Every coach, at some point in his career, has worried about getting fired. For most, it's an inevitable day that's never fun. But it also doesn't have to represent the end. And the way this college basketball season is unfolding has served as a nice reminder of such.
Look at the top of the Top 25 And 1.
No. 1 Tennessee is coached by Rick Barnes, who was fired by Texas in March 2015. No. 2 Auburn is coached by Bruce Pearl, who was fired by Tennessee in March 2011. On the days those men were let go, nobody knew if Barnes or Pearl were done as relevant figures in the sport. But both found homes in the SEC and have proven to be terrific hires.
Barnes has had two different teams ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, won two SEC regular-season titles, one SEC Tournament title and made the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, which represents the farthest any coach has ever taken the Vols. Pearl has had a team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, won two SEC regular-season titles, two SEC Tournament titles and made the Final Four, making him the first coach to ever take the Tigers that deep in the NCAA Tournament.
Either could win a national title this season.
The Vols and Tigers are only scheduled to meet once this regular-season — on Jan. 25 inside Neville Arena on campus at Auburn. In theory, the result of that matchup could determine the SEC champion and perhaps which school will be the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Jordan Gainey finished with 23 points and two assists in Saturday's 66-64 win at Illinois. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against Western Carolina. | -- | 10-0 |
| 2 |  | Johni Broome finished with 21 points and 20 rebounds in Saturday's 91-53 win over Ohio State. The Tigers' next game is Tuesday against Georgia State. | -- | 9-1 |
| 3 |  | Keshon Gilbert finished with 16 points and four assists in Sunday's 83-51 win over Omaha. The Cyclones' next game is Sunday against Morgan State. | -- | 9-1 |
| 4 |  | Lamont Butler finished with 33 points and six assists in Saturday's 93-85 win over Louisville. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Ohio State. | -- | 10-1 |
| 5 |  | Khaman Maluach finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 72-46 win over Incarnate Word. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against George Mason. | -- | 8-2 |
| 6 |  | Mark Sears finished with 27 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 83-75 win over Creighton. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday at North Dakota. | -- | 8-2 |
| 7 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's 75-60 win over NC State. The Jayhawks' next game is Dec. 22 against Brown. | -- | 8-2 |
| 8 |  | Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 25 points and three steals in Saturday's 83-66 win over Arizona State. The Gators' next game is Tuesday against North Carolina. | -- | 10-0 |
| 9 |  | Stevie Mitchell was 2 of 9 from the field in Saturday's 71-63 loss at Dayton. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday against Butler. | -- | 9-2 |
| 10 |  | Jaden Akins finished with 18 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 89-52 win over Nebraska. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Oakland. | -- | 8-2 |
| 11 |  | Sean Pedulla finished with 18 points and four assists in Saturday's 77-46 win over Southern Miss. The Rebels' next game is Tuesday against Southern. | -- | 9-1 |
| 12 |  | Tyler Bilodeau finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 57-54 win over Arizona. The Bruins' next game is Tuesday against Prairie View A&M. | -- | 9-1 |
| 13 |  | Brandon Angel finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 79-61 win over Stephen F. Austin. The Ducks' next game is Saturday against Stanford. | -- | 10-1 |
| 14 |  | Zhuric Phelps finished with 16 points and four assists in Saturday's 70-66 win over Purdue. The Aggies' next game is Friday against Houston Christian. | -- | 9-2 |
| 15 |  | Braden Smith had six turnovers in Saturday's 70-66 loss to Texas A&M. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Auburn. | -- | 8-3 |
| 16 |  | Rodney Rice finished with three turnovers and handed out one assist in Sunday's 83-78 loss at Purdue. The Terrapins' next game is Tuesday against Saint Francis. | -- | 8-2 |
| 17 |  | RJ Melendez finished with 18 points and two steals in Saturday's 66-63 win over McNeese State. The Bulldogs' next game is Tuesday against Central Michigan. | -- | 9-1 |
| 18 |  | Cade Tyson finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 93-67 win over La Salle. The Tar Heels' next game is Tuesday against Florida. | -- | 6-4 |
| 19 |  | Zed Key finished with 15 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 71-63 win over Marquette. The Flyers' next game is Tuesday against UNLV. | -- | 9-2 |
| 20 |  | Kasparas Jakucionis was 5 of 15 from the field in Saturday's 66-64 loss to Tennessee. The Illini's next game is Dec. 22 against Missouri. | -- | 7-3 |
| 21 |  | Tyrese Hunter finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 87-82 overtime win at Clemson. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Virginia. | -- | 8-2 |
| 22 |  | Liam McNeeley finished with 26 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 77-71 win over Gonzaga. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Xavier. | -- | 8-3 |
| 23 |  | Dusty Stromer was 1 of 5 from the field in Saturday's 77-71 loss to UConn. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against Nicholls. | -- | 7-3 |
| 24 |  | Miles Byrd finished with 19 points and two assists in Wednesday's 81-75 win over Cal Baptist. The Aztecs' next game is Dec. 21 against Cal. | -- | 7-2 |
| 25 |  | L.J. Cryer finished with 22 points and two steals in Tuesday's 62-42 win over Troy. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Toledo. | -- | 6-3 |
| 26 |  | Sam Goodwin finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's 80-65 win over Oklahoma State. The Sooners' next game is Wednesday against Michigan. | -- | 10-0 |
