management and their ability to get the right coaches for their programs. That’s why we’re giving Utah State some national love this week. Date of the meeting: Saturday, Feb. 1 vs. New Mexico (9:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app). Both the Lobos and Aggies are undefeated (6-0) in the Mountain West.
With that said, let’s get to our Top 25!
1. Auburn (15-1)
While we’ve discussed at length how the Tigers will rebuild without Broome, what about the continued production of four-star guard Pettiford? Not only did he become Pearl’s microwave scorer, but he did it against some of the best defensive teams in the country – from 21 points against Houston to a 20-point performance against Duke to 18 in the win. Purdue.
2. Iowa State (14-1)
Curtis Jones scored 26 points in Saturday’s win at Texas Tech, a win I don’t think the Cyclones got last year. But TJ Otzelberger has transformed this team offensively with the addition of Jefferson and the development of players. Next for Iowa State? Kansas. Wednesday. Hilton Coliseum.
3. Duke (14-2)
What about the Cooper Flag, America? I think he will win national player of the year when all is said and done, joining Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson as the only others to win the honor as a freshman in college basketball history. He provided the highest scoring performance by Duke and the ACC freshman on Saturday, going 42 points (11 of 14 from the floor and 16 of 17 from the free-throw line), seven assists and six rebounds in -86-78. win over Notre Dame. Flagg will be the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft this June.
[Read more: 2025 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: Debate at the top with Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper]
Not only did Sears score 27 in Saturday’s win, but the Tide showed depth with Chris Youngblood and Aden Holloway combining for 29 off the bench. Alabama hosts Ole Miss on Tuesday before visiting Kentucky on Saturday.
Zakai Zeigler is one of America’s best guards, and he showed it again Saturday when he posted 16 points and eight assists in a four-point win at former coach Rick Barnes’ school in Texas. Barnes had some sad thoughts about his leading scorer, Chaz Lanier, on Saturday. In the world of NIL, everything seems to be fair game.
6. In Florida (15-1)
The Gators had a great week with a 30-point win over undefeated Tennessee behind Alijah Martin’s 18 points. Then, they traveled to Arkansas on Saturday and overcame an early 13-2 deficit to win 71-63 after four in double figures. Todd Golden’s team is stacked.
The Golden Eagles are 5-0 in the Big East, their best start to conference play since 2008-09, after a 74-66 victory over Georgetown in which junior Chase Ross had a game-high 27 points. Marquette visits DePaul on Tuesday before hosting Xavier on Saturday.
8. in Kentucky (13-2)
Big Blue Nation might be mad at me for having the Wildcats at No. 8, but every game matters — and Kentucky was blown out by Georgia on Tuesday, 82-69. Kentucky responded with a 95-90 win over Mississippi State on Saturday behind 27 points from Jaxson Robinson and big shots from Ansley Almonor. Amari Williams also contributed 10 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, as the Cats notched their fourth win over a top-16 team in the NET. This team is able to reach San Antonio because their offense is loaded with talent and options.
9. Houston (12-3)
The Cougars just go about their business quietly and put the brakes on the teams. On Saturday, Kelvin Sampson’s team won its eighth game in a row with an 87-57 victory over Kansas State. Emanuel Sharp posted 15 points, while Joseph Tugler scored in double figures. Next up: home to West Virginia on Wednesday.
10. State of Michigan (14-2)
What about the Spartans? In his 30th season at the helm, Tom Izzo has done an impressive job with Michigan State, winning its ninth straight game on Sunday with a 78-68 victory at Northwestern. There is no doubt that Sparty will march to a 27th straight NCAA Tournament, and the pieces are in place for Michigan State to reach its 16th Sweet 16 of Izzo’s tenure. I love how Jeremy Fears can make a difference and create an offense with a Spartans program that seems to have been lacking in recent years. Add Jaden Akins as a starting bucket, freshman Jase Richardson as an X-factor off the bench and Jaxon Kohler’s rebounding, and the Spartans are really well put together. This team can win the Big Ten.
Coen Carr throws down a dunk, extending Michigan State’s lead over Northwestern
11. Kansas (12-3)
12. Texas A&M (13-3)
13. Conn (13-4)
14. In Michigan (13-3)
15. Illinois (12-4)
16. In Oregon (15-2)
17. Mississippi State (14-2)
18. Memphis (13-3)
19. Ole Miss (14-2)
20. Gonzaga (14-4)
21. Purdue (13-4)
22. St. John’s (14-3)
23. State of Utah (16-1)
24. Nebraska (12-4)
25. In Wisconsin (13-3)
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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