A busy Saturday in college basketball pretty much went according to plan -- evidence being that 16 of the 17 games featuring a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll was won by the favorite.
The lone exception was Tennessee vs. Kentucky.
The Vols trailed by as many as 20 points before losing 66-54 to the unranked Wildcats, who completed a regular-season sweep of UT in front of a big crowd at Rupp Arena. Once again, Tennessee struggled to generate offense. The Vols shot just 37.3% from the field, 22.2% from 3-point range and 28.6% from the free-throw line. It was the latest lackluster performance serving as a reminder that Tennessee is great enough defensively to beat Alabama, Kansas and Texas but shaky enough offensively to lose to Colorado, Vanderbilt and Florida.
All of those things have happened this season.
It's why Tennessee has one of the more all-over-the-place resumes in the sport. The Vols own victories over the schools ranked second (Alabama), third (Kansas) and sixth (Texas) in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, but are just 3-4 in Quadrant-2 opportunities. They are literally the only team in the top 40 of the NET that's below .500 in Quadrant-2 games.
So what does all of this mean?
It means it's not hard to imagine Tennessee advancing to the Final Four of the 2023 NCAA Tournament or losing to a lower-seeded team in the first round. Everything and anything seems on the table for the Vols, who are down to 16th in the Top 25 And 1 with a game at Texas A&M on tap for Tuesday.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Marcus Sasser finished with 20 points and four assists in Thursday's 80-65 win at SMU. The Cougars' next game is Sunday against Memphis. | -- | 32-5 |
| 2 |  | Brandon Miller finished with 21 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 108-58 win over Georgia. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday at South Carolina. | -- | 25-12 |
| 3 |  | Jalen Wilson finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 87-71 win over Baylor. The Jayhawks' next game is Monday at TCU. | -- | 23-11 |
| 4 |  | Purdue shot just 15.4% from 3-point range in Thursday's 68-54 loss at Maryland. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday against Ohio State. | -- | 34-5 |
| 5 |  | Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 78-43 win over Cal. The Bruins' next game is Thursday at Utah. | -- | 16-17 |
| 6 |  | Sir'Jabari Rice finished with 24 points and two assists in Saturday's 85-83 overtime win over Oklahoma. The Longhorns' next game is Tuesday against Iowa State. | 1 | 21-13 |
| 7 |  | Baylor was outscored 55-26 in the second half of Saturday's 87-71 loss at Kansas. The Bears' next game is Tuesday at Kansas State. | 1 | 24-11 |
| 8 |  | Kihei Clark finished with 15 points and four assists in Saturday's 57-55 win over Notre Dame. The Cavaliers' next game is Wednesday at Boston College. | -- | 23-11 |
| 9 |  | Oumar Ballo finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday's 78-68 win over Colorado. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Arizona State. | -- | 27-9 |
| 10 |  | Drew Timme finished with 34 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 97-88 win at Pepperdine. The Zags' next game is Thursday against San Diego. | -- | 27-8 |
| 11 |  | Stevie Mitchell finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 69-68 win over Xavier. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday at Creighton. | -- | 27-10 |
| 12 |  | Jack Nunge finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 82-68 win over DePaul. The Musketeers' next game is Tuesday against Villanova. | -- | 16-18 |
| 13 |  | Isaiah Wong finished with 27 points and three assists in Saturday's 96-87 win over Wake Forest. The Hurricanes' next game is Tuesday at Virginia Tech. | -- | 15-17 |
| 14 |  | Markquis Nowell finished with 20 points and five assists in Saturday's 61-55 win over Iowa State. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Baylor. | 2 | 19-15 |
| 15 |  | Jaren Holmes missed 14 of the 16 shots he attempted in Saturday's 61-55 loss at Kansas State. The Cyclones' next game is Tuesday at Texas. | -- | 29-8 |
| 16 |  | Tennessee missed 10 of the 14 free throws it attempted in Saturday's 66-54 loss at Kentucky. The Vols' next game is Tuesday at Texas A&M. | 2 | 27-9 |
| 17 |  | Logan Johnson finished with 27 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 71-65 win over BYU. The Gaels' next game is Thursday against Pacific. | -- | 26-8 |
| 18 |  | Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 71-68 win over Illinois. The Hoosiers' next game is Tuesday at Michigan State. | 2 | 19-14 |
| 19 |  | Matt Bradley finished with 10 points and three assists in Wednesday's 45-43 win at Fresno State. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday against Colorado State. | 1 | 26-11 |
| 20 |  | Boo Buie finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 64-62 win over Indiana. The Wildcats' next game is Sunday against Iowa. | 1 | 22-12 |
| 21 |  | Jordan Hawkins finished with 20 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 64-55 win over Seton Hall. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Providence. | -- | 37-3 |
| 22 |  | Ryan Nembhard finished with 16 points and five assists in Saturday's 77-67 win at St. John's. The Bluejays' next game is Tuesday against Marquette. | 2 | 25-10 |
| 23 |  | Jahmir Young finished with 20 points and four assists in Thursday's 68-54 win over Purdue. The Terrapins' next game is Sunday at Nebraska. | 2 | 16-17 |
| 24 |  | Ed Croswell finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 85-72 win over Villanova. The Friars' next game is Wednesday at UConn. | 1 | 21-14 |
| 25 |  | Emanuel Miller finished with 18 points and five assists in Saturday's 100-75 win over Oklahoma State. The Horned Frogs' next game is Monday against Kansas. | NR | 21-13 |
| 26 |  | Jarod Lucas was held to just eight points in Saturday's 75-66 loss at Utah State. The Wolf Pack's next game is Tuesday against San Jose State. | 4 | 26-8 |
In: TCU | Out: Pitt
