Auburn currently holds the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 Poll for college basketball, but Duke managed to defeat them earlier this season. This has sparked a debate about which team truly deserves the title of the “best” in the sport. CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish recognizes Auburn’s dominance as the top team in the rankings but also points to statistics that suggest Duke might be the strongest team overall, even if they aren’t ranked No. 1 in his power rankings. Parrish notes that if the season ended today, Auburn would likely be the No. 1 overall seed in March Madness, a position they’ve earned with their impressive resume.
“Auburn’s 17th double-digit win of the season—highlighted by 31 points and 14 rebounds from Johni Broome—improved the Tigers to 19-2 in the first two quadrants, including 14-2 in Quadrant 1. That’s the best body of work in college basketball by a significant margin,” Parrish wrote. “However, Duke’s resume is now second, in my opinion. The Blue Devils are 24-3 overall, 11-3 in the first two quadrants, and 6-3 in Quadrant 1 after their 43-point demolition of Illinois—a game where Cooper Flagg had 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists—which also marked the worst defeat in Illinois program history.”
Parrish added, “What Duke did to Brad Underwood’s team at Madison Square Garden was astonishing. If you want to call the Blue Devils the ‘best’ team in the sport, there’s data to back that up. But even so, Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers would still be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament if it started today, and by a landslide, regardless of what predictive metrics might say.”
Auburn’s recent loss to Florida came at a fortunate time, as Duke also lost to Clemson on the same day. This allowed Auburn to maintain their No. 1 ranking without facing a steep climb back to the top. Since then, the Tigers have remained undefeated. To solidify their claim as the “best” team, Auburn would need to dominate the SEC Tournament, potentially avenge their loss to Florida, and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
A potential rematch between Auburn and Duke would be a historic event, likely drawing record-breaking viewership and serving as the ultimate test to determine which team is truly the best. However, the only thing that ultimately matters is cutting down the nets on the first Monday in April in San Antonio. Everything else is just extra.
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