I'd like to start by offering my condolences to fans of Oregon's football program. I imagine it must be tough having an undefeated season end via a blowout at the hands of a team you'd already beaten back in October, especially when you were just three more wins away from becoming the first 16-0 national champion in college football history.
Again, my condolences.
But I also have some encouraging news — specifically that you have a pretty good basketball team to follow, if you're ready to flip the page. Dana Altman's Ducks are 12-1 and sitting at No. 11 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings heading into Thursday night's game against an Illinois team I have slotted 17th. So, for our purposes, it's a top-20 matchup inside Matthew Knight Arena, where the Ducks are listed as 3.5-point favorites. If Oregon prevails, the Ducks will record their fifth Quadrant 1 victory of the season, which would give them more Q1 wins than any other team in the country besides Auburn.
This game with Illinois is actually the first of four straight Q1 opportunities for Oregon, based on current projections. Next up is a home game with Maryland on Sunday. After that, it's back-to-back road games at Ohio State (Jan. 9) and at Penn State (Jan. 12). So, if Oregon can turn its current three-game winning streak into a seven-game winning streak, the Ducks could be 16-1 with eight Quadrant 1 victories heading into a Jan. 18 home game with Purdue. While still early, that kind of resume in mid-January would have Oregon firmly in the conversation to eventually secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 24 points and two assists in Tuesday's 67-52 win over Norfolk State. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | -- | 13-0 |
| 2 |  | Johni Broome finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's 87-58 win over Monmouth. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Missouri. | -- | 12-1 |
| 3 |  | Curtis Jones finished with 20 points and three rebounds in Monday's 79-69 win at Colorado. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | -- | 11-1 |
| 4 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 24 points and six assists in Tuesday's 88-65 win over Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at SMU. | -- | 11-2 |
| 5 |  | Labaron Philon finished with 21 points and six assists in Sunday's 105-82 win over South Dakota State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 11-2 |
| 6 |  | Alijah Martin finished with 18 points and four steals in Sunday's 85-45 win over Stetson. The Gators' next game is Saturday at Kentucky. | -- | 13-0 |
| 7 |  | Kam Jones finished with 18 points and 10 assists in Tuesday's 78-50 win at Providence. The Golden Eagles' next game is Friday against Creighton. | -- | 12-2 |
| 8 |  | Andrew Carr finished with 14 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 88-54 win over Brown. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Florida. | -- | 11-2 |
| 9 |  | Jaden Akins finished with 18 points and two rebounds in Monday's 80-62 win over Western Michigan. The Spartans' next game is Friday at Ohio State. | -- | 11-2 |
| 10 |  | Eric Dailey finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 65-62 win over Gonzaga. The Bruins' next game is Saturday at Nebraska. | -- | 11-2 |
| 11 |  | Kwame Evans Jr. finished with 13 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 76-61 win over Stanford. The Ducks' next game is Sunday against Weber State. | -- | 12-1 |
| 12 |  | Josh Hubbard finished with 16 points and two assists in Monday's 87-73 win over Bethune-Cookman. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday against South Carolina. | -- | 12-1 |
| 13 |  | Wade Taylor IV finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 92-54 win over Abilene Christian. The Aggies' next game is Saturday against Texas. | -- | 11-2 |
| 14 |  | KJ Adams was 1 of 5 from the field in Tuesday's 62-61 loss to West Virginia. The Jayhawks' next game is Sunday at UCF. | -- | 9-3 |
| 15 |  | Julian Reese finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 81-66 win over Maryland Eastern Shore. The Terrapins' next game is Thursday at Washington. | -- | 11-2 |
| 16 |  | Braden Smith finished with 34 points and 12 assists in Sunday's 83-64 win over Toledo. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday at Minnesota. | -- | 9-4 |
| 17 |  | Tomislav Ivisic finished with 23 points and five assists in Sunday's 117-64 win over Chicago State. The Illini's next game is Thursday at Oregon. | -- | 9-3 |
| 18 |  | Colby Rogers finished with 28 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 87-70 win over Ole Miss. The Tigers' next game is Thursday at Florida Atlantic. | -- | 10-3 |
| 19 |  | Solo Ball finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 81-68 win at DePaul. The Huskies' next game is Sunday against Providence. | -- | 11-3 |
| 20 |  | Dre Davis was 1-of-5 from the field in Saturday's 87-70 loss at Memphis. The Rebels' next game is Saturday against Georgia. | -- | 11-2 |
| 21 |  | Khalif Battle finished with 21 points and three rebounds in Monday's 89-82 win at Pepperdine. The Zags' next game is Thursday against Portland. | -- | 10-4 |
| 22 |  | J'Wan Roberts finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's 60-47 win at Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against BYU. | -- | 9-3 |
| 23 |  | Jalon Moore finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 89-67 win over Prairie View. The Sooners' next game is Saturday at Alabama. | -- | 13-0 |
| 24 |  | Eduardo Andre finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 62-61 win at Kansas. The Mountaineers' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 10-2 |
| 25 |  | RJ Godfrey finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 79-72 win over South Carolina State. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at Ole Miss. | -- | 12-1 |
| 26 |  | VJ Edgecombe finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 81-56 win over Utah. The Bears' next game is Saturday at Iowa State. | -- | 9-3 |
