NCAAB Notebook: Marquette shocks Villanova

It’s been an eventful week in the world of college basketball. Rankings have been shuffled after a few surprising results, and conference play is beginning to produce the kind of games that will loom large come NCAA tournament time. Let’s dive into the latest news and notes!

Turmoil At The Top

Baylor won last year’s national championship and went on a heck of a roll to start the 2021-22 campaign. However, the Bears dropped a pair of home contests this past week, and as a result, they’ve dropped out of the top spot in the rankings. That designation now goes to the Gonzaga Bulldogs, whose lone losses have come to Duke and Alabama in neutral-site contests. Auburn rose to the second spot, and those two teams are followed by No. 3 Arizona and  No. 4 Purdue.

Marquette Shocks No. 11 Villanova

The Wildcats came into Wednesday’s Big East clash on a six-game win streak, and many of those victories were of the blowout variety. However, the Golden Eagles came to Pennsylvania and ended that run in unexpected, abrupt fashion. Marquette forward Justin Lewis scored 21 points in the upset, including a three-pointer with less than 12 seconds left that gave the visitors the lead for good.

Villanova will look to bounce back Saturday at Georgetown, while Marquette will take on No. 20 Xavier at home Sunday.

No Such Problems For No. 2 Auburn

The Tigers continued their undefeated start to SEC play Wednesday with an easy 83-60 win over the Georgia Bulldogs. The game’s outcome was never in doubt, as Auburn sprinted to a 25-point lead at the half.

Now the lone SEC team without a loss in league play, the country’s second-ranked team gets a huge test Saturday, when it hosts No. 12 Kentucky. Georgia, meanwhile, is winless in league play, and one has to think head coach Tom Crean’s seat is getting hot.

Several Big Games On Saturday’s Slate

In addition to Auburn-Kentucky, which may be the game of the year to this point in the 2021-22 season, there are many other fun matchups of note around the country. No. 13 LSU travels to No. 24 Tennessee in another high-profile SEC battle, No. 6 Duke hosts Syracuse in a battle of blue-blooded programs, and No. 5 Baylor heads to Oklahoma to take on the Sooners (who gave Kansas all the Jayhawks could handle earlier this week).