College basketball rankings: No. 1 Auburn passes test, completes sweep of in-state rival Alabama
The Crimson Tide couldn't slay another giant and lost again to the Tigers, the top-ranked team in Wednesday's Top 25 And 1
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Alabama has shown itself to be many things this season — among them extremely dangerous. The Crimson Tide have six Quadrant 1 wins. They've beaten Gonzaga, Houston, Baylor and Tennessee. So it wasn't totally unreasonable to think they just might go to Auburn Arena on Tuesday night and present the top-ranked Tigers with a real challenge.
It didn't happen, though.
Final score: Auburn 100, Alabama 81.
So that's 18 straight victories for Bruce Pearl's Tigers. They haven't lost since the day before Thanksgiving. They haven't lost in regulation all season. They're 21-1 overall and 9-0 in the SEC with seven Quadrant 1 wins.
"They really don't have any weak links," Alabama coach Nate Oats told reporters afterward. "Their frontcourt overwhelmed us."
Boy, did it ever.
The frontcourt is headlined by Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler, a pair of former five-star prospects who are now arguably the best 4-5 combo in college basketball. Smith, a 6-foot-10 forward, had a smooth 17 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes against Alabama — but it was Kessler who really turned in an incredible stat-line. The 7-1 center took nine shots, made six of them and finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, eight blocks and four steals.
As I noted on Sunday's episode of the Eye on College Basketball Podcast, Alabama is one of the best 2-point shooting teams in the country, and the Crimson Tide were coming off of a game in which they shot 78.6% inside the arc against Baylor. Three days later, Alabama shot 33.3% inside the arc against Auburn.
That's the impact of Kessler at the rim.
"I was pumped for this game. I was amped. I was happy the refs let me play," said Kessler, who was limited to just 12 minutes in last month's 81-77 win over Alabama because of foul trouble but able to play twice as much in this meeting.
Auburn is No. 1 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings for the 22nd consecutive day. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Georgia. They are not scheduled to play another currently ranked team until they travel to Tennessee on Feb. 26.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
4
Tennessee
4
Connecticut
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Auburn is 12-1 in the first two quadrants and on a 18-game winning streak. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Georgia. | -- | 8-4 |
| 2 |  | Gonzaga has won 10 straight games since losing to Alabama. The Zags' next game is Thursday at San Diego. | -- | 11-1 |
| 3 |  | Kentucky is 7-4 in the first two quadrants with all four losses coming in Quadrant 1 games away from home. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Vanderbilt. | -- | 8-4 |
| 4 |  | UCLA is 7-2 in the first two quadrants thanks to a six-game winning streak highlighted by a victory over Arizona. The Bruins' next game is Thursday against the Wildcats. | -- | 9-3 |
| 5 |  | Baylor is tied for the national lead with seven Quadrant 1 wins and is 11-3 in the first two quadrants. The Bears' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | -- | 8-2 |
| 6 |  | Arizona is 6-2 in the first two quadrants with the losses coming at Tennessee and at UCLA. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday against UCLA. | -- | 11-0 |
| 7 |  | Houston's 10-game winning streak features eight double-digit victories. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Tulane. | -- | 11-1 |
| 8 |  | Purdue is 7-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Villanova, Ohio State and Illinois. The Boilermakers' next game is Wednesday at Minnesota. | -- | 11-1 |
| 9 |  | Kansas is 11-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Michigan State and Texas Tech. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | -- | 9-3 |
| 10 |  | Wisconsin is 10-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Purdue, Houston, Ohio State and Marquette. The Badgers' next game is Wednesday at Illinois. | -- | 7-4 |
| 11 |  | Villanova is 9-1 in its past 10 games with the lone loss in that stretch coming to Marquette. The Wildcats' next game is a rematch against the Golden Eagles. | -- | 9-2 |
| 12 |  | Michigan State is 12-2 in its past 14 games with double-digit wins over Wisconsin and Michigan. The Spartans' next game is Saturday at Rutgers. | -- | 11-1 |
| 13 |  | Texas Tech is 8-5 in the first two quadrants with all five losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at West Virginia. | -- | 9-3 |
| 14 |  | Duke is 7-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Gonzaga and Kentucky and losses to Miami and Florida State. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at North Carolina. | -- | 11-1 |
| 15 |  | Providence's 5-1 Quadrant 1 record includes wins over Wisconsin, Texas Tech and Marquette. The Friars' next game is Sunday at Georgetown. | -- | 7-6 |
| 16 |  | Marquette is 7-1 in its past eight contests with wins over Villanova and Xavier. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday against Villanova. | -- | 5-8 |
| 17 |  | Ohio State is 5-5 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Buckeyes' next game is Thursday against Iowa. | -- | 8-3 |
| 18 |  | Xavier is 9-5 in the first two quadrants with wins over Ohio State and Marquette. The Musketeers' next game is Saturday at Creighton. | -- | 9-4 |
| 19 |  | Illinois is 7-5 in the first two quadrants with a win over Michigan State. The Illini's next game is Wednesday against Wisconsin. | 3 | 8-3 |
| 20 |  | Tennessee's 7-6 record in the first two quadrants includes zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Vols' next game is Saturday at South Carolina. | 4 | 8-3 |
| 21 |  | Iowa State is 7-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over Texas Tech, Xavier and Texas. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Texas. | -- | 11-0 |
| 22 |  | Saint Mary's is 6-4 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Gaels' next game is Thursday at Portland. | 3 | 10-2 |
| 23 |  | Texas is 7-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over Tennessee and TCU. The Longhorns' next game is Tuesday at Texas Tech. | -- | 8-4 |
| 24 |  | UConn is 5-5 in the first two quadrants and the only team with a win over Auburn. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Villanova. | 4 | 11-1 |
| 25 |  | Davidson is 4-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Alabama and VCU. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at George Washington. | NR | 8-3 |
| 26 |  | Alabama's résumé includes wins over Gonzaga, Baylor and Houston and losses to Memphis, Missouri and Georgia. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Kentucky. | -- | 8-3 |
