College basketball rankings: Florida emerging as SEC favorite as Vanderbilt falls from ranks of unbeaten
Vanderbilt fell from the ranks of the unbeaten as once-sputtering Florida continues to gain steam
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Just 48 hours ago, five undefeated teams remained in the sport. That number began shrinking Tuesday night, when Iowa State lost at Kansas, and dropped again Wednesday night when Vanderbilt fell at Texas.
Final score: Texas 80, Vanderbilt 64.
The Commodores, previously unbeaten, shot just 37% from the field, allowed Texas to shoot 53% and never found a rhythm in their first true road game of the season -- against a team currently ranked in the top 40 at KenPom.com. Vanderbilt now sits at 16-1 entering Saturday's matchup with reigning national champion Florida.
Vanderbilt dropped to No. 10 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily rankings, while Arizona remained No. 1 for the fifth consecutive day. Florida checks in at No. 15, making Vanderbilt and Florida the two highest-ranked SEC teams in the Top 25 And 1. They are also the two programs KenPom projects to finish tied atop the conference standings.
Yes, Florida -- one of the teams many labeled disappointing after a 5-4 start -- is now 12-5 and projected to claim a share of the SEC regular-season title.
Reserve forward Thomas Haugh, a contributor on last season's championship team, has emerged as the Gators' best player. The 6-foot-9 junior has scored at least 21 points in three of his past four games and is averaging 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 33.9 minutes per game. He currently ranks fourth in KenPom's SEC Player of the Year race, trailing only Labaron Philon (Alabama), Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt) and Keyshawn Hall (Auburn).
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Koa Peat finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 89-82 qin over Arizona State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at UCF. | -- | 17-0 |
| 2 |  | Pryce Sandfort finished with 28 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 90-55 win over Oregon. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday at Northwestern. | -- | 17-0 |
| 3 |  | Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 21 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 69-64 win at Seton Hall. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Georgetown. | -- | 17-1 |
| 4 |  | AJ Dybantsa finished with 25 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 76-70 win over TCU. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Texas Tech. | -- | 16-1 |
| 5 |  | Tamin Lipsey missed 11 of the 15 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 84-63 loss at Kansas. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Cincinnati. | -- | 16-1 |
| 6 |  | Braden Smith finished with 16 points and eight assists in Wednesday's 79-72 win over Iowa. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday at USC. | -- | 16-1 |
| 7 |  | Aday Mara finished with 20 points and two rebounds in Wednesday's 82-72 win at Washington. The Wolverines' next game is Saturday at Oregon. | -- | 15-1 |
| 8 |  | Graham Ike finished with 34 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday's 89-77 win over Santa Clara. The Zags' next game is Thursday at Washington State. | -- | 17-1 |
| 9 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday's 71-56 win at Cal. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Stanford. | -- | 16-1 |
| 10 |  | Tyler Tanner missed 10 of the 15 shots he attempted in Wednesday's 80-64 loss at Texas. The Commodores' next game is Saturday against Florida. | -- | 16-1 |
| 11 |  | Jeremy Fears Jr. finished with 23 points and 10 assists in Tuesday's 81-60 win over Indiana. The Spartans' next game is Saturday at Washington. | -- | 15-2 |
| 12 |  | Milos Uzan finished with 17 points and two assists in Tuesday's 77-48 win over West Virginia. The Cougars' next game is Sunday against Arizona State. | -- | 16-1 |
| 13 |  | Keaton Wagler finished with 22 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 79-68 win at Northwestern. The Illini's next game is Saturday against Minnesota. | -- | 14-3 |
| 14 |  | JT Toppin finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday's 88-74 win over Utah. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday against BYU. | -- | 13-4 |
| 15 |  | Thomas Haugh finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 96-79 win at Oklahoma. The Gators' next game is Saturday at Vanderbilt. | -- | 12-5 |
| 16 |  | Darius Acuff Jr. finished with 18 points and 13 assists in Wednesday's 108-74 win over South Carolina. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday at Georgia. | -- | 13-4 |
| 17 |  | Kyan Evans missed four of the five shots he attempted in Wednesday's 95-90 loss at Stanford. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday at Cal. | -- | 14-3 |
| 18 |  | Tre White finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 84-63 win over Iowa State. The Jayhawks' next game is Friday against Baylor. | -- | 12-5 |
| 19 |  | Malik Thomas finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 79-70 win at Louisville. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday at SMU. | -- | 15-2 |
| 20 |  | Labaron Philon finished with 32 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 97-82 win at Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Oklahoma. | -- | 12-5 |
| 21 |  | Nick Davidson finished with 25 points and three rebounds in Tuesday' 74-50 win over Boston College. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Miami. | -- | 15-3 |
| 22 |  | Ryan Conwell missed 16 of the 21 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 79-70 loss to Virginia. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday at Pitt. | -- | 12-5 |
| 23 |  | Nate Ament finished with 23 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 87-82 double-overtime win over Texas A&M. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Kentucky. | -- | 12-5 |
| 24 |  | Boopie Miller finished with 24 points and six assists The Mustangs' next game is Saturday against Virginia. | -- | 13-4 |
| 25 |  | Kellen Thames finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 78-56 win over Fordham. The Billikens' next game is Saturday against Richmond. | -- | 16-1 |
| 26 |  | Mason Falslev finished with 26 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 71-62 win over Nevada. The Aggies' next game is Saturday at Grand Canyon. | -- | 15-1 |
