The top of the SEC didn’t flinch last week, but there were major moves throughout the rest of the conference during what turned out to be a pretty chaotic week in sports.
Here’s everything you missed in Week 11 of the college basketball season and the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.
Iowa State falls, overtaken by Duke
Just a week ago, the Cyclones earned their highest ranking in program history at No. 2. They also picked up a blowout win over Hunter Dickinson and Kansas on Wednesday night and pushed their winning streak to 12 – which was the best in the country.
But on Saturday it all came to an end.
West Virginia stunned Iowa State in Morgantown with a 64-57 upset, thanks to Javon Small’s 12 points in the final two minutes of the game. Iowa State had 14 turnovers as a group, made 1 of 17 from the 3-point line and shot just seven free throws the entire game. The Cyclones were held to their lowest point total of the season.
As a result, Iowa State fell a spot to third in the AP poll. They’re still the top-ranked team in the Big 12. Kansas moved to No. 12 this week and Houston came in at No. 7. Duke bumped Iowa State to No. 2.
As for the SEC, things have gotten pretty tumultuous on the field. But there was little movement in the poll in a week where several of the SEC’s top teams lost to ranked conference opponents.
Auburn held on as the unanimous No. 1 team this week, even without star Johni Broome, who injured her ankle earlier this month. The Tigers completely toppled Mississippi State on Tuesday in a blowout victory. They then beat Georgia on Saturday, which pushed them to 17-1 overall. They have Tennessee this week, which will be another tough battle for them – especially if Broome isn’t back.
The Vols, however, lost again after suffering their first loss of the season earlier this month. Jason Edwards scored 18 points for Vanderbilt to lead the Commodores to a stunning one-point victory in Nashville on Saturday. This was Vanderbilt’s second victory over Tennessee in their last 14 meetings. Tennessee, which has now lost two of its last four games, remained in 6th place this week. The Vols will host No. 14 Mississippi State on Tuesday before traveling to Auburn on Saturday. This marks the start of a stretch in which they’ll face four straight ranked opponents in an increasingly chaotic SEC, so they’ll need to bounce back quickly if they want to keep up with Auburn in the conference.
Alabama also fell at home to Ole Miss on Tuesday night, and unranked Missouri beat Florida in Gainesville. The Crimson Tide responded and beat Kentucky on the road Saturday, but also remained unmoved in the poll at No. 4. Florida remained at No. 5. The SEC has nine teams ranked throughout the poll, including five in the top ones. 10.
Duke moved up to No. 2 in the poll this week after Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils earned their 12th straight victory Saturday. Flagg scored 28 points to lead them to a 25-point blowout victory over Boston College. Iowa State, Alabama and Florida make up the rest of the top five.
Outside of Auburn, the SEC seems to be beating itself up a bit as we get into the thick of conference play. This will certainly happen eventually for the Tigers, although they are arguably in the best position even without their star player available. As for the Cyclones, they are still in control of the Big 12 despite Saturday’s defeat. If they can bounce back quickly over the next few weeks – they face UCF, Arizona State, Arizona and Kansas State, all of whom are very beatable – the West Virginia loss will only be a blip on their CV.
Games to watch this week
Tuesday January 21
No. 14 Mississippi State at No. 6 Tennessee | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Wednesday January 22
No. 13 Texas A&M at No. 16 Ole Miss | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Friday January 24
No. 14 Michigan at No. 11 Purdue | 8 p.m. ET | FOX
Saturday January 25
Georgia ranked 5th Florida | 3:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network
No. 7 Houston vs. No. 12 Kansas | 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
No. 6 Tennessee at No. 1 Auburn | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
AP Top 25
The complete Associated Press men’s basketball poll for January 20, 2025.
1. Auburn (17-1, all 62 first-place votes)
2. Duke (16-2)
3. Iowa State (15-2)
4.Alabama (15-3)
5. Florida (16-2)
6. Tennessee (16-2)
7. Houston (14-3)
8. Michigan State (16-2)
9. Kentucky (14-4)
10. Marquette (15-3)
11. Purdue (15-4)
12. Kansas (13-4
13. Texas A&M (14-4)
14. Mississippi State (15-3)
15. Oregon (15-3)
16. Ole Miss (15-3)
17. Illinois (13-5)
18. Wisconsin (15-3)
19. UConn (13-5)
20. Saint-Jean (16-3)
21. Michigan (14-4)
22.Missouri (15-3)
23. West Virginia (13-4)
24. Memphis (14-4)
25. Louisville (14-5)
Others receiving votes: Texas Tech 104, Utah St. 38, Vanderbilt 35, Gonzaga 34, Georgia 30, Clemson 30, Arizona 21, Saint Mary’s 12, Cincinnati 4, Baylor 4, UC Irvine 3, Wake Forest 2, Creighton 2, Bradley 1, Maryland 1 .
