NCAA Basketball: Duke rises in latest top 25 power rankings after crazy Saturday
2. Auburn Tigers
Before the big matchup against Tennessee this weekend, the Tigers had a tuneup game at home against Ole Miss. It proved to be not too much trouble overall, with the home team winning, 77-64. Zep Jasper and Jabari Smith each had 15 points to lead the way, with Walker Kessler two blocks shy of a triple-double.
But the offense wasn’t able to keep it going against Tennessee on the road, scoring just 62 points total in a five-point defeat. Smith had 27 points to lead all scorers, while KD Johnson had 18. The rest of the team combined to produce just 27 points, with Auburn shooting 35% from the field and 5/24 from three-point range.
The Tigers hope to rebound at Mississippi State and at South Carolina, two teams not projected to make the NCAA Tournament. They’ll need to win both to win the SEC regular-season title outright but a loss would give Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee, a chance to tie, as they’re each one game back in the standings.
1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Bulldogs had won every game in WCC play by 12 points and hadn’t lost since December 4th versus Alabama. But this was the week that had the best chance to trip them up, road battles against both San Francisco and Saint Mary’s. The game against the Dons was a shootout at first, with neither team missing many shots. But Gonzaga was able to pull ahead for the 89-73 victory, led by 21 points, 15 rebounds, and six blocks from Chet Holmgren. Drew Timme had 20 points and was a rebound and two assists shy of a triple-double.
But both big men struggled mightily on the road at Saint Mary’s on Saturday night, as well as the team overall. They were down double-digits early and despite a few attempted comebacks, lost its first game in league play in a couple of years in Moraga. Rasir Bolton had 16 points but the team shot 37% from the field and had a season-low four assists.
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The good news for the Bulldogs is that the loss came at the perfect time, with everyone else at the top losing as well. So the No. 1 overall seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament is still theirs for the taking. But they should avoid losing in the WCC Tournament next week, where they have a bye to the semifinals thanks to being a top-2 seed.