College Basketball Rankings: Duke Surpasses Florida to Claim No. 2 Position, Trail Auburn in Top 25 and 1

While Saturday may not have ranked as the most thrilling or eventful day of the college basketball season, it still showcased two of the sport’s standout teams. Auburn celebrated another victory, and Duke delivered an impressive performance. This day ultimately highlighted the leading talents in the sport: Auburn’s Johni Broome and Duke’s Cooper Flagg.

Final score: Auburn 82, Georgia 70.

Final score: Duke 110, Illinois 67.

Auburn’s recent win marks their 17th double-digit victory of the season, with Broome contributing an astounding 31 points and 14 rebounds. This triumph elevates the Tigers’ record to 19-2 in the first two quadrants, including an impressive 14-2 in Q1—a remarkable achievement unmatched in the sport. Meanwhile, Duke’s credentials are also notable, boasting a 24-3 overall record, 11-3 in the first two quadrants, and 6-3 in Q1 after their overwhelming 43-point victory over Illinois, during which Flagg recorded 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists—resulting in the Illini’s largest defeat in their history.

College basketball scores, winners and losers: Kansas, Alabama rebound with significant wins following recent losses

David Cobb

College basketball scores, winners and losers: Kansas, Alabama rebounds with significant wins following recent losses

What Duke achieved against Brad Underwood’s squad at Madison Square Garden was truly remarkable. While some might argue that the Blue Devils deserve the title of the top team in college basketball, it is important to acknowledge that if the NCAA Tournament were to commence today, Auburn would still claim the overall No. 1 seed by a significant margin, regardless of predictive metrics.

Thus, Auburn retains its position as the top team in CBS Sports’ updated Top 25 And 1 rankings for the 47th consecutive day. However, Duke has now ascended to No. 2, bumping Florida down to No. 3, although this shift is not due to any fault of Florida’s.

What justifies Duke’s placement over Florida? The statistics reveal that Duke is 6-3 in Q1 with four victories against teams currently in the NET’s top 25, while Florida stands at 5-3 in Q1, with only two wins over similarly ranked teams. Although this may seem like minute distinctions, if I were to assign NCAA Tournament seeds this morning, my top seeds would be Auburn, Duke, Florida, and Alabama, in that exact order. The Top 25 And 1 rankings reflect that assessment.