The top four conferences in college basketball this season, according to the NET, are the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East. The average age of the coach who has already locked up one of those league championships, or who has the best chance to do so soon, is 68.8.
This is a young man’s game?
Not really.
Rick Pitino has already secured the outright Big East title for St. John’s at the age of 72. Tom Izzo is on the verge of winning the outright Big Ten title for Michigan State at the age of 70. Kelvin Sampson has already won the outright Big 12 title for Houston at the age of 69. And Bruce Pearl has already won the outright SEC title for Auburn at the age of 64. Nobody can do anything forever, obviously. But there is a lot of evidence that suggests it’s possible to flourish as a college basketball coach into your 70s, provided you adjust to the sport, both on and off the court, whenever the sport requires you to adjust to survive. Pitino, Izzo, Sampson and Pearl are all doing it remarkably well.
Anyway …
Auburn remains No. 1 in Monday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings for the 54th straight day thanks to a 27-2 record that includes a 16-2 mark in Quadrant 1 opportunities. As I explained in Sunday’s Top 25 And 1, we’ve reached the point where I really do believe the Tigers have secured the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, point being they could lose every remaining game between now and Selection Sunday and still have a better resume to submit to the selection committee than any other team.
Auburn’s next game is Wednesday at Texas A&M. After that, the Tigers will close the regular season on Saturday with a home game against Alabama.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
BIGGEST MOVERS
2 IOWA STATE 2 MICHIGAN
RK
TEAMS
CHG
RCRD
1
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AUBURN Chad Baker-Mazara finished with 22 points and three steals in Saturday’s 94-78 win at Kentucky. The Tigers’ next game is Tuesday at Texas A&M. — 27-4
2
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DUKE Isaiah Evans finished with 19 points and two rebounds in Saturday’s 100-65 win over Florida State. The Blue Devils’ next game is Monday against Wake Forest. — 28-3
3
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HOUSTON L.J. Cryer finished with 20 points and one assist in Saturday’s 73-64 win over Cincinnati. The Cougars’ next game is Monday against Kansas. — 27-4
4
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TENNESSEE Chaz Lanier finished with 18 points and four rebounds in Saturday’s 79-76 win over Alabama. The Vols’ next game is Wednesday at Ole Miss. — 25-6
5
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ALABAMA Grant Nelson was 2-of-8 from the field in Saturday’s 79-76 loss at Tennessee. The Crimson Tide’s next game is Wednesday against Florida. — 24-7
6
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MICHIGAN ST. Jaden Akins finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Sunday’s 71-62 win over Wisconsin. The Spartans’ next game is Thursday at Iowa. — 26-5
7
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FLORIDA Will Richard finished with 25 points and six rebounds in Saturday’s 89-70 win over Texas A&M. The Gators’ next game is Wednesday at Alabama. — 27-4
8
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ST. JOHN’S RJ Luis Jr. finished with 21 points and two steals in Saturday’s 71-61 win over Seton Hall. The Red Storm’s next game is Saturday at Marquette. — 27-4
9
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IOWA ST. Milan Momcilovic finished with 17 points and three assists in Saturday’s 84-67 win over Arizona. The Cyclones’ next game is Tuesday against BYU. 2 23-8
10
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WISCONSIN Kamari McGee was 1-of-8 from the field in Sunday’s 71-62 loss at Michigan State. The Badgers’ next game is Wednesday at Minnesota. 1 23-8
11
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TEXAS TECH JT Toppin finished with 21 points and five rebounds in Saturday’s 78-73 win at Kansas. The Red Raiders’ next game is Wednesday against Colorado. 1 24-7
12
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MICHIGAN Tre Donaldson was 4-of-12 from the field in Sunday’s 93-73 loss to Illinois. The Wolverines’ next game is Wednesday against Maryland. 2 22-9
13
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PURDUE Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 29 points and three rebounds in Friday’s 76-66 win over UCLA. The Boilermakers’ next game is Tuesday against Rutgers. — 21-10
14
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TEXAS A&M Wade Taylor IV was 3 of 11 from the field in Saturday’s 89-70 loss at Florida. The Aggies’ next game is Tuesday against Auburn. — 22-9
15
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LOUISVILLE Terrence Edwards Jr. finished with 23 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s 79-68 win over Pitt. The Cardinals’ next game is Wednesday against California. — 25-6
16
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MARQUETTE David Joplin finished with 17 points and nine rebounds in Saturday’s 76-61 win over Georgetown. The Golden Eagles’ next game is Wednesday at UConn. — 22-9
17
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MISSOURI Jacob Crews was 1-of-5 from the field in Saturday’s 97-73 overtime loss at Vanderbilt. The Tigers’ next game is Wednesday at Oklahoma. — 21-10
18
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MISS. ST. Josh Hubbard finished with 30 points and four rebounds in Saturday’ 81-69 win over LSU. The Bulldogs’ next game is Tuesday against Texas. — 20-11
19
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CLEMSON Ian Schieffelin finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s 71-58 win at Virginia. The Tigers’ next game is Wednesday at Boston College. — 26-5
20
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MARYLAND Derik Queen finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Saturday’s 68-64 win at Penn State. The Terrapins’ next game is Wednesday at Michigan. — 24-7
21
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ARIZONA Caleb Love was 2 of 15 from the field in Saturday’s 84-67 loss at Iowa State. The Wildcats’ next game is Tuesday against Arizona State. — 20-11
22
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KENTUCKY Lamont Butler was 4 of 13 from the field in Saturday’s 94-78 loss to Auburn. The Wildcats’ next game is Tuesday against LSU. — 21-10
23
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SAINT MARY’S Augustus Marciulionis finished with 25 points and seven assists in Saturday’s 74-64 win over Oregon State. The Gaels’ next game is March 10 against a team to be determined in the semifinals of the WCC Tournament. — 28-5
24
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MEMPHIS Dain Dainja finished with 16 points and 17 rebounds in Sunday’s 88-81 win at UAB. The Tigers’ next game is Tuesday at UTSA. — 26-5
25
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OREGON Keeshawn Barthelemy finished with 20 points and three rebounds in Saturday’s 82-61 win over USC. The Ducks’ next game is Tuesday against Indiana. — 23-8
26
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OLE MISS Sean Pedulla finished with 26 points and five rebounds in Saturday’s 87-84 win over Oklahoma. The Rebels’ next game is Wednesday against Tennessee. –