The SEC was at the center of the college basketball universe Saturday, which began when the NCAA revealed its top 16 seeds. Auburn, Alabama, and Florida were on the No. 1 seed line, and six of the top 10 teams on the seed list came from the SEC.
While Selection Sunday is just over four weeks away, Auburn made its case as the No. 1 overall seed with a 94-85 win over No. 2 Saturday at Coleman Coliseum. The matchup between Auburn and Alabama marked the first time the top two ranked teams from the SEC played each other.
Bracketology: Auburn is top seed with Alabama, Duke and Florida also No. 1s as NCAA reveals early bracket
Jerry Palm
While the highest-profile game was taking place in the state of Alabama, other games across the country took place that are certain to shape the other power conference title races. No. 6 Houston defeated No. 13 Arizona 62-58 to strengthen its lead at the top of the Big 12.
Meanwhile, in the Big Ten, No. 7 Purdue lost at home to No. 16 Wisconsin 94-84. The Boilermakers entered the week at the top of the conference standings, but losses to Michigan and Wisconsin could alter the Big Ten title race heading into the home stretch of the regular season.
Winner: SEC gets five of top six seeds in early reveal
Missouri and Ole Miss were left out of the top-16, despite the fact that both have strong resumes. But don’t feel sorry for the SEC. The league got five of the top six spots in the bracket preview, with Tennessee and Texas A&M landing on the No. 2 seed line behind projected No. 1 seeds Auburn, Alabama and Florida. No other conference had more than one representative among the top eight. With Kentucky’s spot as a projected No. 3 seed, the SEC ended up with six of the 16. The Big 12 is in great shape, too, with five of the top 16. Meanwhile, the Big Ten landed three teams while the ACC and Big East had just one each. — David Cobb
Loser: Villanova follows triumph with embarrassment
Villanova followed up a momentous Wednesday victory over No. 9 St. John’s with a dud, as the Wildcats fell 75-62 against a shorthanded Providence team. The Friars entered on a four-game losing streak but had no problem with a Villanova squad that seemed to be on the cusp of reviving its previously moribund NCAA Tournament hopes (the Wildcats were not considered among the group of the last four teams in Saturday morning). Villanova (15-11, 8-7) never led and was never within single digits in the second half. By game’s end, they’d given back whatever momentum they gained against the Red Storm. — Cobb
Winner: Auburn will remain No. 1 on Monday
The game of the year in college basketball lived up to the hype. Auburn exited with a dramatic 94-85 win over its in-state rival to take control of the SEC title race. There was a debate last week (from voters) on who the No. 1 team in the country was. After Auburn knocked off No. 2 Alabama, the Tigers will likely be the unanimous top-ranked team in the polls on Monday. This is one of the biggest wins in the history of Auburn basketball. — Cameron Salerno
Loser: Bubbly Oklahoma chokes in can’t-lose spot
It wasn’t all roses for the SEC on Saturday, though. After three blowout losses against ranked SEC foes, Oklahoma was finally supposed to get a break on Saturday. The Sooners were hosting LSU, which entered at just 1-10 in league play, making it an exceedingly rare Quad 3 SEC game for OU. It was the perfect spot for the Sooners to find themselves ahead of a tough stretch run entering the postseason. But what they found was disaster, blowing a five-point lead in the final 20 seconds. Cam Carter scored seven points — a 4-point play included — over the final 20 seconds to lift the Tigers to a stunning 82-79 victory.
Oklahoma (16-9, 3-9 SEC) entered as a projected No. 10 seed in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology. But after giving away a home game against a conference bottom-feeder, the Sooners are headed nowhere fast. Their next five games are against ranked foes, which means fourth-year coach Porter Moser will need to reinvigorate his team in a hurry if the Sooners are going to make the Big Dance for the first time under his direction. — Cobb
Loser: Purdue loses ground in Big Ten title race
Purdue’s chances of winning the Big Ten regular-season title for the third consecutive season took a drastic hit on Saturday following a 94-84 loss to Wisconsin at Mackey Arena. The Badgers went into Mackey Arena and upset the Boilermakers behind a standout performance from John Tonje. Purdue had a chance to separate themselves from the rest of the pack this week, but losses to Michigan and Wisconsin could hurt its chances of winning the regular season title. — Salerno
Winner: Tre Johnson fuels Longhorns in key spot
CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm wrote entering Saturday’s game between Texas and No. 15 Kentucky that “the Longhorns’ tournament hopes are fading fast.” Against that backdrop, Texas earned a pivotal 82-78 win over the visiting Wildcats. With UK shorthanded and the Longhorns on the wrong side of the bubble, it was virtually a must-win. Freshman guard Tre Johnson made sure Texas handled the moment, as he racked up a career-high 32 points. With a stunningly manageable run of five games against unranked teams to close the regular season, the Longhorns could still need their dancing shoes after all. — Cobb
Winner: Kansas gets benefit of the doubt
The Kansas resume was surely a tricky one for the committee to evaluate, as the Jayhawks entered at No. 11 in the NET but with a handful of uncompetitive losses Quad 1 losses and a Quad 2 home loss against West Virginia. But KU’s inclusion in the bracket preview as a projected No. 4 seed shows that what happens in November can make a huge impact on a team’s seeding. The Jayhawks picked up neutral-site victories over Duke and Michigan State in non conference play, and those early marquee victories clearly helped insulate Kansas from its inconsistencies in Big 12 play. — Cobb
Loser: UConn blows late lead vs. Seton Hall
With 59 seconds remaining in overtime, UConn led Seton Hall 68-63. The Pirates closed the final minute of overtime on a 6-0 run, which included a game-winning layup by Scotty Middleton with three seconds left to secure an upset 69-68 win over the two-time reigning defending champions. After losing two conference games last season, UConn has already lost five. With just six regular season games remaining, the Huskies are three games back of first place in the conference standings and a regular season title is looking increasingly unlikely. — Salerno
Winner: Houston takes control in Big 12 title race
No. 6 Houston increased its lead atop the Big 12 standings with a 62-58 win over No. 13 Arizona Saturday at the McKale Center. The Cougars entered the weekend with a 1.0 game lead over Arizona for first place in the Big 12 and exited Tucson, Arizona, with a two-game advantage and the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Wildcats. Houston is in the driver’s seat to win the Big 12 regular season title for the second consecutive season. — Salerno
Houston handles Arizona with late surge on the road that puts No. 6 Cougars in control of Big 12 race
Cameron Salerno
Loser: Georgia is sliding in SEC play
Georgia’s NCAA Tournament hopes took a hit on Saturday following an 87-74 loss to Missouri at home. The Bulldogs were outscored 49-33 in the second half and appear to be heading toward the NIT. Georgia got off to a 12-1 start to the season but has since lost nine of its last 13 games. Furthermore, Georgia’s wins in SEC play have come against Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina and LSU. With games coming up against Auburn and Florida in the coming days, things might get worse before they get better. — Salerno
Winner: Texas A&M, Tennessee avoid the trap
Texas A&M fell behind 8-0 early to Arkansas, and Tennessee trailed Vanderbilt by 16 late in the first half. A home loss against an unranked foe for either would have been embarrassing in the immediate aftermath of the bracket preview. However, both projected No. 2 seeds got it together to escape with victories against their bubblicious opponents. Tennessee senior point guard Zakai Zeigler scored all 22 of his points in the second half as the Volunteers rallied to avoid a season sweep against the Commodores. Wade Taylor IV led A&M with 18 points and nine assists as the Aggies won their fifth straight. — Cobb
Winner: Colorado wins first Big 12 game
Year 1 as a member of the Big 12 has been rocky for Colorado. One year removed from winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 2021, the Buffaloes began Big 12 play 0-13. Their fortunes finally swung Saturday. Colorado outscored UCF 38-27 in the second half for a 76-63 win. Washington State transfer Andrej Jakimovski scored a team-high 15 points in the win. — Salerno
Loser: No mention of Memphis
When selection committee chair Bubba Cunningham mentioned a couple of teams that were tough to exclude from the top 16, he named Michigan State and Marquette. But he didn’t mention Memphis, which is No. 14 in the AP poll. That leaves the Tigers – owners of an unorthodox resume – left to ponder where they stand. The Tigers are 10-2 across Quads 1 and 2 and 5-2 in Quad 1 but are clearly being dinged for a pair of Quad 3 losses. Given the poor caliber of AAC opposition, there will be little Memphis can do to make the case for a top-four seed as Selection Sunday approaches. — Cobb
Winner: Crisis averted for George Mason
George Mason nearly squandered the nation’s third-longest winning streak on Saturday before rallying from a 9-point deficit in the final nine minutes to edge Saint Joseph’s 58-57. The win kept the Patriots’ slim at-large NCAA Tournament hopes alive and kept them one game ahead of VCU in the loss column of the Atlantic 10 standings. — Cobb
Winner: Tom Izzo passes Bob Knight in Big Ten wins
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo passed Indiana legend Bob Knight for most career Big Ten victories on Saturday as the No. 11 Spartans used a big second half to win 79-65 at Illinois. The outcome propelled Izzo to the 354-win plateau in Big Ten games, a mark that proved elusive during a challenging two-week stretch for the Spartans. — Cobb
Tom Izzo passes Bob Knight for Big Ten wins record as No. 11 Michigan State races past Illinois
David Cobb
