John Fanta
College basketball broadcaster and reporter
It was a weekend of road tests for some of the best teams in college basketball, and the heavyweights found a way to pass them all and avoid an upset. But a story as big as any in the country this weekend surrounded my No. 1 team, Auburn. Johni Broome fell with what Bruce Pearl discusses significant ankle sprainand the national player of the year favorite is expected to miss time. The good news is that an MRI performed on Sunday confirmed that Broome did not need surgery. The bad news is that Broome is out indefinitely.
The Tigers still found a way to edge South Carolina on the road, 66-63, as Tahaad Pettiford stepped up with his free throws and Pearl’s team came up with the final save. But now we have to ask ourselves how much time will Broome miss? Will he be back to normal when he returns? What will Auburn look like without the man who was 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 a top-20 Mississippi State team on Tuesday before visiting a red-hot, ranked Georgia team on Saturday. It looks like Broome’s situation isn’t too serious, but it’s certainly fluid.
This team boasts one of the best backcourt units in the country – headlined by five other double-digit scorers besides Broome, including Chad Baker-Mazara, Denver Jones and Pettiford – and fifth-grade senior Dylan Cardwell year, is a solid backup option. to replace Broome. That said, it is by no means time to panic for the Tigers.
This is still a top 10 team without Broome, but having a player averaging 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game has made the Tigers the best team in the country. Without him, they might have some struggles, but I still believe in this team and I think they will be in San Antonio in the Final Four next April. However, this injury presents a potential revolving door for our No. 1 spot over the next two months on the road to March Madness.
Auburn wasn’t the only heavyweight to face and pass a tough road test this weekend. Iowa State played one of the best games of the day with Saint Mary transfer Joshua Jefferson forcing overtime at the buzzer and then hitting the game-winning free throws to earn an 85-84 victory at Texas Tech. Alabama fought off Texas A&M, 94-88, behind 27 points from Mark Sears, while Tennessee responded after the loss to Florida and beat Texas, 74-70.
(Learn more: Ranking the country’s 50 best players and coaches)
Three other headliners 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 became a first-team All-Big East selection, with 30 points and 10 rebounds in the win over the Wildcats. Rick Pitino now has a team that is 14-3 and on track for the NCAA Tournament. They can make a real run in March, especially if the perimeter shooting continues to roll like it did in the win over Villanova.
What about Mike White and Georgia? The Bulldogs, who haven’t made the NCAA Tournament in a decade, are 14-2 after two top-25 wins over Kentucky and Oklahoma. Five-star freshman Asa Newell is a top-10 pick in the NBA draft and is playing at a very high level, while sophomore Silas Demary has made a big jump and transfer Dakota Leffew was a quality scorer in his reserve role. This week is a big one for Georgia with a trip to Tennessee on Wednesday followed by a matchup with Auburn on Saturday.
Finally, we turn to Utah State with a loss, which trailed 79-77 with nine seconds remaining against Boise State on Saturday before Ian Martinez hit a 3-pointer and was fouled on a wild sequence that gave the Aggies the victory.
The Aggies are on their third head coach in as many years and are on track to make a third straight NCAA Tournament. Going from current Utah coach Craig Smith to current VCU coach Ryan Odom to current Washington head coach Danny Sprinkle to a slam-dunk hire to Jerrod Calhoun talks Aggies administration and of their ability to find the right coaches for their programs. That’s why we’re giving Utah State some national love this week. One date to circle: Saturday, Feb. 1 vs. New Mexico (9:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app). The Lobos and Aggies are undefeated (6-0) in the Mountain West.
That said, let’s move on to our Top 25!
1. Auburn (15-1)
While we’ve already discussed at length how the Tigers would retool without Broome, how about continuing to produce a four-star guard in Pettiford? Not only was he a microwave scorer for Pearl, but he did so against some of the best defensive teams in the country – from a 21-point performance against Houston to a 20-point performance against Duke at 18 in the victory. 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 evolved this group offensively with the addition of Jefferson and player development. What’s next for Iowa State? Kansas. Wednesday. Hilton Colosseum.
3. Duke (14-2)
What about Cooper Flagg, America? I think he’ll win National Player of the Year once all is said and done, joining Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson as the only others to win the honor as a rookie in franchise history. college basketball. He had the best performance by a Duke and ACC freshman on Saturday, with 42 points (11 of 14 from the floor and 16 of 17 from the free throw line), seven assists and six rebounds during 86-78. defeat Notre Dame. Flagg will be the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft in June.
(Learn more: 2025 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: Summit debate with Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper)
4. Alabama (14-2)
Not only did Sears score 27 points in Saturday’s win, but the Tide showed its depth with Chris Youngblood and Aden Holloway combining for 29 points coming off the bench. Alabama hosts Ole Miss Tuesday before visiting Kentucky on Saturday.
5. Tennessee (15-1)
Zakai Zeigler is one of the best guards in the United States and showed it again on Saturday when he had 16 points and eight assists in a four-point victory at head coach Rick’s former school Barnes, Texas. Barnes had some poignant thoughts about his leading scorer, Chaz Lanier, on Saturday. In the NIL world, everything seems to be fair game.
6. Florida (15-1)
The Gators turned in the most impressive performance of the week with a 30-point victory over previously 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 behind four double figures. Todd Golden’s group is stacked.
7. Marquette (14-2)
The Golden Eagles are 5-0 in the Big East, their best conference start since 2008-09, following a 74-66 victory over Georgetown in which junior Chase Ross scored a game-high 27 points. career. Marquette visits DePaul on Tuesday before hosting Xavier on Saturday.
8. Kentucky (13-3)
Big Blue Nation might be mad at me for having the Wildcats at No. 8, but every game counts — and Kentucky was knocked out by Georgia on Tuesday, 82-69. Kentucky responded with a 95-90 win over Mississippi State on Saturday thanks to 27 points from Jaxson Robinson and some big shots from Ansley Almonor. Amari Williams also had 10 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, as the Cats notched their fourth victory against a NET top 16 team. This team is capable of reaching San Antonio because their offense is loaded with talent and options.
9. Houston (12-3)
The Cougars calmly go about their business and slow down the teams. On Saturday, Kelvin Sampson’s team won its eighth straight game with an 87-57 loss to Kansas State. Emanuel Sharp scored 15 points, while Joseph Tugler had a double-double. Next up: home against West Virginia on Wednesday.
10. Michigan State (14-2)
And the Spartans? In his 30th season at the helm, Tom Izzo has done an outstanding job with Michigan State, which won its ninth straight game on Sunday with a 78-68 victory over Northwestern. There’s no doubt that Sparty will be headed 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 like how Jeremy Fears can transition and generate offense for a Spartans program that seems to have lacked that in recent years. Add in Jaden Akins as the primary bucket receiver, freshman Jase Richardson as the X-factor off the bench and rebounding Jaxon Kohler, and the Spartans are truly complete. This team can win the Big Ten.
Coen Carr throws down dunk, extending Michigan State’s lead over Northwestern
11. Kansas (12-3)
12. Texas A&M (13-3)
13. UConn (13-4)
14. Michigan (13-3)
15. Illinois (12-4)
16. Oregon (15-2)
17. Mississippi State (14-2)
18. Memphis (13-3)
19. Ole Mademoiselle (14-2)
20. Gonzaga (14-4)
21. Georgia (14-2)
22. Purdue (13-4)
22. Saint John (14-3)
24. State of Utah (16-1)
25. 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 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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