Week 13 of the men’s college basketball AP Top 25 poll were announced on Monday, with the Auburn Tigers holding the top overall ranking for the third straight week. The rest of the top five spots remain the same from the last ranking, with Duke, Iowa State, Alabama, and Florida each holding their positions in the top of college basketball. Notably, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ole Miss and UConn continue to fall while Memphis and Louisville jump up multiple spots. The SEC’s early dominance in college basketball has dropped slightly, but the conference still has ten teams in the Top 25 rankings.
The Tigers hold onto the top spot in the country after a crucial 53-51 win against Tennessee. They are now the only undefeated team in SEC play, while leading the conference in team shooting percentage and blocks per game. Auburn is also fourth in offensive rating and second in defensive rating in the SEC, squeaking out multiple close-game wins since the start of the new year.
Johni Broome continues to make his case for the National Player of the Year, dropping 16 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks in the win against the Volunteers. His 17.8 points on 53% shooting, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks a night lead the team, and he’s proven to be a game-changer against the other top ranks in the SEC.
Auburn also has five other players that are averaging double-digit scoring, and they are fifth in the country with a +18.6 scoring margin. They have had way more close games than head coach Bruce Pearl would like, but the Tigers have come up clutch down the stretch. Their only loss this season has come to Duke, and they’ve beaten top ranked opponents Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina in recent weeks to deservedly hold on to the number one rank.
The Blue Devils stumbled against Kansas earlier in the season, but haven’t looked back since. They lead the country in scoring margin at +21 points, and they are the only undefeated team in the ACC. While the conference hasn’t been as strong this year compared to the past, Duke has ran through their schedule with ease.
Most recently they had a tough test against Wake Forrest, but Cooper Flagg’s 24 points, seven rebounds, six assists help them hold off a late run by the Demon Deacons. Flagg’s performances in the last few games have been nothing short of spectacular, especially for a freshman. Not only has his scoring become more efficient, but he’s had at least four rebounds and assists in the last five games.
Before the game against Wake Forrest, the Blue Devil’s closest finish was an eight-point win over Notre Dame. Through their first eight conference games, they’ve put up an average of 82.6 points while only giving up 60.1 points a night. Along with Flagg, freshman Kon Knueppel has also put together a stretch of strong performances, including 15 points and nine rebounds against Wake Forrest and a career-high 25 points against Miami. Duke’s continued dominance in the ACC keeps them at number two in the rankings, and they have seven more games before they play their next ranked opponent.
Iowa State’s wins against Arizona State and UCF keep them third in the AP rankings. They outscored the Sun Devils by 22 points in the second half and finished with a season-high 108 points against the Knights while Curtis Jones continues his dominant play.
Alabama had two home wins against Vanderbilt and LSU to keep themselves fourth in the national rankings. Offensively, they remain commanding, as their 90.4 points per game still leads the country.
Florida stays in fifth after their two wins last week against South Carolina and Georgia. The Gators’ two SEC losses have come by a combined seven points, but their top-10 scoring offense has helped them finish out games strong this season.
After a dream start to the season, the Tennessee Volunteers just can’t seem to get back on pace. They beat Mississippi State but lost a heartbreaker to Auburn this week. In the loss to the Tigers, they shot 31.5% from the field and 18.2% from three. Their offense has struggled in recent weeks, but their third-ranked defense has helped keep them near the top of the national rankings. Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler remain some of the best guards in the conference, but the Volunteers need to find a rhythm soon. After holding the top spot for multiple weeks, Tennessee was ranked eighth in the latest AP Poll.
Kentucky has seen back-to-back losses against Alabama and Vanderbilt to drop them to 12th overall. They had a strong start to the year but haven’t come up clutch against the other top SEC teams. They have the third-best offense in the country but at the same time are allowing their opponents to score with ease. The Wildcats are another team that just hasn’t gotten over the hump when playing other top-ranked competition.
Ole Miss saw the biggest fall-off, as they dropped seven spots from last week’s rankings. They’ve lost their last three games, and haven’t looked like the same team that began the season 15-2. Many of their games have come down to the final minutes, but if the Rebels can’t come up clutch, they’ll have no chance to make a run in March.
Dan Hurley’s UConn team has had perhaps the most surprising fall in college basketball this year. Holding the last spot on the rankings, the Huskies are one of two teams to be nationally ranked with six losses. They’ve lost three of their past five while allowing lackluster Big East competition to score against them with ease. They sit fourth in the conference standings, but so far haven’t looked like the dominant defending champions that they were seen as coming into the season.
Seeing teams bounce around the AP rankings is nothing new in college basketball. For the teams that have fallen, it might just be a bad stretch, or it could mean they have major issues in need of fixing. It seems like there are so many talented teams around the country, but nothing is guaranteed in a conference like the SEC or Big 12. Every game matters for every single school battling to get in to the March Madness tournament.
In the recent cases of schools like Tennessee, Kentucky, or Ole Miss, one loss could drastically impact their season. For teams like Auburn, Duke, and Iowa State, they’ll have to keep their amazing performances going if they want to stay at the top of the rankings. College basketball is a tough place to find success, and as seen in this week’s AP rankings, not everyone is cut out for it.
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