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Four teams in the top 5 of the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 on Saturday morning played on Saturday. Three of them lost – all en route in the final year of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The home teams took an 8-2 lead in this event to underline how difficult it can be to win away from home in both leagues.
One of the top 5 teams that lost was Alabama.
The Crimson Tide was beaten in Oklahoma, 93-69, so you may be wondering why Alabama remains No. 2 in the updated top 25 and 1 in Sunday morning’s daily college basketball rankings. fair question. The answer is, I just don’t think anyone other than Purdue No. 1 has a better job than Alabama, even after that 24-point loss to the Sooners. The Crimson Tide are still 18-3 overall, including 8-0 in the SEC, with a 6-3 record in quadrant 1 and zero losses outside of quadrant 1. Virtually every school in the country except Purdue has either fewer Quadrant 1 wins than Alabama and/or more Quad 1 losses than Alabama and/or more non-quadrant 1 losses than Alabama.
Most have all three.
Bottom line, I’ll keep Alabama #2 in the top 25 and #1 until at least two teams I think have better resumes. Again, right now, nobody but Purdue is checking that box. Speaking of Purdue, the Boilermakers could probably lose to Michigan State on Sunday and still have the best resume in the sport, which is my way of saying I’d probably keep Purdue #1 in the top 25 and #1 Monday morning even if the Boilermakers lose to Michigan State just as I kept Alabama 2nd in the top 25 and 1st Sunday morning even after the Crimson Tide lost to Oklahoma.
Michigan State at Purdue will tip at 12:15 p.m. ET. You can see it on CBS.