College basketball rankings: Michigan State and Duke rise; tennessee slides

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 this weekend a story as big as any in the country surrounded my number one team, Auburn. Johni Broome fell with what Bruce Pearl suffers significant ankle sprainand the national player of the year favorite is expected to miss some time. The good news is that an MRI performed on Sunday confirmed that Broome does not need surgery. The bad news is that Broome will be out indefinitely.

The Tigers still found a way to outscore South Carolina on the road, 66-63, as Tahaad Pettiford stepped up with clutch free throws and Pearl’s team made the final stop. But now we have to wonder how much time Broome will 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 welcomes a top-20 Mississippi State team on Tuesday before visiting a red-hot, ranked Georgia team on Saturday. It sounds like Broome’s situation isn’t too dire, but it’s certainly fluid.

This team has one of the best defensive units in the country, led by five other double-figure scorers in addition to Broome, including Chad Baker-Mazara, Denver Jones and Pettiford, and fifth-year senior Dylan Cardwell is a solid backup option. booking. be a replacement for Broome. That being said, this is by no means a time to panic 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 country. Without him, they might have some difficulties, but I still believe in this team and I think they will be in San Antonio in the Final Four in April. However, this injury creates a potential revolving door for our number one spot over the next two months leading up to March Madness.

Auburn wasn’t the only heavyweight he faced and passed 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 making the game-winning free throws to earn an 85-84 victory at Texas Tech. Alabama beat Texas A&M, 94-88, thanks to 27 points from Mark Sears, while Tennessee responded from the loss to Florida and beat Texas, 74-70.

[Read more: Ranking the top 50 players and coaches in the country]

Three other headliners of the week?

St. John’s, which has won nine of its last 10 games, returns to our rankings this week after a pair of double-digit wins at Xavier and at home against Villanova. RJ Luis has become a first-team All-Big East selection, posting 30 points and 10 rebounds in the win over the Wildcats. Rick Pitino now has a team that is 14-3 and going well for the NCAA Tournament. They can make a breakthrough in March, especially if the perimeter shooting continues to come like it did in the win over Villanova.

How about Mike White and Georgia? The Bulldogs, who haven’t appeared in the NCAA Tournament in a decade, are 14-2 after a pair of top-25 wins over Kentucky and Oklahoma. Five-star freshman Asa Newell is a top 10 NBA Draft pick and is playing at a really high level, while sophomore Silas Demary has made a nice jump and the transfer Dakota Leffew was a quality scoring acquisition 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 moved on to one-loss Utah State, which trailed 79-77 with nine seconds left against Boise State on Saturday before Ian Martinez hit a 3-pointer and was fouled in a wild sequence that gave the Aggies the win. .

The Aggies are on their third head coach in as many years and are on track to make a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Going from now Utah coach Craig Smith to now VCU coach Ryan Odom to now Washington head coach Danny Sprinkle to a sure hire in Jerrod Calhoun speaks to the Aggies’ front office and their ability to Find the right coaches for your programs. That’s why this week we’re giving the state of Utah some national love. A date to mark: Saturday, February 1 against 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. Chestnut (15-1)

While we’ve already discussed at length how the Tigers will retool without Broome, how about continued production from a four-star guard in Pettiford? Not only has he been a microwave scorer for Pearl, but he’s done it against some of the best defensive teams in the country: from a 21-point performance against Houston to a 20-point performance against Duke and 18 in the win over Pearl. 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 achieved last year. But TJ Otzelberger evolved this group offensively with the addition of Jefferson and player development. What’s next for Iowa State? Kansas. Wednesday. Hilton Coliseum.

3. Duke (14-2)

How about Cooper Flagg, United States? I think he’ll win national player of the year when it’s all 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 turned in the highest-scoring performance by a Duke and ACC freshman on Saturday, posting 42 points (11 of 14 from the floor and 16 of 17 from the free throw line), seven assists and six rebounds in the 86- 78. beat Notre Dame. Flagg will be the first overall 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]

4. Alabama (14-2)

Not only did Sears score 27 in Saturday’s win, but the Tide showed off their depth with Chris Youngblood and Aden Holloway combining for 29 off the bench. Alabama hosts Ole Miss Tuesday before visiting Kentucky on Saturday.

5. Tennessee (15-1)

Zakai Zeigler is one of America’s best guards, and he proved it again on Saturday when he had 16 points and eight assists in a four-point win at head coach Rick Barnes’ former school, 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 had the most impressive performance of the week with a 30-point victory over previously undefeated Tennessee behind Alijah Martin’s 18 points. Then, they went to Arkansas on Saturday and overcame an early 13-2 deficit to win 71-63 behind four in double figures. Todd Golden’s group is full.

7. Marquette (14-2)

The Golden Eagles are 5-0 in the Big East, their best start in the conference since 2008-09, after a 74-66 win over Georgetown in which junior Chase Ross scored a career-high 27 points. career. Marquette visits DePaul on Tuesday before hosting Xavier on Saturday.

8. Kentucky (13-2)

Big Blue Nation may be upset with me for having the Wildcats ranked No. 8, but every game matters, and Kentucky was blown out by Georgia on Tuesday, 82-69. Kentucky responded with a 95-90 victory 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 earned their fourth win over a NET Top 16 team. This team is capable of getting to San Antonio because their offense is loaded with talent and options.

9. houston (12-3)

The Cougars just quietly go about their business and slow down teams. On Saturday, Kelvin Sampson’s team won its eighth consecutive game with an 87-57 victory over Kansas State. Emanuel Sharp scored 15 points, while Joseph Tugler recorded a double-double. Up next: home in West Virginia on Wednesday.

10. Michigan State (14-2)

What about the Spartans? In his 30th season at the helm, Tom Izzo has done a remarkable job with Michigan State, which won its ninth straight game Sunday with a 78-68 victory over Northwestern. There is no doubt that Sparty will advance to its 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament, and the pieces are in place for Michigan State to reach its 16th Sweet 16 during Izzo’s tenure. I love the way Jeremy Fears can rush in transition and generate offense for a Spartans program that seems to have lacked that in recent years. Add in Jaden Akins as the primary shooter, freshman Jase Richardson as an X-factor off the bench, and Jaxon Kohler’s rebounding, and the Spartans are truly complete. This team can win the Big Ten.

11. Kansas (12-3)
12. Texas A&M (13-3)
13. University of Connecticut (13-4)
14. Michigan (13-3)
15. Illinois (12-4)
16. Oregon (15-2)
17. Mississippi State (14-2)
18. Memphis (13-3)
19. old miss (14-2)
20. gonzaga (14-4)
21. Purdue (13-4)
22. Saint John (14-3)
23. Utah State (16-1)
24. Nebraska (12-4)
25. Wisconsin (13-3)

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 a lead anchor on the BIG EAST Digital Network and providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. follow him on @John_Fanta.

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