South Carolina's résumé is better than its computer numbers. Auburn's computer numbers are better than its résumé. That's the simplest explanation for how we ended up in a situation where a lower-ranked team was an 11.5-point favorite over a higher-ranked team Wednesday -- because efficiency margins matter more to the betting markets than Quadrant 1 wins.
Did you take all those points? If so, you made a mistake.
Final score: Auburn 101, South Carolina 61.
The 40-point win represented the Tigers' largest margin of victory in history against a top-25 opponent and the largest margin of victory for any school against a top-15 team in the AP Top 25 poll since Villanova beat Oklahoma 95-51 in the 2016 Final Four. Auburn shot 61.0% from the field, 60.0% from 3-point range and 89.5% from the free throw line in the blowout, meaning this was nearly an amazing 60-60-90 performance.
"We made shots and played with great freedom," said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. "We also disrupted them defensively. We turned them over and were aggressive and made plenty of offense out of our defense."
Pearl's Tigers jumped from No. 14 to No. 9 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, which caused North Carolina and Kansas to be pushed down one spot each, no fault of their own. Next up for Auburn is Saturday's showdown with Kentucky inside Neville Arena, where the Tigers are 13-0 this season with each of those 13 wins coming by double digits. Auburn's average margin of victory at home this season is 22.1 points. That's among the reasons KenPom.com is projecting the Tigers as 10-point favorites over John Calipari's Wildcats, who will enter with a 6-6 record in the first two quadrants with just two Q1 victories. UK also has one additional loss to Wilmington in Quadrant 3.
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Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 79-59 win over Indiana. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday against Minnesota. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Alex Karaban finished wth 21 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 101-65 win at DePaul. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against Marquette. | -- | 37-3 |
| 3 |  | J'wan Roberts finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 67-62 win at Cincinnati. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Texas. | -- | 32-5 |
| 4 |  | Tyler Kolek finished with 27 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 78-72 win at Butler. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday at UConn. | -- | 27-10 |
| 5 |  | Caleb Love finished with 19 points and three assists in Saturday's 99-79 win at Colorado. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Arizona State. | -- | 27-9 |
| 6 |  | Dalton Knecht finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 92-63 win at Arkansas. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Vanderbilt. | -- | 27-9 |
| 7 |  | Jayden Nunn finished with 27 points and three steals in Tuesday's 79-62 win over Oklahoma. The Bears' next game is Saturday at West Virginia. | -- | 24-11 |
| 8 |  | Tamin Lipsey finished with 15 points and four assists in Tuesday's 68-59 win at Cincinnati. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Texas Tech. | -- | 29-8 |
| 9 |  | Jaylin Williams finished with 23 points and two steals in Wednesday's 101-61 win over South Carolina. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Kentucky. | 5 | 27-8 |
| 10 |  | North Carolina allowed the Orange to shoot 62.5% from the field in Tuesday's 86-79 loss at Syracuse. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Virginia Tech. | 1 | 29-8 |
| 11 |  | K.J. Adams was 1 of 10 from the field in Monday's 79-50 loss at Texas Tech. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 12 |  | Mark Mitchell finished with 23 points and eight rebounds in Monday's 77-69 win over Wake Forest. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Florida State. | -- | 27-9 |
| 13 |  | DaRon Holmes finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 75-59 win over Duquesne. The Flyers' next game is Saturday against Fordham. | -- | 25-8 |
| 14 |  | Mark Sears finished with 23 points and five assists in Saturday's 109-92 with at LSU. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Texas A&M. | 1 | 25-12 |
| 15 |  | South Carolina allowed the Tigers to shoot 61.0% from the field in Wednesday's 101-61 loss. The Gamecocks' next game is Saturday against LSU. | 4 | 26-8 |
| 16 |  | Terrence Shannon Jr. finished with 31 points and three assists in Tuesday's 97-68 win over Michigan. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Maryland. | -- | 29-9 |
| 17 |  | Jaedon LeDee finished with 27 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 71-55 win over Colorado State. The Aztecs' next game is Friday against New Mexico. | -- | 26-11 |
| 18 |  | Steven Crowl finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 62-54 win over Ohio State. The Badgers' next game is Saturday at Iowa. | -- | 22-14 |
| 19 |  | Myles Rice finished with 21 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 62-56 win at Oregon. The Cougars' next game is Thursday against Cal. | -- | 25-10 |
| 20 |  | Isaiah Stevens was 4 of 13 from the field in Tuesday's 71-55 loss at San Diego State. The Rams' next game is Saturday against Utah State. | -- | 25-11 |
| 21 |  | Oklahoma allowed the Bears to shoot 54.9% from the field in Tuesday's 79-62 loss at Baylor. The Sooners' next game is Saturday against Kansas. | -- | 20-12 |
| 22 |  | Jaxson Robinson finished with 21 points and two rebounds in Tuesday's 90-88 win over UCF. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 23 |  | Baylor Scheierman finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in Tuesday's 94-72 win over Georgetown. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday at Butler. | -- | 25-10 |
| 24 |  | Aidan Mahaney finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 76-51 win at Portland. The Gaels' next game is Thursday against Pepperdine. | -- | 26-8 |
| 25 |  | Chase Hunter finished with 20 points and four assists in Wednesday's 77-60 win over Miami. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against NC State. | -- | 24-12 |
| 26 |  | Darius Brown II finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 84-76 win at Wyoming. The Aggies' next game is Saturday at Colorado State. | -- | 28-7 |
