When Bruce Pearl described Auburn as an "everything school" last season, his point was more or less that there's really no reason every sport can't flourish at an SEC institution with what amounts to unlimited resources. Hire the right people, invest, and good things can happen in football, basketball, baseball, soccer, gymnastics ... you name it.
BP was right, of course. His rival 160 miles west is the latest reminder of that.
Alabama beat Florida 97-69 on Wednesday to improve 21-3 overall, 11-0 in the SEC. This represents the best league start for the Crimson Tide since the 1955-56 season.
"I don't even know who was in the SEC back in 55-56," said Alabama coach Nate Oats. "But it's a good league now."
Indeed, it is.
That's why it's super-impressive the way Alabama is running through the SEC with one double-digit victory after another. Eleven conference games, 10 double-digit wins. The Crimson Tide's average margin of victory in league contests is 22.3 points. They're dominating opponents the way the best football teams coached by Nick Saban typically dominate opponents, establishing Alabama as the undeniable top football-basketball combo in the country.
The second-best basketball team in the SEC is widely considered to be Tennessee, which lost to Vanderbilt late Wednesday. Alabama beat Vanderbilt by 57 points last week.
"We're just trying to play good basketball," Oats said.
Alabama remains No. 2 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Purdue is No. 1 for the 18th consecutive day. The Crimson Tide will take a two-game lead in the SEC standings into Saturday's game at Auburn. For what it's worth, KenPom is now projecting Alabama to win the SEC by four games. If it goes down that way, it'll be the most lopsided SEC race since Kentucky won the league by five games in 2015 before losing to Wisconsin in the Final Four.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer combined to go 5 of 20 from the field in Saturday's 79-74 loss at Indiana. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday against Iowa. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Brandon Miller finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 97-69 win over Florida. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Auburn. | -- | 25-12 |
| 3 |  | Marcus Sasser finished with 25 points and two assists in Wednesday's 80-42 win over Tulsa. The Cougars' next game is Feb. 16 at SMU. | -- | 32-5 |
| 4 |  | Gradey Dick finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Monday's 88-80 win over Texas. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma. | -- | 23-11 |
| 5 |  | Starters not named Marcus Carr were limited to just 30 points in Monday's 88-80 loss at Kansas. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday against West Virginia. | -- | 21-13 |
| 6 |  | Azuolas Tubelis finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 84-52 win over Oregon State. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday at California. | -- | 27-9 |
| 7 |  | Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 76-52 win over Washington State. The Bruins' next game is Thursday at Oregon State. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 8 |  | Markquis Nowell finished with 18 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 82-61 win over TCU. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Texas Tech. | 1 | 19-15 |
| 9 |  | Keyonte George finished with 23 points and two rebounds in Wednesday's 82-72 win over Oklahoma. The Bears' next game is Saturday at TCU. Keyonte George finished with 23 points and two rebounds in Wednesday's 82-72 win over Oklahoma. The Bears' next game is Saturday at TCU. | 2 | 24-11 |
| 10 |  | Jack Nunge finished with 21 points and six assists in Saturday's 96-71 win over St. John's. The Musketeers' next game is Friday at Butler. | 2 | 16-18 |
| 11 |  | Jayden Gardner finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 63-50 win over NC State. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Duke. | 2 | 23-11 |
| 12 |  | Gabe Kalscheur was 1 of 6 from the field in Wednesday's 76-71 loss at West Virginia. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma State. | 5 | 29-8 |
| 13 |  | Aidan Mahaney finished with 18 points and three assists in Saturday's 78-70 overtime win over Gonzaga. The Gaels' next game is Thursday at Loyola Marymount. | 1 | 26-8 |
| 14 |  | Gonzaga only grabbed three offensive rebounds in Saturday's 78-70 overtime loss at Saint Mary's. The Zags' next game is Thursday against San Francisco. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 15 |  | Josiah-Jordan James was 1 of 7 from the field in Wednesday's 66-65 loss at Vanderbilt. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Missouri. | 5 | 27-9 |
| 16 |  | Kam Jones was limited to just five points in Tuesday's 87-72 loss at UConn. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday at Georgetown. | -- | 27-10 |
| 17 |  | Bryce Hopkins finished with 17 points and four assists in Wednesday's 74-62 win over Georgetown. The Friars' next game is Saturday at St. John's. | -- | 21-14 |
| 18 |  | Matt Bradley finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 63-61 win at Utah State. The Aztecs' next game is Saturday against UNLV. | -- | 26-11 |
| 19 |  | Vladislav Goldin finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 67-52 win at Charlotte. The Owls' next game is Thursday against Rice. | -- | 25-9 |
| 20 |  | Norchad Omier finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 81-59 win over Duke. The Hurricanes' next game is Saturday against Louisville. | -- | 15-17 |
| 21 |  | Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds in Tuesday's 66-60 win over Rutgers. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday at Michigan. | -- | 19-14 |
| 22 |  | Jordan Hawkins finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 87-72 win over Marquette. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Creighton. | -- | 37-3 |
| 23 |  | TCU missed 14 of the 17 3-pointers it attempted in Tuesday's 82-61 loss at Kansas State. The Horned Frogs' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | -- | 21-13 |
| 24 |  | Jarkel Joiner finished 2 of 14 from the field in Tuesday's 63-50 loss at Virginia. The Wolfpack's next game is Saturday at Boston College. | -- | 26-15 |
| 25 |  | Baylor Scheierman finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 75-62 win at Seton Hall. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday against UConn. | -- | 25-10 |
| 26 |  | Caleb McConnell finished 1 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 66-60 loss at Indiana. The Scarlet Knights' next game is Saturday at Illinois. | -- | 15-17 |
