Of course Auburn beat Houston in Houston one day after the team's flight had to be diverted because two players got into a fight in the air.
Of course that's what happened.
Because, I mean, in the history of the sport, who is better at successfully coaching through chaos than Auburn's Bruce Pearl? The man has been investigated at multiple schools, had assistants hit with show causes and felony charges, had players suspended by the NCAA — but almost never been unsuccessful. Throw whatever weird thing in front of him, and it rarely matters. Pearl just endures and keeps winning. So, in that context, his Tigers upsetting Houston 74-69 late Saturday is like the least surprising thing ever.
"That's Auburn being Auburn," Pearl yelled to some fans afterward.
I couldn't agree more.
As for the fight on the plane, Pearl offered little.
"It's an unfortunate situation and we're dealing with it head-on," he said. "I'm really not going to comment on it tonight."
I realize some won't be satisfied by that answer. I get it. But I can also appreciate Pearl saying little if the alternative would've been him discounting things with silly terms like "horseplay." Or, even worse, flat lying. Either way, I look forward to seeing what's next for the players reportedly involved -- freshman forward Jahki Howard and senior forward Ja'Heim Hudson,
Back to the game, Tahaad Pettiford, the five-star freshman, came off of Auburn's bench and led the Tigers with 21 points, three rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes. While acknowledging it's still (way) early, it's not crazy to think Auburn's Johni Broome and Pettiford could win SEC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively. They're both terrific and among the reasons Auburn is up to No. 3 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Kansas remains No. 1 for the seventh straight day to start this season.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 92-89 win over North Carolina. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Michigan State. | -- | 5-0 |
| 2 |  | Mark Sears finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Friday's 88-79 win over Arkansas State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Monday against McNeese. | -- | 4-1 |
| 3 |  | Tahaad Pettiford finished with 21 points and three assists in Saturday's 74-69 win over Houston. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Kent State. | 6 | 5-0 |
| 4 |  | RJ Davis missed 12 of the 15 shots he attempted in Friday's 92-89 loss at Kansas. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday against American. | -- | 4-1 |
| 5 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 17 points and four assists in Saturday's 92-53 win over New Hampshire. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Le Moyne. | -- | 4-1 |
| 6 |  | Tamin Lipsey finished with 16 points and four assists in Monday's 83-44 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Cyclones' next game is Monday against Kansas City. | -- | 3-1 |
| 7 |  | Nolan Hickman finished with 17 points and six rebounds in Monday's 101-63 win over Baylor. The Zags' next game is Sunday against Arizona State. | -- | 5-0 |
| 8 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's 100-58 win over Army. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Kentucky. | -- | 4-1 |
| 9 |  | L.J. Cryer missed nine of the 14 shots he attempted in Saturday's 74-69 loss to Auburn. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Louisiana. | 6 | 3-1 |
| 10 |  | Fletcher Loyer finished with 16 points and four assists in Friday's 72-50 win over Northern Kentucky. The Boilermakers' next game is Monday against Yale. | -- | 5-1 |
| 11 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 19 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 77-55 win at Louisville. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against Montana. | 1 | 6-0 |
| 12 |  | Bruce Thornton finished with 20 points and five assists in Monday's 80-72 win over Texas. The Buckeyes' next game is Monday against Youngstown State. | 1 | 5-1 |
| 13 |  | Tobe Awaka finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 102-44 win over Old Dominion. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Wisconsin. | 1 | 2-2 |
| 14 |  | David Joplin finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 82-63 win over George Mason. The Golden Eagles' next game is Monday against Central Michigan. | 1 | 6-0 |
| 15 |  | Mackenzie Mgbako finished with 31 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 80-61 win over SIU Edwardsville. The Hoosiers' next game is Sunday against Eastern Illinois. | 1 | 4-0 |
| 16 |  | Jayden Nunn finished with 16 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 72-67 win over Arkansas. The Bears' next game is Tuesday against Sam Houston State. | 1 | 4-2 |
| 17 |  | Johnell Davis was 0-of-5 from 3-point range in Saturday's 72-67 loss to Baylor. The Razorbacks' next game is Wednesday against Troy. | 6 | 5-1 |
| 18 |  | Tre Johnson finished with 28 points and three assists in Friday's 90-59 win over Houston Christian. The Longhorns' next game is Tuesday against Chicago State. | -- | 5-1 |
| 19 |  | Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 49 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 99-86 win over Rio Grande Valley. The Bluejays' next game is Sunday against Fairleigh Dickinson. | -- | 4-1 |
| 20 |  | Zhuric Phelps finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Friday's 87-55 win over East Texas A&M. The Aggies' next game is Monday against Lamar. | -- | 4-1 |
| 21 |  | Alex Condon finished with 23 points and two assists in Thursday's 81-60 win over Jacksonville. The Gators' next game is Monday against Grambling State. | -- | 6-0 |
| 22 |  | Dylan Harper finished with 20 points and four assists in Wednesday's 75-52 win over Wagner. The Scarlet Knights' next game is Monday against Saint Peter's. | -- | 4-1 |
| 23 |  | Dillon Mitchell finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 83-56 win over Morehead State. The Bearcats' next game is Friday against Nicholls. | -- | 5-0 |
| 24 |  | Dre Davis finished with 13 points and four rebounds in Friday's 66-64 win over Grambling. The Rebels' next game is Tuesday against South Alabama. | -- | 5-0 |
| 25 |  | RJ Luis Jr. finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 96-73 win over Quinnipiac. The Red Storm's next game is Wednesday against Wagner. | -- | 5-2 |
| 26 |  | Philip Russell finished with 20 points and three rebounds in Friday's 80-55 win over Boston College. The Rams' next game is Wednesday against Merrimack. | -- | 5-2 |
