College basketball rankings: LSU, Tennessee set for Top 25 And 1 showdown on Saturday

Sat, Jan 22, 2022
NCAAB News (AP)

College basketball rankings: LSU, Tennessee set for Top 25 And 1 showdown on Saturday

The biggest game of the weekend is Kentucky at Auburn on AP at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday. But there is another ranked-at-ranked game happening in the SEC later in the day -- LSU at Tennessee.

Will Wade's Tigers are 12th in Saturday morning's updated AP Sports Top 25 And 1; Rick Barnes' Vols are 25th. It's a rematch of a game played two Saturdays ago at LSU, a game the Tigers won by double-digits. But this game will obviously be more challenging than the last considering it's being played inside Thompson-Boling Arena.

The Vols are a perfect 9-0 at home this season. They're the only team that's beaten Arizona. So, understandably, they're a 5.5-point favorite over the Tigers, who are expected to be without starting point guard Xavier Pinson. The 6-foot-2 senior has been sidelined with a knee injury he suffered in the first meeting between these two schools.

"X is making really, really good progress," Wade told reporters Friday. "He was moving well today -- [but] I don't think he's quite ready to play. So he'll probably be out."

Tennessee enters this matchup with five losses -- as many as any other team in the Top 25 And 1. But it's important to understand that all five losses have come away from home and to teams ranked in the top 25 of the NET. In other words, all five losses are Quadrant 1 losses. So while it's true that the Vols have mostly struggled in big opportunities, especially on offense, what's also true is that they've completely avoided the type of defeats that can really harm a resume. That's a good quality this deep into the season.

Saturday's tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Top 25 And 1 rankings

Biggest Movers
RkTeams ChgRcrd
Walker Kessler finished with 15 points and six blocks in Wednesday's 83-60 win over Georgia. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Kentucky. -- 17-1
Chet Holmgren finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's 78-62 win over San Francisco. The Zags' next game is Thursday against Loyola Marymount. -- 15-2
LJ Cryer finished with 25 points and two rebounds in Tuesday's 77-68 win at West Virginia. The Bears' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma. 1 16-2
Jalen Wilson finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 67-64 win at Oklahoma. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Kansas State. 1 15-2
Bennedict Mathurin finished with 13 points and two assists in Thursday's 85-57 win at Stanford. The Wildcats' next game is Sunday at Cal. 1 15-1
Malik Hall finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in Friday's 86-74 win at Wisconsin. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday at Illinois. 7 15-3
Kyler Edwards finished with 23 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 74-55 win over South Florida. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against East Carolina. 1 16-2
Purdue shot just 41.2% from the free-throw line in Thursday's 68-65 loss at Indiana. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday against Northwestern. 1 15-3
Sahvir Wheeler finished with 12 points and four assists in Wednesday's 63-58 win at Texas A&M. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Auburn. -- 15-3
Wisconsin allowed Michigan State to shoot 52.7% from the field in Friday's 86-74 loss to the Spartans. The Badgers' next game is Tuesday at Nebraska. 7 15-3
Johnny Juzang finished with 28 points and three rebounds in Thursday's 63-58 win at Utah. The Bruins' next game is Saturday at Colorado. 1 12-2
LSU turned the ball over 21 times in Wednesday's 70-67 loss at Alabama. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Tennessee. 1 15-3
Villanova missed 18 of the 24 3-pointers it attempted in Wednesday's 57-54 loss to Marquette. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Georgetown. 1 13-5
Bryson Williams finished with 16 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 72-60 win over Iowa State. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday against West Virginia. -- 14-4
Iowa State missed 21 of the 26 3-pointers it attempted in Tuesday's 72-60 loss at Texas Tech. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against TCU. -- 14-4
Duke allowed Florida State to grab 19 offensive rebounds in Tuesday's 79-78 overtime loss to the Seminoles. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Syracuse. -- 14-3
Jack Nunge finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 68-67 win at DePaul. The Musketeers' next game is Sunday at Marquette. -- 14-3
Chevez Goodwin finished with 14 points and 18 rebounds in Thursday's 61-58 win at Colorado. The Trojans' next game is Saturday at Utah. -- 15-2
E.J. Liddell finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 83-37 win over IUPUI. The Buckeyes' next game is Thursday at Minnesota. -- 12-4
Al Durham finished with 15 points and four rebounds in Thursday's 83-75 win over Georgetown. The Friars' next game is Sunday against Butler. -- 15-2
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. 1 14-2
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. 1 16-4
Tyrese Martin finished with 27 points and six rebounds in Thursday's 75-56 win at Butler. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday against Georgetown. 1 13-4
Luka Brajkovic finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 63-61 win at VCU. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Fordham. 1 15-2
Kennedy Chandler finished with 13 points and five steals in Tuesday's 68-60 win at Vanderbilt. The Vols' next game is Saturday against LSU. 1 12-5
Justin Lewis finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 57-54 win at Villanova. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday at Georgetown. NR 13-6

In:Marquette
Out:Illinois

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