College basketball grades: Alabama's status as title contender slipping away ahead of blockbuster finale

When Auburn and Alabama met for the first time this season on Feb. 15, it was a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown, and both teams were entering fresh off SEC road wins. The Yellowhammer State basketball vibes had never been better. Entering Saturday's rematch between the No. 1 Tigers and No. 7 Crimson Tide, there's a bit of discomfort in the air.

Auburn (27-3, 15-2 SEC) just took an 83-72 loss at Texas A&M, while Alabama fell 99-94 at home against Florida for its fourth loss in the past six games. The recent imperfections of the in-state rivals actually raise the stakes, as both look to get things figured out entering the postseason.

If Auburn loses, it will be entering the SEC Tournament having dropped consecutive games for the first time since January 2024. If a two-game skid then became a three-game losing streak in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, would the Tigers still be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament?

Were Alabama to falter, it would head to the SEC Tournament having dropped five of its past seven games. The Crimson Tide rebounded from a poor closing stretch last season to make the Final Four, but searching for the "on" switch in March is a risky game. The Tide need to start playing better if they're going to be considered a legitimate national title contender.

Here is the grading rundown of how the top 10 teams in action fared during the week fared in their games.

Idle: No. 6 St. John's,

No. 1 Auburn

Result: 83-72 loss at No. 22 Texas A&M

Texas A&M found and exploited what could be Auburn's only potential imperfection: it is not an elite defensive rebounding team. The Aggies eviscerated the Tigers on the glass, using 24 offensive rebounds to create a 29-11 edge in second-chance points. It was a slow night for star center Johni Broome, who finished with eight points. Grade: C-

No. 2 Duke

Result: 93-60 win vs. Wake Forest

Wake Forest was one of the few ACC teams to play Duke competitively back in January, when the Blue Devils squeaked out a 63-56 road win over the Demon Deacons. The rematch was far more lopsided, as Duke laid waste to Wake Forest with a 37-9 run in the second half. Cooper Flagg led the charge with 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals. Grade: A

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David Cobb

No. 3 Houston

Result: 65-59 win vs. Kansas

Houston shot just 35% but gritted its way to a win over Kansas behind a 17-5 edge in offensive rebounds and a 20-6 turnover margin. Between points off turnovers and second-chance points, the Cougars outscored KU 29-14. LJ Cryer led the charge with 22 points as Houston gave its seniors a fond sendoff inside the Fertitta center. Grade: B+

No. 4 Tennessee

Result: 78-76 loss at Ole Miss

Ole Miss rallied from an eight-point deficit early in the second half behind a 15-8 edge in offensive rebounds. The Rebels got 14 more shots off in the second half than Tennessee as the Volunteers' normally vicious defense forced just two second half turnovers. This performance was antithetical to Tennessee's identity and may have cost it a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.  Grade: C-

No. 5 Florida

Result: 99-94 win at No. 7 Alabama

Florida turned a five-point deficit into a 14-point lead during the second half as it dominated the Crimson Tide on the glass and in transition. Sophomore big Alex Condon led the charge with a career-high 27 points as the Gators added another gold-plated win to their resume. It was enough to get UF back to the projected No. 1 seed line in Jerry Palm's Bracketology.  Grade: A+

No. 7 Alabama

Result: 99-94 loss vs. No. 5 Florida

Alabama has dropped four of its past six games as its defensive struggles continued with Florida posting a whopping 58 points in the second half. Getting dominated on Senior Night is never ideal, especially not when you've been struggling. If there's a silver lining, it's that Bama went through similar struggles late last season on its way to the Final Four. Grade: C-

No. 8 Michigan State

Result: 91-84 win at Iowa

The Spartans took a punch from Iowa, falling behind 14 in the first half and still trailing by 10 with 12:13 remaining. But Michigan State used a 33-6 run from there to seize control and secure the outright Big Ten championship. The dominant second half spurt was indicative of why this is Tom Izzo's most lethal team since the 2019 squad that reached the Final Four. Grade: A-

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Gary Parrish

No. 9 Texas Tech

Result: 91-75 win vs. Colorado

Star forward JT Toppin turned in another 30-burger as he continued building his case for Big 12 Player of the Year with his third 30-plus point outing of the past month. A bad Colorado team did shoot 52.7%, which is mildly problematic. But the outcome was never in doubt as the Red Raiders sank 16 of 33 3-pointers and led by double digits for the entire second half. Grade: A-

No. 10 Iowa State

Result: 88-85 (2OT) loss vs. No. 23 BYU

Iowa State rallied from a 21-point deficit with 13:16 remaining to force overtime. In the end, it was another frustrating loss for a Cyclones team that is struggling to find its footing. ISU has dropped three of its past four and is just 5-6 over its last 11 since a 17-2 start. Iowa State won the turnover battle 29-11 but got crushed on the glass by BYU. Grade: C

No. 11 Clemson

Result: 78-69 win at Boston College

Clemson let lowly Boston College hang around until late as the Tigers got careless with the basketball to the tune of 11 second half turnovers. It wasn't a sharp outing, but Clemson is probably getting bored with the ACC's inferior opposition at this point. Jaeden Zackery led the Tigers with 21 points. Grade: B-