What an incredible weekend of college basketball, one that served as foreshadowing for the drama we are in for in March.
Just when you thought you knew that Auburn and Duke were the two best teams in the country, the sport reminded us that anything can happen on any given day. That’s why the win-or-go-home NCAA Tournament is the best in sports.
The Tigers and Blue Devils carried a combined 30-game winning streak into Saturday’s action. You can say goodbye to those streaks, with Auburn falling at home to a top-five Florida team, 90-81, while the Blue Devils took their first defeat since November, dropping a 77-71 decision to Clemson.
So, what happened in both of these games that revealed something about the Tigers and Blue Devils?
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Let’s start with Auburn. First off, the Tigers lost to a legitimate national championship-contender in the Gators. Now, Florida does have some volatility to what they do, and it showed last weekend in a blowout loss to Tennessee, but the Gators have the perimeter arsenal to beat anybody in the sport and their best was on display Saturday in the Jungle. If you are going to beat Auburn, you have to make Johni Broome work for what he gets offensively, and you have to outscore the Tigers from beyond the arc. While the national player of the year candidate scored 18 points – while adding 11 rebounds and six assists – it took him 19 shots to do so. Couple that with Florida’s defense, holding Auburn to 3-of-12 from beyond the arc in the second half, and junior Denzel Aberdeen knocking down two key second half triples when the Tigers were just about to grab momentum, and Todd Golden’s team found a way.
Florida's All-American guard, Walter Clayton Jr., was outstanding and in control in this game. So many times this year, the Tigers have overwhelmed backcourts. On Saturday afternoon, Clayton was the aggressor, finishing with 19 points, nine assists and six rebounds. On the interior, sophomore big man Alex Condon announced his stardom to the country. He was the most efficient big man on Saturday, delivering 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor with 10 rebounds and four assists.
Should Auburn be concerned or worried about anything? Not at all. But credit the Gators, who are 20-3 and showed one week after a rough performance at Tennessee that they are still poised to pursue the program’s first Final Four since Billy Donovan led them to back-to-back titles in 2006 and '07.
As for the Blue Devils, for 35 minutes on Saturday afternoon, Cooper Flagg had the worst performance of his college career. It bears noting that Flagg had been under the weather this week, but he started the game 2-of-11 from the floor.
While Flagg struggled, Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor combined for eight triples and Duke shot 12-for-24 from downtown.
But Clemson imposed its will physically and won this game with clutch plays down the stretch. Cincinnati transfer Viktor Lakhin posted 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor, while senior guard Chase Hunter had 14 points and seven rebounds. The Tigers were +13 on the glass and outscored the Blue Devils 40-22 in the paint.
Clemson's win marked the program’s highest-ranked victory since the Tigers beat No. 1 North Carolina in 2001. Additionally, it stretched Clemson’s streak to five straight wins over top-five opponents, the most in the country. Brad Brownell’s team has not been ranked by the Associated Press but has been in my poll. You saw why on Saturday.
So, it leaves us with this dilemma: Auburn or Alabama?
Well, guess what? The Tigers visit the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Nate Oats’ team improved to 20-3 on the season with an 85-81 win at Arkansas. In what marked the seventh straight road game that Alabama has reached 85 points, the Tide outscored John Calipari’s group 56-36 in the paint and used a 31-11 advantage in bench points, powered by Mouhamed Dioubate’s 14 points, to hold off the Hogs.
I am going to give Auburn a pass for one loss. The Tigers are still No. 1 in KenPom, No. 2 in Torvik and own a nation-best 12-2 record against Quad 1 opponents. You’re allowed to lose a game in the historically great SEC. I know rankings are a snapshot, but I still believe Auburn is the best team in the nation, so they’re staying at No. 1 for me.
My rankings have a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, and my top-three teams are all from the same conference, which has to be a first.
With that, here is a look at my complete Top 25:
1. Auburn (21-2)
2. Alabama (20-3)
3. Florida (20-3)
4. Duke (20-3)
5. Tennessee (20-4)
6. Texas A&M (18-5)
7. St. John’s (21-3)
8. Houston (19-4)
9. Purdue (19-5)
10. Iowa State (18-5)
11. Memphis (20-4)
12. Michigan State (19-4)
13. Arizona (17-6)
14. Texas Tech (18-5)
15. Wisconsin (19-5)
16. Missouri (17-6)
17. Creighton (18-6)
18. Michigan (18-5)
19. Clemson (19-5)
20. Kentucky (16-7)
21. Ole Miss (18-6)
22. Kansas (16-7)
23. Marquette (18-6)
24. Maryland (18-6)
25. UConn (16-7)
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
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