Exactly 96 schools have recorded at least one Quadrant 1 win so far this season. Auburn isn't one of them, which is among the reasons Bruce Pearl's team is arguably the sport's most fascinating outfit. It's a team that has consistently moved up in computers during an ongoing 11-game winning streak, but also one that lacks the type of needle-moving victories that most of its contemporaries already possess.
None of this is lost on Pearl, by the way.
He's been a noted skeptic himself.
"[My players] were asking me, 'Coach, are you impressed yet," Pearl said after his Tigers beat Ole Miss 82-59 on Saturday to improve to 16-2 overall, 5-0 in the SEC. "I really haven't been. Part of it is we just haven't played that many ranked teams, but Ole Miss comes in ranked, and they're a good team that's really well-coached. To play that well and control the game like we did was impressive."
The victories in this 11-game winning streak have come by an average of 21.8 points. Auburn has beaten five top-100 NET teams in the stretch -- specifically No. 39 Texas A&M, No. 70 Ole MIss, No. 90 USC, No. 93 LSU and No. 100 Indiana.
But none of those are Q1 wins.
So the Tigers remain 0-2 in Q1 but 6-0 in Q2, 5-0 in Q3 and 5-0 in Q4. In a world where Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Memphis and FAU have all taken at least one Q3 loss, Auburn has avoided any mishaps outside of Q1. That's a positive. But the Q1 column still needs a boost -- and one could be on the way.
Auburn has two Q1 opportunities this week. First, the Tigers will play at Alabama on Wednesday. Then, they'll play at Mississippi State on Saturday. Because Alabama and Mississippi State are both in the top 40 of the NET, and because road games against top 75 teams in the NET are Q1 opportunities, Auburn could be 18-2 overall, and 7-0 in the SEC, with two Q1 wins by this time next week. For now, the Tigers are No. 7 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the 11th consecutive day. The Boilermakers won at Iowa 84-70 on Saturday to record their national-best seventh Q1 victory.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 30 points and 18 rebounds in Saturday's 84-70 win at Iowa. The Boilermakers' next game is Tuesday against Michigan. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Tristen Newton finished with 25 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 66-65 win at Villanova. The Huskies' next game is Jan. 28 against Xavier. | -- | 37-3 |
| 3 |  | RJ Davis finished with 16 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 76-66 win at Boston College. The Tar Heels' next game is Monday against Wake Forest. | 1 | 29-8 |
| 4 |  | Dalton Knecht finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 91-71 win over Alabama. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Vanderbilt. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 5 |  | L.J. Cryer finished with 16 points and four steals in Saturday's 57-42 win over UCF. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday at BYU. | 1 | 32-5 |
| 6 |  | Pelle Larsson finished with 22 points and four assists in Saturday's 77-71 win over UCLA. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday at Oregon State. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 7 |  | Johni Broome finished with 13 points and three steals in Saturday's 82-59 win over Ole Miss. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Alabama. | 2 | 27-8 |
| 8 |  | Max Klesmit finished with 26 points and two steals in Friday's 91-79 win over Indiana. The Badgers' next game is Tuesday at Minnesota. | 2 | 22-14 |
| 9 |  | Johnny Furphy was 4 of 12 from the field in Saturday's 91-85 loss at West Virginia. The Jayhawks' next game is Monday against Cincinnati. | 6 | 23-11 |
| 10 |  | D.J. Wagner finished with 18 points and 10 assists in Saturday's 105-96 win over Georgia. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday at South Carolina. | 2 | 23-10 |
| 11 |  | Javian McCollum finished with 16 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 69-65 win at Cincinnati. The Sooners' next game is Tuesday against Texas. | 2 | 20-12 |
| 12 |  | DaRon Holmes II finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 96-62 win over Rhode Island. The Flyers' next game is Tuesday at Ls Salle. | 2 | 25-8 |
| 13 |  | Baylor let the Longhorns shoot 51.9% from the field in Saturday's 75-73 loss at Texas. The Bears' next game is Saturday against TCU. | 2 | 24-11 |
| 14 |  | Keshon Gilbert finished with 20 points and four assists in Saturday's 73-72 win at TCU. The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday against Kansas State. | 4 | 29-8 |
| 15 |  | Great Osobor finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 83-62 win over Fresno State. The Aggies' next game is Saturday at Boise State. | -- | 28-7 |
| 16 |  | Duke allowed Pitt to shoot 50.8% from the field in Saturday's 80-76 loss to the Panthers. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday at Louisville. | 8 | 27-9 |
| 17 |  | Jaykwon Walton was 1 of 6 from the field in Thursday's 74-73 loss to South Florida. The Tigers' next game is Sunday at Tulane. | -- | 22-10 |
| 18 |  | Tyler Kolek finished with 15 points and 11 assists in Saturday's 73-72 win at St. John's. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday at DePaul. | 3 | 27-10 |
| 19 |  | Nique Clifford finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in Friday's 78-75 win over UNLV. The Rams' next game is Wednesday at Nevada. | 1 | 25-11 |
| 20 |  | Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 29 points and seven blocks in Saturday's 97-94 win at Seton Hall. The Bluejays' next game is Tuesday against Xavier. | 4 | 25-10 |
| 21 |  | Pop Isaacs finished with 32 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 85-78 win over BYU. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma. | 5 | 23-11 |
| 22 |  | Coleman Hawkins finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's 88-73 win at Michigan. The Illini's next game is Sunday against Rutgers. | -- | 29-9 |
| 23 |  | Jaxson Robinson was 3 of 12 from the field in Saturday's 85-78 loss at Texas Tech. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Houston. | 7 | 23-11 |
| 24 |  | JT Toppin finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 85-66 win at Air Force. The Lobos' next game is Wednesday at San Jose State. | 1 | 26-10 |
| 25 |  | Keba Keita finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds in Thursday's 74-47 win over Oregon State. The Utes' next game is Sunday against Oregon. | NR | 22-15 |
| 26 |  | Kadary Richmond needed 32 shots to score 21 points in Saturday's 97-94 loss to Creighton. The Pirates' next game is Wednesday against Providence. | 3 | 25-12 |
In: Utah | Out: San Diego State
