Midweek performances from high-profile college basketball teams ran the gamut from stunningly impressive to absolutely putrid as conference play ramped up during the first full week of the 2025 calendar year.
On the one hand, there was No. 4 Duke closing on an 18-0 run in a big win over Pitt. On the opposite end of the spectrum was No. 1 Tennessee, which endured one of the worst shooting performances in program history while falling 73-43 at No. 8 Florida.
That loss is guaranteed to drop the Volunteers from the No. 1 spot in the AP poll come Monday, and it earned them an 'F' in the first grades of the new year.
Heading into a big weekend of college basketball, we've graded each of the top 10 teams for their midweek performances and added a couple of bonus grades for teams that had notable midweek showings.
No. 1 Tennessee
Result: 73-43 loss at Florida
No. 1 Tennessee turned in the worst shooting performance of coach Rick Barnes' 10-year tenure in a listless loss at Florida With five minutes remaining, the Volunteers were shooting just 14.9% from the floor before rallying to make 5 of 7 to close the game. The final mark of 21.4% was still a horrific indictment on the team's offensive floor. It was the sort of clunker that forces you to recalibrate the ceiling on a team that entered the week as the nation's last unbeaten squad. Grade: F
No. 2 Auburn
Result: 87-82 win at Texas
Auburn led by 21 in the second half at Texas on Tuesday before holding on for an 87-82 win. Coach Bruce Pearl didn't seem overly concerned about the late-game woes and correctly observed that "there aren't going to be many" road wins in the SEC and "we got one tonight." Getting some experience in a relatively tight game may ultimately prove beneficial for the Tigers, who had previously played just one game decided by five points or less. Grade: B
No. 3 Iowa State
Result: 82-59 win over Utah
Iowa State is 3-0 in Big 12 play with three double-digit wins. The Cyclones rank among the top-10 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom and put that all-around excellence on display in an 82-59 win over Utah on Tuesday. The Cyclones turned 18 Utes turnovers into 25 points while turning it over just eight times themselves. Grade: A
No. 4 Duke
Result: 76-47 win vs. Pitt
Duke closed out its 76-47 win over Pitt on Tuesday in the type of "forget" you gear that few teams ever find. Pitt did not score for the final 7:59 and missed its final 11 shots as the Blue Devils turned a comfortable victory into an absolute beatdown that showcased their championship potential. The performance included highlight-reel plays (and another double-double) from Cooper Flagg along with double-figure contributions from four other players. Grade: A
No. 5 Alabama
Result: 88-68 win at South Carolina
Alabama won its first two SEC games by 28 and 20 points over Oklahoma and South Carolina, validating that the Crimson Tide are an offensive wagon. What should be particularly concerning for the SEC and the rest of college basketball is that star Mark Sears is starting to get going. Over the Crimson Tide's seven-game winning streak, the fifth-year guard is averaging 21.4 points, 5.6 assists and shooting 41.5% from 3-point range. He scored 22 points on just 12 shots from the floor in an easy win at South Carolina. Grade: A
No. 6 Kentucky
Result: 82-69 loss at Georgia
Kentucky followed up a thrilling 106-100 victory over Florida on Saturday with an ugly loss at Georgia that demonstrated how coach Mark Pope's first season has become a two steps forward and one step back sort of process. The Wildcats were whistled for 25 fouls, leading to 38 free-throw attempts for the Bulldogs, including 26 in the second half. UK shot just 24% from 3-point range and never found a rhythm in a whistle-dominated game that lasted two hours and 35 minutes. Grade: D
No. 7 Marquette
Result: 74-66 win vs. Georgetown
Marquette is in solo possession of first place in the Big East standings after roaring back from a 38-29 halftime deficit to beat Georgetown 74-66 on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles got a career-high 27 points from Chase Ross, which was vital on a rare off night for star guard Kam Jones. This team doesn't look altogether dominant, but there's a decent chance Marquette will be 10-0 in conference play when it hosts UConn on Feb. 1. Grade: B+
No. 8 Florida
Result: 73-43 win vs. Tennessee
Florida dropped its SEC opener 106-100 in a banger at Kentucky. Invigorated by the poor defensive showing, the Gators returned home and bludgeoned No. 1 Tennessee on Tuesday. The utterly dominant showing validated the Gators as an SEC and national title contender after they played a relatively light non-conference schedule. However, lingering in the background is the awkward reality is that coach Todd Golden is still awaiting the resolution of a Title IX investigation by the university in connection with accusations of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and stalking. Grade: A+
No. 9 UConn
Result: 68-66 loss at Villanova
A knee injury that will sideline freshman Liam McNeeley for a chunk of Big East play adversely impacted UConn over the past week. The Huskies needed a big rally to beat a struggling Providence team at home on Sunday and then fell 68-66 at Villanova on Wednesday. The Huskies rate a putrid 122nd nationally in defensive efficiency at KenPom. UConn's national-title winning teams the past two seasons were top-10 in that respect. Grade: C
No. 10 Texas A&M
Result: 80-78 win at Oklahoma
The Aggies are the SEC title contender who no one is talking about. A&M began league play with a 20-point drubbing of rival Texas and followed it up with huge comeback to take down Oklahoma while missing leading scorer Wade Taylor IV. It's not always the prettiest brand of basketball, but Texas A&M is one of the nation's most-experienced and deepest teams, and it shouldn't be slept on in the conference race. Grade: A
No. 11 Kansas
Result: 74-55 win vs. Arizona State
Since a stunning home loss to West Virginia on Dec. 31, three of Kansas' last four halves have been immaculate. A 99-48 bludgeoning of UCF on Sunday marked the second-largest margin of victory in KU history. The Jayhawks followed up by trailing Arizona State 42-36 at halftime on Wednesday, only to outscore the Sun Devils 38-13 after the break as ASU shot just 21.7% in the second half. It's hard not to be impressed with the defensive potential demonstrated in Kansas' past two games. Grade: A
No. 12 Houston
Result: 65-46 win vs. TCU
If you wrote Houston off after a 4-3 start, it's past time to reevaluate the Cougars. Their 65-46 win over TCU on Monday marked their seventh straight win and improved coach Kelvin Sampson's club to 3-0 in Big 12 play. Houston has won all seven by at least 13 points behind the gritty defense for which the program is known. Offensively, Houston is shooting better from 3-point range (41.4%) than it ever has under Sampson. Both strengths were on display against the Horned Frogs as the Cougars hit 42.1% of their 3-pointers and forced 19 TCU turnovers. Grade: A
No. 17 Oklahoma
Result: 80-78 loss vs. Texas A&M
Oklahoma never entered the top 10 during a 13-0 start, and now the AP voters look smart for moderating their Sooners respect. OU is off to an 0-2 start in SEC play after a 107-79 loss at Alabama and a particularly painful 80-78 home loss to Texas A&M on Wednesday. OU led 51-33 early in the second half against an Aggies team playing without leading scorer Wade Taylor IV. But they failed to execute late. Star freshman guard Jeremiah Fears missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with the Sooners leading by a point. Then, two OU defenders tripped over each other, which allowed Zhuric Phelps to hit a go-ahead 3-pointer for A&M with 19 seconds left. It was a sad sequence that encapsulated the near-misses which have defined OU to this point under fourth-year coach Porter Moser. Grade: C-
No. 22 UCLA
Result: 94-75 loss vs. Michigan
UCLA coach Mick Cronin called his players "soft" and "delusional" after their 94-75 home loss to Michigan on Tuesday. It was the Bruins' third loss in their last four games, and the manner of the defeat was particularly troubling. Michigan shot 61.5% from the floor as Wolverines big man Vlad Goldin dominated the paint with 36 points on 13 of 18 shooting. Cronin is prone to such outbursts and may be overreacting to a January loss against a quality conference opponent. But the poor defensive showing combined with a 2-of-20 performance from beyond the arc makes a 'D' the proper grade. Grade: D
No. 24 Michigan
Result: 94-75 win at UCLA
Michigan handled its swing through Los Angeles in impressive fashion by picking up double-digit wins at USC and UCLA to reach 4-0 in Big Ten play under first-year coach Dusty May. The successful road trip provided a needed jolt after the Wolverines lost two games by a combined three points against Arkansas and Oklahoma in mid-December. With the towering tandem of Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf each playing at all-conference levels, the Wolverines are proving uniquely challenging to defend. Grade: A+
