College Basketball Rankings: CBS Sports overhauls Top 25 and 1 with big changes after penultimate Saturday of regular season

There’s only one week left in the regular season and college basketball teams are doing everything they can to improve their postseason standing. CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish took notice and updated his college basketball Top 25 and 1 rankings accordingly on Sunday.

Unsurprisingly, the SEC boasted nine teams in Parrish’s updated rankings, the most of any conference in the country. The Big Ten had the second-most teams in Parrish’s Top 25 and 1 with six.

With no time to waste, let’s dive into Parrish’s latest rankings.

1. Auburn Tigers

Previous Ranking: 1
Auburn marched into Rupp Arena and dominated Kentucky 94-78 on Saturday. It was a complete showing for the Tigers, who shot 51.8% from the field and 46.2% from beyond the arc.

Auburn’s defense was equally successful. The Tigers held the normally hot-handed Wildcats to four made 3-pointers. Moreover, Auburn squeezed 18 turnovers out of Kentucky in the win.

2. Duke Blue Devils

Previous Ranking: 2
Duke handed Florida State a 100-65 beatdown on Saturday to improve to 17-1 in conference play. Although it was ultimately a successful day for the Blue Devils, it wasn’t stress-free.

Star freshman Cooper Flagg sat out for over 11 minutes in the first half and left the gym twice after suffering a hard foul to the face. Alas, Flagg bounced back from the injury in the second half and finished the game with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.

3. Houston Cougars

Previous Ranking: 3
On Saturday, Houston clinched the Big 12 regular-season title with a 73-64 triumph over Cincinnati. The Cougars are the first team to win the regular-season championship in its first two years in a major conference since Idaho, which won the PCC in the 1921-22 and 1922-23 seasons.

In the victory, Houston scored 17 points off the Bearcats’ turnovers. Nobody outscored Houston guard LJ Cryer, who tallied 20 points while shooting 7-13 from the floor.

4. Tennessee Volunteers

Previous Ranking: 5
Tennessee jumped over Alabama in Parrish’s updated rankings after picking up a nail-biting 79-76 win over the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Jahmai Mashack drained a 3-pointer from just in front of half-court as time expired to boost the Volunteers to victory.

However, he wasn’t the only standout for Tennessee. Backcourt duo Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier combined for 33 points and six assists in the win. Coming off the bench, Jordan Gainey added 18 points to the Volunteers’ winning effort as well.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide

Previous Ranking: 4
Alabama’s spectacular offense wasn’t enough to down the Volunteers on Saturday. In the loss, Alabama only connected on 41.7% of its shot attempts and committed 12 turnovers.

Point guard Mark Sears was one of the few bright spots for the Crimson Tide. The preseason SEC Player of the Year tallied a game-high 24 points, knocking down four buckets from deep in the process.

6. Michigan State Spartans

Previous Ranking: 6
Michigan State made a miracle happen to take down Maryland on Wednesday. After Maryland’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie missed a 3-point shot attempt with just two seconds left in the game, Tre Holloman was forced to launch the ball from beyond half.

He drained it, boosting the Spartans to a 58-55 victory and their second consecutive win against a ranked foe. Jase Richardson was the only player who reached double figures for the Spartans, scoring 15 points.

7. Florida Gators

Previous Ranking: 7
Florida took care of business against Texas A&M on Saturday, handing the Aggies a 89-70 shellacking. It was a bounce-back win for the Gators, who suffered a shocking loss to Georgia earlier in the week.

Florida guard Will Richard led all scorers in the win, racking up 25 points. Nevertheless, it was a team effort. The Gators recorded 21 assists on their 32 made field goals against Texas A&M’s typically pesky defense.

8. St. John’s Red Storm

Previous Ranking: 8
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino broke out his notorious white suit on Saturday to lead the Red Storm to a 71-61 win over Seton Hall. It wasn’t St. John’s best showing, with the team committing 16 turnovers, but it was a win, nonetheless.

RJ Luis Jr. notched a game-high 21 points against the Pirates. Not to be outdone, Zuby Ejiofor posted a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double in the Big East triumph. St. John’s will conclude its regular season on Saturday in a showdown against Marquette.

9. Wisconsin Badgers

Previous Ranking: 9
Wisconsin enjoyed a bye this week after emerging with a hard-fought victory earlier this week. On Tuesday, the Badgers bounced back from their surprising loss against Oregon with an 88-62 triumph over Washington.

The Huskies didn’t have any answers for the Badgers, who snagged nearly twice as many offensive rebounds as them. Wisconsin sophomore John Blackwell stole the show, recording a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double.

10. Michigan Wolverines

Previous Ranking: 10
On Thursday, Nimari Burnett drained a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to boost Michigan to an 84-82 victory over Rutgers. With the win, the Wolverines tied Michigan State for first place in the Big Ten standings.

Burnett’s buzzer beater was just one of numerous fantastic plays he made throughout the night. He finished the game with 20 points on 6-9 shooting. Vladislav Goldin was excellent too, racking up 22 points and 11 rebounds.

11. Iowa State (+1)
12. Texas Tech (+1)
13. Purdue (+3)
14. Texas A&M (-3)
15. Louisville (+2)
16. Marquette (+3)
17. Missouri (-3)
18. Mississippi State (+2)
19. Clemson (+3)
20. Maryland (+3)
21. Arizona (-3)
22. Kentucky (-7)
23. Saint Mary’s (+2)
24. Memphis
25. Oregon (+1)
26. Ole Miss (NR)