College basketball rankings: Auburn takes over No. 1 spot in major shakeup
This past week was a dream for any hoops junkie with hours upon hours of Thanksgiving tournament action on the slate. It also provided the clearest lens to date — or so we think — for many programs across the country due to the sheer number of teams playing and the amount they were challenged with marquee matchups headlining college basketball over the mostly boring bye games that dominated the sport early in the season.
Auburn is my new No. 1 team in the country after winning the Maui Invitational title.
Bruce Pearl’s team has the best player in the sport to this point, with senior big man Johni Broome guiding the Tigers with 20.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, while a backcourt with real depth featuring tough shot-maker Chad Baker-Mazara and lead distributor Denver Jones compliments him.
The game-winner from the 6-foot-10 Broome to take down a top-5 Iowa State team in an 83-81 instant classic in the tournament quarterfinals will be looked back on as a defining moment for this team’s season. It cemented a comeback from 16 points down at the half to secure a significant victory and get into the winner’s bracket of the premier multi-team event in college hoops.
But Pearl’s group didn’t stop there. Auburn beat North Carolina and Memphis over the next two nights by a combined 27 points, with Broome delivering 27 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in the win over the Tigers and Dylan Cardwell going a perfect 8 of 8 from the floor with 16 points. Disagree with my decision to catapult Auburn to No. 1 over an unbeaten Kansas team? Well, I judge off what I see from these teams game in and game out, and Auburn has the best player in the country, the best offense in the sport, a top-6 KenPom defense with wins over Houston, Iowa State, UNC (in much more commanding fashion than Kansas) and Memphis. Auburn is my top team because it owns marquee wins and has dominated the competition outside this narrow win over the Cyclones.
Kansas took its biggest step yet in the 75-72 win over Duke in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.
The Blue Devils need to work through late-game management because their guard play is a question at times. For the Jayhawks to lose Hunter Dickinson for the final 10 minutes and change and overcome that moment to still find a way to win was really impressive.
How did Kansas win? Their transfer additions really stepped up. Rylan Griffen (Alabama) delivered all eight of his points in the final five minutes, including a big triple that put the Jayhawks ahead 68-67 with 5:32 on the clock, while Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) knocked down a jumper in the final two minutes against a Duke team that went the last 2:28 without a made field goal.
While Duke has looked excellent at times, the Blue Devils have lost two games (to Kentucky and Kansas) by a combined eight points. In its final two possessions against the Wildcats at the Champions Classic, Duke turned the ball over. On Tuesday night, in its final two possessions before Kon Knueppel’s prayer from halfcourt was just off, the Blue Devils also gave the ball away. The benefit of some of these issues coming up now is that Duke has three months to figure through these things.
Cooper Flagg continues to be brilliant, averaging 15.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. While he has been at the center of some of the turnover issues, he has also been heavily relied upon to shoulder the load as the lead ball handler — and that’s not an easy transition either. Tyrese Proctor, Sion James and Caleb Foster can’t just totally disappear for Duke on the perimeter. They are crucial to this team’s ability to get to the Final Four.
The other key for Duke? Knueppel is a combined 1 for 16 from 3-point range against the Wildcats and the Jayhawks. The law of averages says he won’t continue that trend.
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Kansas' win over Duke is big because Dajuan Harris posted 14 points and nine assists, Flory Bidunga made strides in place of Dickinson and the transfers led this team to an 8-for-17 mark from 3-point land. Coach Bill Self wanted shooting in the portal, but we had not seen it yet before Tuesday. That’s why this victory is so encouraging.
Purdue moves back into my top 10 after winning the Rady Children’s Invitational in thrilling fashion with an 80-78 victory over a top-25 Ole Miss team.
Myles Colvin was the hero, as the sophomore flew in with a putback with half a second on the clock to give the Boilermakers the win. For coach Matt Painter to lose back-to-back national player of the year Zach Edey and to be sitting at 7-1 right now with the lone loss coming at undefeated Marquette, it really says a lot about the 20th-year Boilers head coach and the elite backcourt that he possesses.
The other big piece is Trey Kaufman-Renn, who has taken the torch from Edey and has delivered huge numbers, with his latest performance: a 25-and-13 output in the win over the Rebels.
Braden Smith is one of the five best players in the sport, totaling 18.0 points and 11.0 assists against Ole Miss and coming in second in the nation with 9.1 dishes per game. With Fletcher Loyer alongside him and Colvin taking the next step in his career, the Boilers have the pieces to win the Big Ten for a third consecutive year.
Thanksgiving Week also brought some statements from previously unranked teams who are now in my rankings.
How about Dusty May and Michigan? The Wolverines won the Fort Myers Tip-Off and moved to 6-1 on the season with a 78-53 blowout win over previously unbeaten Xavier. Vlad Goldin, who followed May from FAU, and Yale transfer Danny Wolf are going to cause a lot of problems for the rest of the Big Ten.
The biggest surprise of Feast Week? Oklahoma. This team was picked second-to-last in the SEC preseason poll. The fact that coach Porter Moser has a 7-0 group that just beat Providence, Arizona and a good Louisville team en route to the Battle 4 Atlantis championship is pretty remarkable considering the Sooners were a total after-thought entering the event and barely got past a Friars team that's really struggling. But Jalon Moore is one of the best bucket-getters in the country, averaging over 18.0 points per game, while Jeremiah Fears has been a phenomenal freshman posting three 20-plus-point games already. With veterans Kobe Elvis, Duke Miles and Glenn Taylor Jr., there’s a lot to like on this roster and they are a top-25 team.
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Oregon is my big winner of the week! Coach Dana Altman’s team earned a total of $1.5 million in NIL money by taking home the inaugural Players Era Festival championship with an 80-78 victory over a top-10 Alabama team on Saturday. Nate Bittle delivered a putback slam with just over four seconds left, and Grant Nelson was too late on his shot attempt to force overtime. For a team picked sixth in the Big Ten preseason poll, Oregon can win the league — make no mistake about it. Senior guard Keeshawn Barthelemy took a big leap, and showed it with a combined 38 points in the semifinal win over San Diego State and the title game. Bittle is a rare four-year senior who has stayed at the same school the entire team and is averaging close to a double-double. Jackson Shelstad, TJ Bamba and Brandon Angel add to the balanced attack. This is a top-20 KenPom offense, and they’ve gone from unranked to my top ten.
With that, here's my updated Top 25.
1. Auburn Tigers (7-0)
The Tigers’ unbeaten start gets as big of a test as it’s had thus far because it comes in a true road game at Duke on Wednesday night in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Broome vs. Flagg? Yes please!
2. Kansas Jayhawks (7-0)
The Jayhawks face their first true road game of the season against a Creighton team trying to get back on track Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app).
3. Iowa State Cyclones (5-1)
The Cyclones have a huge home game around the corner, as they host Marquette in the Big East/Big 12 Battle on Wednesday. Tamin Lipsey vs. Kam Jones will be must-see TV.
4. Tennessee Volunteers (7-0)
The Vols are being led by North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier, who's averaging over 17.0 points per game. Rick Barnes’ team hosts Syracuse on Tuesday.
5. Marquette Golden Eagles (8-0)
The Golden Eagles have already beaten Purdue, Maryland and Georgia. Can they keep adding to an already stacked résumé? Their next three games: at Iowa State, vs. Wisconsin, at Dayton. That is one really hard trio of games, and getting two would be a significant accomplishment.
6. Kentucky Wildcats (7-0)
The Wildcats have such a deep, dynamic offense, and that has led them to an undefeated start in the Mark Pope Era. Seven players scored in double-figures in a 105-76 win over Georgia State on Friday. Up next: at Clemson. Tuesday.
7. Purdue Boilermakers (7-1)
The Boilermakers will look for their first true road win of the year in their Big Ten opener meeting Ace Baldwin and a feisty Penn State squad on Thursday (6:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app).
8. Oregon Ducks (8-0)
The Ducks just beat ranked Texas A&M, an SDSU team that dropped Houston on Saturday night and a ranked Alabama team. They open Big Ten play on Wednesday at USC.
9. Duke Blue Devils (5-2)
The Blue Devils have been right on the doorstep against Kentucky and Kansas while owning a true road win over Arizona. Can they make a big splash on Wednesday when they host Auburn? Coach Jon Scheyer will need Proctor to put up a high-level floor game against Auburn’s deep backcourt.
10. Florida Gators (8-0)
The Gators have a top-10 offense in the country and won the ESPN Events Invitational with an 88-51 victory over Wichita State on Friday. Between the experience of Walter Clayton, Alex Condon and Will Richard and a great addition of Alijah Martin from FAU, this Florida team can beat you in many different ways. It hosts Virginia on Wednesday.
11. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2)
12. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-0)
13. Wisconsin Badgers (8-0)
14. Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-1)
15. Memphis Tigers (6-1)
16. Baylor Bears (5-2)
17. Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1)
18. Houston Cougars (4-3)
19. Michigan Wolverines (6-1)
20. Pittsburgh Panthers (7-1)
21. Arizona State Sun Devils (7-1)
22. Oklahoma Sooners (7-0)
23. San Diego State Aztecs (4-2)
24. Ole Miss Rebels (6-1)
25. Drake Bulldogs (7-0)
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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