Here’s the report card on college basketball contenders coming out of midweek action
The midway point of college basketball’s regular season has passed, and some of the sport’s top squads are establishing themselves in an elevated tier of dominance. In particular, the top squads in the ACC and Big 12 are simply dismantling the opposition in head-turning fashion.
No. 1 Auburn continues to build on its sterling resume, too, but the rigors of the SEC have required the Tigers to sweat out a couple close calls in conference play. But for ACC-leading Duke, league play has been a cakewalk as the Blue Devils are beating conference opponents by an average of nearly 23 points.
Life is tougher in the Big 12, but you wouldn’t know it from watching Iowa State and Houston. Outside of an overtime road win against Texas tech, Iowa State has won its other four conference games by double-digits. Houston’s 5-0 start in the league exclusively consists of 13+ point wins. As such, we’ve awarded a handful of A+ grades to dominant top-10 teams this week. Of course, it wasn’t all roses for the top-10 teams this week, as three of them took losses.
Heading into another big weekend of college basketball, here are the grades for each of the top 10 teams based on their midweek performances.
No. 1 Auburn
Result: 88-66 win vs. Mississippi State
Auburn jumped on No. 15 Mississippi State from the start and never let up in an impressive wire-to-wire win that came without star center Johni Broome. The National Player of the Year candidate is out indefinitely with an ankle injury, but the Tigers did not miss a beat offensively against a physical Bulldogs squad. Auburn shot above 50% from the floor in both halves and limited Mississippi State to 3 of 24 shooting from 3-point range. Few teams could withstand the loss of an All-American with such seamless poise. Grade: A+
No. 2 Iowa State
Result: 74-57 win vs. Kansas
The looks of despair on Kansas coach Bill Self’s face said it all as Iowa State closed on a 17-5 run over the final five minutes. The Cyclones took the lead with 11:40 remaining in the first half and never gave it up on their way to a statement victory over the Jayhawks. What made the win even more impressive was that it came without starting forward Milan Momcilovic, who was out due to a hand injury. Of course, making a change to your starting lineup is significantly easier when it entails inserting Curtis Jones. The senior guard is ISU’s leading scorer, and he finished with a game-high 25 points in his first start since the season opener. Grade: A+
No. 3 Duke
Result: 89-54 win vs. Miami
Duke is running circles around the rest of the ACC and appears destined to win the league by multiple games. Its latest league triumph was the biggest yet, as the Blue Devils dismantled Miami 89-54 to extend the nation’s second-longest winning streak to 11 games and reach 7-0 in conference play. The 35-point blowout improved Duke’s average margin of victory against conference foes to 22.7 points. Starring against the Hurricanes was Duke’s “other” freshman, Kon Knueppel, who hit 6 of 8 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 25 points. Grade: A+
No. 4 Alabama
Result: 74-64 loss vs. Ole Miss
Ole Miss held Alabama 27 points below its season average and eight points below its previous season-low in a head-turning upset. Alabama committed a season-high 21 turnovers and made a season-low five 3-pointers as the Rebels announced their legitimacy with their first-ever top-five road victory. The Crimson Tide had no answer to the combination of athleticism and physicality presented by versatile Ole Miss big man Malik Dia. Grade: C-
No. 5 Florida
Result: 83-82 loss vs. Missouri
Just one week after holding Tennessee to 0 of 14 shooting from 3-point range in the first half of a dominant victory over the then-No. 1 Volunteers, it was a different story for the Gators this week. Missouri hit 7 of 14 attempts from deep while opening up a 50-34 halftime edge at Florida. The Gators mounted a furious rally in the second half but never fully recovered from their futile first half defensive effort. Grade: C-
No. 6 Tennessee
Result: 74-56 win vs. Georgia
Tennessee opened the second half on a 24-4 run to pull away from Georgia. The Bulldogs committed five turnovers in that stretch as the Volunteers used their trademark relentless defense to seize control of what had been a clunker in the first half. The spurt showcased what Tennessee basketball is at its best: defense leading to offense and vanquishing the opponent’s will to fight back. Grade: A
No. 7 Marquette
Result: 85-83 (OT) win at DePaul
Marquette was fortunate to survive DePaul’s upset bid, as the Blue Demons sought their first Big East win since the 2022-23 season. Down by four in the final minute of regulation, the Golden Eagles got a couple of big 3-pointers from Kam Jones and Chase Ross to help force overtime. Marquette didn’t get a single point from its bench and was fortunate to avoid what would have been an embarrassing loss. Grade: C+
No. 8 Kentucky
Result: 81-69 win vs. Texas A&M
Jaxson Robinson came to the rescue with four 3-pointers in an otherwise offensively disjointed first half for Kentucky. The Wildcats found their stride after the break, shooting 60.9% from the field and holding the Aggies to 0 for 12 shooting from beyond the arc. A&M never cut the deficit to one possession in the second half as UK improved to 3-1 in SEC play. Grade: A-
No. 9 Kansas
Result: 74-59 loss at Iowa State
Scoring continues to be a chore for Kansas, which wilted late at Iowa State. Among the Jayhawks’ biggest problems is how infrequently they reach the free-throw line. KU ranks 360th nationally in free-throw attempts per game at 12.6, and it shot just 11 vs. the Cyclones. Making matters worse, the Jayhawks made only four of those free throws. By comparison, Iowa State hit 18 of 25 free throws. Grade: C-
No. 10 Houston
Result: 70-54 win vs. West Virginia
Houston continues quietly dismantling everything standing in its path. The Cougars have the nation’s fourth-longest winning streak at nine games after another routine win against an overmatched Big 12 opponent. Kelvin Sampson’s club has won every game in December and January by 13 or points. Since a 4-3 November marked by three losses that came by five points or fewer, the Cougars have been elite. Grade: A
