It's possible Duke and Houston will end up as No. 1 seeds in the 2025 NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens in their respective conference tournaments, in part because both have gone all season without taking a loss outside of Quadrant 1. The Blue Devils and Cougars are a combined 37-0 in Quads 2-4. That's strong. But both will need to win Thursday to stay perfect in such games.
Duke is playing Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament. That's a Quad 3 opportunity. Houston is playing Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament. That's a Quad 2 opportunity. Both are favored by at least 17 points. So issues are expected -- especially considering Duke is 1-0 against Georgia Tech with a 26-point victory on the road, and Houston is 1-0 against Colorado with a 10-point victory on the road.
But this month has a way of creating tense situations out of things that shouldn't be tense. So who knows?
Duke is No. 2 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings while Houston is No. 3 and Auburn remains No. 1 for the 64th consecutive day because of the strength of the Tigers' 15-4 record in Quad 1. Auburn is the sport's only team with more than 11 Quad-1 wins and four-or-fewer losses. That's among the reasons the Tigers rank No. 1 in strength of record and likely would be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament if it started today.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | 27-4 | |
Chaney Johnson was 1-of-3 from the field with four fouls in Saturday's 93-91 overtime loss to Alabama. The Tigers are the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament.
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| 2 | -- | 29-3 | |
Cooper Flagg finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 82-69 win at North Carolina. The Blue Devils are the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament.
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| 3 | -- | 28-4 | |
L.J. Cryer finished with 23 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 65-61 win at Baylor. The Cougars are the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.
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| 4 | -- | 27-4 | |
Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 23 points and eight assists in Saturday's 90-71 win over Ole Miss. The Gators are the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament.
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| 5 | -- | 26-5 | |
Tre Holloman finished with 20 points and three rebounds in Sunday's 79-62 win over Michigan. The Spartans are the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
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| 6 | -- | 25-6 | |
Chaz Lanier finished with 23 points and three steals in Saturday's 75-65 win over South Carolina. The Vols are the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament.
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| 7 | -- | 24-7 | |
Grant Nelson finished with 23 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 93-91 overtime win at Auburn. The Crimson Tide are the No. 3 seed in the SEC Tournament.
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| 8 | -- | 28-4 | |
RJ Luis finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 86-84 win at Marquette. The Red Storm are the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament.
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| 9 | -- | 24-7 | |
JT Toppin finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 85-57 win at Arizona State. The Red Raiders are the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.
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| 10 | -- | 22-9 | |
Wade Taylor IV finished with 17 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 66-52 win at LSU. The Aggies are the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament.
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| 11 | -- | 24-9 | |
Johua Jefferson finished with 19 points and five assis in Wednesday's 76-56 win over Cincinnati. The Cyclones' next game is Thursday against BYU.
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| 12 | -- | 24-8 | |
John Tonje was 2-of-13 from the field in Saturday's 86-75 loss to Penn State. The Badgers are the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
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| 13 | -- | 21-10 | |
Purdue allowed the Illini to shoot 63% from 2-point range in Friday's 88-80 loss at Illinois. The Boilermakers are the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
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| 14 | -- | 24-7 | |
Julian Reese finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 74-61 win over Northwestern. The Terrapins are the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
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| 15 | -- | 25-6 | |
Chucky Hepburn finished with 16 points and four steals in Saturday's 68-48 win over Stanford. The Cardinals are the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament.
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| 16 | -- | 26-5 | |
Viktor Lakhin finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 65-47 win over Virginia Tech. The Tigers are the No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament.
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| 17 | -- | 21-10 | |
Otega Oweh finished with 22 points and three steals in Saturday's 91-83 win at Missouri. The Wildcats' next game will be in the SEC Tournament.
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| 18 | -- | 20-11 | |
KJ Lewis was 1-of-8 from the field in Saturday's 83-76 loss at Kansas. The Wildcats are the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.
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| 19 | -- | 23-9 | |
Stevie Mitchell was 0-of-7 from the field in Saturday's 86-84 loss to St. John's. The Golden Eagles are the No. 5 seed in the Big East Tournament.
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| 20 | -- | 26-5 | |
PJ Haggerty finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Friday's 84-68 win over USF. The Tigers are the No. 1 seed in the AAC Tournament.
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| 21 | -- | 28-5 | |
Paulius Murauskas was 0-of-7 from the field in Tuesday's 58-51 loss to Gonzaga. The Gaels fell in the title game of the West Coast Conference Tournament.
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| 22 | -- | 22-9 | |
Tre Donaldson was 1-of-5 from the field in Sunday's 79-62 loss at Michigan State. The Wolverines are the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
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| 23 | -- | 24-8 | |
Nate Bittle finished with 36 points and 12 rebounds in Sunday's 80-73 overtime win at Washington. The Ducks are the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
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| 24 | -- | 24-8 | |
Dawson Baker finished with 15 points and one steal in Saturday's 83-73 win over Utah. The Cougars are the No. 4 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.
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| 25 | -- | 20-11 | |
Will Riley finished with 22 points and four assists in Friday's 88-80 win over Purdue. The Illini are the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
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| 26 | -- | 22-9 | |
Eric Dailey Jr. finished with 25 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 90-63 win over USC. The Bruins are the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
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