The Tigers (11-1) have defeated their competition by an average of 23-plus points per game this season and are powered by National Player of the Year frontrunner Johni Broome, who battled back from his shoulder popping out on Tuesday against Georgia State and delivered his eighth double-double of the season (23 points, 11 rebounds) on Saturday. His presence on the interior combined with significant depth on the perimeter gives Pearl a luxury of riches.
The win over Purdue summed up the depth that the Tigers possess. While Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly shot a combined 1-for-7 from 3-point land, Denver Jones broke out by shooting 6-for-10 from the floor for 15 points. And then there's freshman Tahaad Pettiford, a 6-foot-1 guard who changes the dynamic of the Tigers when he's on his game. He had 18 points to go along with five assists in the double-digit victory.
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An Auburn team with the best offense in the nation is massive because Pearl-led teams always guard (10th in KenPom defense this year). It's how he led the program to its first Final Four in school history back in 2019. To think the Tigers are in prime position again is a testament to Pearl and his ability to make Auburn a destination in his tenure.
Ohio State entered the year with high expectations, but after a heartbreaking buzzer-beater loss to Pittsburgh and blowout losses to Auburn and Maryland, it made us question if Year 1 of the Jake Diebler era was going sideways.
On Saturday, Bruce Thornton and the Buckeyes made a resounding statement that they're very much an NCAA Tournament-caliber team, handing Kentucky a reality check with an eyebrow-raising 85-65 blowout of the previously 10-1 Wildcats at Madison Square Garden. It was a defensive display by Ohio State, which had an outstanding Saturday all around in athletics with the rout of Tennessee in the College Football Playoff to advance to the Rose Bowl.
The Buckeyes held a top-10 Kentucky offense, known for its perimeter firepower, to 4-of-22 from distance. But the story was Thornton, who controlled the game with the best performance of his career, scoring 30 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor and knocking down 13 of 14 from the free-throw line. With Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw back in the lineup and delivering 11 points -- and freshman John Mobley continuing to be an X-factor with 15 points and a +28 plus/minus -- Ohio State showed the college hoops world something this weekend. Is it sustainable? We'll see, but it also displayed that Kentucky isn't the same team if you lock up the perimeter and make the Wildcats play rugged basketball.
North Carolina saved its season with a comeback from 16 down to shock UCLA.
The Tar Heels looked dead and buried, staring at 6-6 and a very real scenario that they could be missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years -- an unfathomable scenario. But RJ Davis and Ian Jackson would not let Hubert Davis' team give in, with the freshman Jackson really propelling UNC down the stretch by scoring five straight when the team was down 65-60 to finish with 24 points. UNC has to avoid bad losses and needs a top-three finish in the ACC, in my mind, but getting a second Quad-1 win on Saturday was huge.
Izzo has a second-weekend NCAA Tournament team that ranks top 15 in the country in defense.
Mississippi State should be slept on no more after a resounding win over Memphis.
Now in his third year at the helm, Chris Jans has done a remarkable job in Starkville at building a program rooted in toughness. We saw it on Saturday, as MSU went into Memphis and dominated the Tigers on their home floor, 79-66. Florida transfer Riley Kugel delivered 19 points in the win, Josh Hubbard continued his stellar season and KeShawn Murphy continued his junior year leap with 13. Hubbard is truly one of the best guards in the country that nobody talks about.
Cincinnati showed it's a matchup nightmare poised for a big year in the Big 12 with a 66-59 win over Dayton.
Year 4 of the Wes Miller era at Cincinnati brought both expectations and pressure to break through and reach the NCAA Tournament. The Bearcats have not danced since Miller took over but have shown the past two weeks that the drought is going to end and that this team could be one that goes deep in the tournament. Its defense is outstanding, and we saw it Friday when it held Dayton to 17 first-half points en route to the win. Dan Skillings Jr., part of a deep and versatile backcourt, charged Cincinnati with 17.
The Wildcats stay in my top 10 but have some kinks to work on when 3-point shots aren't falling. In addition to that, the trend of slow starts has to stop. They got outmuscled and pushed around by the Buckeyes with Otega Oweh and Jaxson Robinson shooting a combined 7-for-24.
10. UConn (10-3)
There are two reasons why the Huskies are back in my top 10:
1. They've won six in a row and are unbeaten on the mainland. That Maui Invitational nightmare is long gone and in the rearview mirror -- and this team has regained its mojo, winning 78-74 over Butler on Saturday as Alex Karaban poured in two dagger 3s and Liam McNeeley continued his strong season.
2. I really would not take 10 teams over Dan Hurley's squad at the end of the day, and I'm willing to say this team has evolved leaps and bounds on defense -- with more work to be done -- and is a wagon of a shotmaking team.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
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