Auburn basketball is now 17-1 after a thrilling victory at Georgia that saw Mike White's Bulldogs nearly come back and win late on Saturday. The Tigers closed the door in the 70-68 nail-biter and clinched another week at the No. 1 spot, winning three straight games without an injured Johni Broome.
AU has to continue their winning ways to keep that No. 1 spot. As CBS Sports' Gary Parrish pointed out, Duke has just two losses and hasn't lost since November. The Blue Devils have only lost to Kentucky and Kansas. Auburn has only lost to Duke.
Just as quickly as the Tigers took the No. 1 spot, they can lose it in an instant if they don't handle Tennessee at home this Saturday.
"...the Tigers' showdown with UT will provide our latest edition of Pearl coaching against the school he led to a No. 1 ranking in February 2008. Now, Pearl has Auburn ranked No. 1 for the second time in a four-year span, enhancing his Hall of Fame-worthy credentials. But Pearl will likely have to beat his old school Saturday to keep that No. 1 ranking — especially with Duke, the only team that's beaten Auburn so far this season, on a 12-game winning streak that has the Blue Devils up to No. 2 in the Top 25 And 1," Parrish wrote.
The powers that be are begging to see Cooper Flagg's Blue Devils at the top of the rankings. A matchup against Wake Forest is hardly a scare to Duke though, in any sport, looking past an opponent is a mistake. If the Blue Devils win and Auburn loses this Saturday, the Tigers will quickly lose their No. 1 ranking.
That adds even more pressure for Pearl as he welcomes his former team to the Neville Arena to win with College GameDay's first appearance on campus for a hoops matchup in 2025.