Saturday proved to be a wild day in college basketball. Not only did several ranked teams fall once again but it happened to the top two teams in the poll. No. 1 Auburn lost at home to then No. 6 Florida, 90-81. But the even bigger surprise was No. 2 Duke losing 77-71 on the road at Clemson for its first ACC loss of the season.
It created an interesting debate as to who should be at the top of the next AP ranking, with the metrics still favoring the Tigers to being the top team. And that’s what the voters ultimately elected to do Monday afternoon, with Auburn still being the No. 1 team this week.
But the real story was who’d be No. 2. After beating Auburn on the road, the Florida Gators did move up but to the No. 3 spot. In front of them is the Alabama Crimson Tide, coming off an 85-81 road win at Arkansas and has a current six-game win streak.
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Alabama
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 10, 2025
Saturday, 4 p.m., ESPN.
The first 1 vs. 2 matchup between SEC teams in the history of the conference.
This creates a historic moment for the SEC this weekend, as Alabama and Auburn will face off in the conference’s first-ever No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup. Considering how historic its been for the SEC this season, it feels fitting to have this happen. The Iron Bowl game between these two in football is one of the best rivalries in all of sports but with both basketball programs playing at its best, its going to be great to see how this looks on the harwood floor.
However, both teams can’t afford to look ahead to Saturday’s big matchup, with both playing important road games on Tuesday. Auburn plays a Vanderbilt squad projected to make the NCAA Tournament, while Alabama is facing Texas, who is squarely on the bubble.
We’ll have the 1 vs 2 game no matter what this weekend but hopefully, both teams take care of business to make it as special a game as possible.