John Calipari gets last laugh…
The Post’s Zach Braziller supplies a faculty basketball stock watch and sit up for this week’s greatest video games.
Game of the Week
No. 5 Florida at No. 1 Auburn, Saturday, 4 p.m.:
Saturday’s showdown towards the Gators will mark Auburn’s sixth sport this season towards a present Top 10 group.
The top-ranked Tigers are 4-1 in such contests, properly on their method to the general No. 1 seed within the NCAA Tournament.
Auburn Tigers guard Tahaad Pettiford (0) reacts after a three level basket during the second half towards the Mississippi Rebels at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. USA TODAY Sports through Reuters Con
They own a ridiculous 12-1 document in Quad 1 video games, and sit on their lonesome atop the dominant SEC, a sport within the loss column up on No. 4 Alabama. Expect offensive fireworks on this one, as two of the highest 5 offenses in phrases of effectivity within the nation meet.
Seeding
1. Auburn, Duke, Alabama, Tennessee
2. Purdue, Iowa State, Florida, Houston
3. Marquette, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Michigan State
4. Kansas, Arizona, Ole Miss, Missouri
Stock Watch
Up
John Calipari
Saturday’s victory at No. 12 Kentucky needed to be one of probably the most satisfying wins of the Hall of Fame coach’s profession.
On a evening when he was booed in his previous area, regardless of main the Wildcats to a national championship and 4 Final Four berths in 15 largely profitable seasons, Calipari led his new program, Arkansas, to a win that might finally get them into the NCAA Tournament.
Arkansas head coach John Calipari directs his group during the primary half of an NCAA faculty basketball sport towards Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. AP
Calipari was gracious afterward, when no person would’ve faulted him for taking a few parting photographs on the Kentucky fan base.
Saint Mary’s
The WCC is Saint Mary’s to lose. After knocking off Gonzaga on Saturday evening, the Gaels have received 10 straight video games, and maintain a commanding three-game lead over San Francisco and the Zags. Their three losses, to Utah State, Arizona State and Boise State, have every come by seven factors or fewer.
Despite shedding star guard Aidan Mahaney to the switch portal, Saint Mary’s is having one other large yr, buoyed by scoring depth — six gamers average at the least 9 factors per sport — and a protection that permits 60.8 factors, the seventh-lowest complete within the nation.
Saint Mary’s Jordan Ross (2) goes up for a layup previous Gonzaga Bulldogs’ Ryan Nembhard (0) during the second half of an NCAA faculty basketball sport at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. AP
Down
Kansas
The preseason No. 1 group is exhibiting main cracks. After blowing a 21-point lead at beforehand skidding Baylor, Kansas has misplaced three of its previous six video games coming into one other troublesome week: Home for No. 3 Iowa State and at in-state rival Kansas State.
Two of the Jayhawks’ main switch portal additions, AJ Storr (Wisconsin) and Rylan Griffen (Alabama), haven’t panned out as anticipated, placing an onus on the massive three of Hunter Dickinson, Zeke Mayo and Dajuan Harris Jr. Kansas finds itself in a three-way tie for fifth place within the Big 12, three full video games behind Sixth-ranked Houston and Arizona atop the league.
Milos Uzan #7 of the Houston Cougars celebrates a 92-86 win in double extra time as he walks previous Hunter Dickinson #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks. Getty Images
ACC
The ACC might be this yr’s Big East, the convention most angered by the choice committee’s selections. The league is trending the improper method the primary week of February. Saturday was significantly ugly: North Carolina wasn’t aggressive towards archrival and 2nd-ranked Duke, Pittsburgh’s shaky play continued in a loss at Wake Forest and No. 21 Louisville suffered a gorgeous setback to Georgia Tech.
Right now, the ACC has three groups that I consider will make it in: Duke, Louisville and Clemson. Pittsburgh gave the impression to be in fine condition earlier than this present skid of 5 losses in seven video games.
North Carolina, flirting with lacking the event for the second time in three years, is a disastrous 1-9 in Quad 1 video games. Wake Forest and SMU, two potential bubble groups, are a mixed 1-9 in Quad 1 as properly. Only three bids isn’t out of the query.
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