College basketball rankings: Kentucky vs. St. John's in CBS Sports Classic sure to shake up Top 25 And 1
The Wildcats face the Red Storm in Atlanta to get a busy Saturday started
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
ATLANTA -- St. John's was No. 5 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll. Kentucky was No. 9. Fast-forward to the present, and the Red Storm are all the way down at No. 22, and the Wildcats are unranked. In other words, things haven't gone as planned -- for either team. And that's why unless North Carolina's Caleb Wilson does something to make us reconsider which five-star freshmen will be the ACC Player of the Year, or unless Ohio State's Bruce Thornton goes big in an upset, the story coming out of Saturday's CBS Sports Classic will likely be whichever team loses the first game of the doubleheader here inside State Farm Arena.
St. John's or Kentucky?
Who takes it? Who doesn't?
The victor will add a Quadrant-1 win to the resume while the loser watches its fanbase meltdown again following another defeat. Fun times. Either way, the expectation is that Jayden Quaintance will make his debut for UK after missing the first 11 games while recovering from an ACL tear suffered last season while playing at Arizona State.
He could be a real difference-maker.
Quaintance, a 6-foot-9 forward, is slotted 11th in Kyle Boone's latest 2026 NBA Mock Draft thanks in part to a 7-foot-5 wingspan that allows him to block and alter shots at a high rate. His block-percentage last season was 9.8, which ranked 11th nationally, according to KenPom.com. Quaintance's presence alone should change how St. John's tries to attack UK's defense.
College basketball picks, schedule: Predictions for CBS Sports Classic, Duke vs. Texas Tech, more top 25 games
Kyle Boone
St. John's is No. 21 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Michigan remains No. 1 for the 11th straight day. UK is No. 25.
Tip is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Approximately 30 minutes after it's done, the second game of the CBS Sports Classic will get underway between North Carolina and Ohio State. It will also be on CBS. The Tar Heels are No. 10 in the Top 25 And 1.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 29 points and nine assists in Saturday's 101-83 win at Maryland. The Wolverines' next game is Sunday against La Salle. | -- | 10-0 |
| 2 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 20 points and two steals in Tuesday's 96-62 win over Abilene Christian. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against San Diego State. | -- | 10-0 |
| 3 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 97-73 win over Lipscomb. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Texas Tech. | -- | 11-0 |
| 4 |  | Milan Momcilovic finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Sunday's 78-53 win over Eastern Illinois. The Cyclones' next game is Sunday against Long Beach State. | -- | 11-0 |
| 5 |  | Tarris Reed finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 79-60 win over Butler. The Huskies' next game is Sunday at DePaul. | -- | 11-1 |
| 6 |  | AJ Dybantsa finished with 35 points and four assists in Friday's 85-67 win over Abilene Christian. The Cougars' next game is Monday against Eastern Washington. | -- | 11-1 |
| 7 |  | Oscar Cluff finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 79-59 win over Marquette. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Auburn. | -- | 10-1 |
| 8 |  | Braden Huff finished with 37 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 98-70 win over Campbell. The Zags' next game is Sunday against Oregon. | -- | 11-1 |
| 9 |  | Jaxon Kohler finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 92-69 win over Toledo. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Oakland. | -- | 10-1 |
| 10 |  | Henri Veesaar finished with 26 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 77-58 win over East Tennessee State. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Ohio State. | -- | 10-1 |
| 11 |  | Trevon Brazile finished with 26 points and three assists in Tuesday's 108-80 win over Queens University. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Houston. | -- | 9-2 |
| 12 |  | Flory Bidunga finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 73-49 win over Towson. The Jayhawks' next game is Monday against Davidson. | -- | 9-3 |
| 13 |  | Kingston Flemings finished with 15 points and three steals in Saturday's 99-57 win over New Orleans. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | -- | 10-1 |
| 14 |  | Pryce Sandfort finished with 32 points and three assists in Saturday's 83-80 win at Illinois. The Cornhuskers' next game is Sunday against North Dakota. | -- | 11-0 |
| 15 |  | Duke Miles finished with 22 points and five assists in Wednesday's 77-70 overtime win at Memphis. The Commodores next game is Sunday at Wake Forest. | -- | 11-0 |
| 16 |  | Labaron Philon finished with 26 points and six assists in Wednesday's 92-79 win over South Florida. The Crimson Tide's next game is Sunday against Kennesaw State. | -- | 8-3 |
| 17 |  | Tomislav Ivisic missed two of the three shots he attempted in Saturday's 83-80 loss to Nebraska. The Illini's next game is Monday against Missouri. | -- | 8-3 |
| 18 |  | Keyshawn Hall finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 92-78 win over Chattanooga. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Purdue. | -- | 8-3 |
| 19 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished with 23 points and five assists in Tuesday's 83-62 win over Louisville. The Vols' next game is Sunday against Gardner Webb. | -- | 8-3 |
| 20 |  | Isaac McKneely missed eight of the 10 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 83-62 loss at Tennessee. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Montana. | -- | 9-2 |
| 21 |  | Joson Sanon finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 79-66 win over DePaul. The Red Storm's next game is Saturday against Kentucky. | -- | 7-3 |
| 22 |  | LeJuan Watts finished with 36 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 101-90 win over Northern Colorado. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday against Duke. | -- | 8-3 |
| 23 |  | Bennett Stirtz missed eight of the 11 shots he attempted on Thursday's 66-62 loss at Iowa State. The Hawkeyes' next game is Sunday against Western Michigan. | -- | 9-2 |
| 24 |  | Sam Lewis finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 84-60 win over Maryland Eastern Shore. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Maryland. | -- | 9-1 |
| 25 |  | Mouhamed Dioubate finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 72-60 win over Indiana. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against St. John's. | -- | 7-4 |
| 26 |  | Marquel Sutton finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 78-65 win over Southeastern Louisiana. The Tigers' next game is Monday against Prairie View A&M. | -- | 10-1 |
