College basketball rankings: Auburn's body of work earns Tigers No. 1 spot over Gonzaga in Top 25 And 1
Sun, Jan 16, 2022
NCAAB News (AP)
Auburn and Gonzaga will be No. 1 and No. 2 in some order when the Associated Press Top 25 poll updates Monday. Voters who rely almost strictly on computer numbers will likely put the Zags No. 1 considering Mark Few's team holds the top spot in most computers - among them the NET, KenPom, BPI, Sagarin and Torvik. But if the goal is to reward the team that has accomplished the most through the first 10 weeks of this season, Auburn should move to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in school history.
Bruce Pearl's Tigers have the best body of work.
After Saturday's 80-71 win at Ole Miss, Auburn is now 16-1 overall and 5-0 in the SEC. More specifically, the Tigers are 4-1 in Quadrant 1 and 4-0 in Quadrant 2, meaning they're 8-1 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. That represents the best winning percentage (88.9) inside the first two quadrants of any team - a winning percentage that is, by the way, 17.5 points better than Gonzaga's (71.4). Auburn is also the only team that hasn't lost in regulation, and its 13-game winning streak is tied (with Davidson) for the longest in the sport. And for those still trying to break a tie between the Tigers and Zags, perhaps you should consider that they do have a common opponent in Alabama. Auburn beat the Crimson Tide 81-77 on the road, while Gonzaga lost to them 91-82 in Seattle.
Add it all up, and it's clear that Auburn should be No. 1 right now with Gonzaga one spot below the Tigers. That is the way I have it in Sunday's updated AP Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. After that, it's a Wisconsin team that's 9-2 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses, followed by Baylor at No. 4. And, yes, I'm aware that Baylor lost at home to Oklahoma State on Saturday. That's not ideal, but the Bears are still 5-1 in Quadrant 1 and 7-2 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. You cannot find four better resumes than that. So dropping the reigning national champions any further would be nonsensical.
On that note, let me remind you that I never pay much attention to how high a team rises after a win or how low a team drops after a loss. Instead, I simply reevaluate every team's body of work each morning (while also considering various other factors), then I slot them where I believe they belong in this moment. And, again, in this moment, I genuinely believe Auburn belongs at the top of the AP poll. It'll be interesting to see how many AP voters agree Monday.
Top 25 And 1 Rankings
Biggest Movers| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walker Kessler finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 80-71 win at Ole Miss. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Georgia. | -- | 16-1 | ||
| Drew Timme finished with 32 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 115-83 win at Santa Clara. The Zags' next game is January 27 against Loyola Marymount. | 1 | 14-2 | ||
| Brad Davison finished with 25 points and three rebounds in Thursday's 78-68 win over Ohio State. The Badgers' next game is Tuesday at Northwestern. | 2 | 14-2 | ||
| Baylor missed 20 of the 28 3-pointers it attempted in Saturday's 61-54 loss to Oklahoma State. The Bears' next game is Tuesday at West Virginia. | 2 | 15-2 | ||
| Jalen Wilson finished with 23 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 85-59 win over West Virginia. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday at Oklahoma. | 3 | 14-2 | ||
| Zach Edey finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 92-65 wn over Nebraska. The Boilermakers' next game is Monday at Illinois. | 1 | 14-2 | ||
| Azuolas Tubelis finished with 32 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 82-64 win over Utah. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday at Stanford. | 3 | 14-1 | ||
| Gabe Kalscheur finished with 22 points and two steals in Saturday's 79-70 win over Texas. The Cyclones' next game is Tuesday at Texas Tech. | 5 | 14-3 | ||
| Kyler Edwards finished with 29 points and three assists in Saturday's 66-64 win at Tulsa. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against South Florida. | -- | 15-2 | ||
| Collin Gillespie finished with 21 points and three rebounds in Wednesday's 64-60 win at Xavier. The Wildcats' next game is Sunday against Butler. | 1 | 12-4 | ||
| LSU had 16 turnovers and just 11 assists in Saturday's 65-58 loss to Arkansas. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Alabama. | 5 | 15-2 | ||
| Paolo Banchero finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 88-73 win over NC State. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday at Florida State. | 2 | 14-2 | ||
| TyTy Washington finished with 28 points and five assists in Saturday's 107-79 win over Tennessee. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday at Texas A&M. | 7 | 14-3 | ||
| Johnny Juzang finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 81-65 win over Oregon State. The Bruins' next game is Thursday at Utah. | 2 | 11-2 | ||
| Michigan State turned the ball over 17 times in Saturday's 64-62 loss to Northwestern. The Spartans' next game is Friday at Wisconsin. | 11 | 14-3 | ||
| Colby Jones finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 80-73 win over Creighton. The Musketeers' next game is Wednesday at DePaul. | 1 | 13-3 | ||
| USC finished with 13 turnovers and just 12 assists in Saturday's 79-69 loss to Oregon. The Trojans' next game is Thursday at Colorado. | 5 | 14-2 | ||
| Ohio State missed 16 of the 19 3-pointers it attempted in Thursday's 78-68 loss at Wisconsin. The Buckeyes' next game is Sunday against Penn State. | -- | 10-4 | ||
| Nate Watson finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 83-73 win over St. John's. The Friars are on a COVID pause. | 2 | 14-2 | ||
| Kofii Cockburn finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 68-53 win over Michigan. The Illini's next game is Monday against Purdue. | 3 | 13-3 | ||
| Texas Tech missed 13 of the 17 3-pointers it attempted in Saturday's 62-51 loss at Kansas State. The Red Raiders' next game is Tuesday against Iowa State. | 6 | 13-4 | ||
| Lucas Williamson finished with 17 points and two steals in Saturday's 64-56 win at Indiana State. The Ramblers' next game is Tuesday at Evansville. | -- | 13-2 | ||
| Alex Barcello finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 71-69 win at San Francisco. The Cougars' next game is Thursday against San Diego. | NR | 15-4 | ||
| Texas finished with 20 turnovers and just 13 assists in Saturday's 79-70 loss at Iowa State. The Longhorns' next game is Tuesday against Kansas State. | -- | 13-4 | ||
| Adama Sonogo finished with 26 points and 18 rebounds in Friday's 86-78 win over St. John's. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday against Butler. | NR | 11-4 | ||
| Michael Jones finished with 29 points and four rebounds in Friday's 87-84 win at Richmond. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday at VCU. | NR | 14-2 |
