Auburn is No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings for the sixth consecutive morning and will likely move to No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll when it updates later Monday.
But are the Tigers really the sport's best team as currently constructed?
That's a fair question.
Truth is, they're probably not now that Johni Broome, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, is sidelined indefinitely with a left ankle sprain suffered in Saturday's win at South Carolina. Auburn is expected to be without its best player, and one of the sport's best players, for at least a week and possibly multiple weeks. And if some AP voters choose to take that into account and instead move Iowa State or Duke to No. 1, I'll totally understand.
But, like I explained Sunday, I've personally never made a habit of punishing teams in the Top 25 And 1 for injuries until the injuries result in negative results that damage the body of work. So, that's why I'm keeping Auburn No. 1 despite Broome's injury. The Tigers are 15-1 overall and 7-1 in Quadrant 1 — making them the only team in the country with at least six Q1 victories and no more than one total loss. Simply put, that's college basketball's best body of work, and one that I'll respect until it's not.
So how much will Broome's absence impact Auburn?
It's impossible to know for sure. But one way to illustrate its significance is to highlight that KenPom.com projects Auburn as a 13-point favorite over Mississippi State on Tuesday at home — but EvanMiya.com is only putting the number at -4.5 after factoring in Broome's absence. These are, to be clear, two different computer formulas, and the actual point spread will probably fall somewhere in the middle of those two numbers. But the point remains the same -- that the Tigers are a much different team without their All-American, and that's going to be reflected in the point spreads connected to every game Auburn plays until Broome is healthy enough to return to the lineup.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Tahaad Pettiford finished with 15 points and two assists in Saturday's 66-63 win at South Carolina. The Tigers' next game is Tuesday against Mississippi State. | -- | 15-1 |
| 2 |  | Curtis Jones finished with 26 points and two steals in Saturday's 85-84 overtime win at Texas Tech. The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday against Kansas. | -- | 14-1 |
| 3 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 42 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 86-78 win over Notre Dame. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Miami. | -- | 14-2 |
| 4 |  | Alijah Martin finished with 14 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 71-63 win at Arkansas. The Gators' next game is Tuesday against Missouri. | -- | 15-1 |
| 5 |  | Mark Sears finished with 27 points and four assists in Saturday's 94-88 win at Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide's next game is Tuesday against Ole Miss. | -- | 14-2 |
| 6 |  | Chase Ross finished with 27 points and six steals in Tuesday's 74-66 win over Georgetown. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday at DePaul. | -- | 14-2 |
| 7 |  | Zakai Zeigler finished with 16 points and eight assists in Saturday's 74-70 win at Texas. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against Georgia. | -- | 15-1 |
| 8 |  | Jaxson Robinson finished with 27 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 95-90 win at Mississippi State. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Texas A&M. | -- | 13-3 |
| 9 |  | Jaden Akins finished with 14 points and five steals in Sunday's 78-68 win at Northwestern. The Spartans' next game is Wednesday against Penn State. | -- | 14-2 |
| 10 |  | Josh Hubbard was 5-of-16 from the field in Saturday's 95-90 loss to Kentucky. The Bulldogs' next game is Tuesday at Auburn. | -- | 14-2 |
| 11 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 54-40 win at Cincinnati. The Jayhawks' next game is Wednesday at Iowa State. | -- | 12-3 |
| 12 |  | Zhuric Phelps was 9-of-29 from the field in Saturday's 94-88 loss to Alabama. The Aggies' next game is Tuesday at Kentucky. | -- | 13-3 |
| 13 |  | Jackson Shelstad finished with 17 points and eight assists in Sunday's 82-81 win at Penn State. The Ducks' next game is Saturday against Purdue. | -- | 15-2 |
| 14 |  | C.J. Cox finished with 23 points and four steals in Sunday's 104-68 win over Nebraska. The Boilermakers' next game is Wednesday at Washington. | -- | 13-4 |
| 15 |  | PJ Haggerty finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 74-70 win over East Carolina. The Tigers' next game is Thursday at Temple. | -- | 13-3 |
| 16 |  | Malik Dia finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 77-65 win over LSU. The Rebels' next game is Tuesday at Alabama. | -- | 14-2 |
| 17 |  | Tre White was 3-of-12 from the field in Saturday's 82-72 loss to USC. The Illini's next game is Tuesday at Indiana. | -- | 12-4 |
| 18 |  | Vladislav Goldin finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 91-75 win over Washington. The Wolverines' next game is Thursday at Minnesota. | -- | 13-3 |
| 19 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 68-60 win at Georgetown. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against Creighton. | -- | 13-4 |
| 20 |  | Graham Ike finished with 21 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 88-75 win over Washington State. The Zags' next game is Thursday at Oregon State. | -- | 14-4 |
| 21 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 15 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 87-57 win at Kansas State. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against West Virginia. | -- | 12-3 |
| 22 |  | Ian Martinez finished with 18 points and three assists in Saturday's 81-79 win over Boise State. The Aggies' next game is Wednesday at UNLV. | -- | 16-1 |
| 23 |  | Asa Newell finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 72-62 win over Oklahoma. The Bulldogs' next game is Wednesday at Tennessee. | -- | 14-2 |
| 24 |  | Steven Crowl finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Friday's 80-59 win over Minnesota. The Badgers' next game is Tuesday against Ohio State. | -- | 13-3 |
| 25 |  | Norchad Omier finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 72-66 win in overtime at Arizona State. The Bears' next game is Tuesday at Arizona. | -- | 11-4 |
| 26 |  | RJ Luis Jr. finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 80-68 win over Villanova. The Red Storm's next game is Tuesday against Georgetown. | -- | 14-3 |
