Auburn is the AP Top 25 Poll's No. 1 college basketball team. But Duke beat them.
That narrative is prevailing right now. It's earned on the Blue Devils' end. CBS Sports' Gary Parrish acknowledges the Tigers' role as the sport's tribal chief but also acknowledges statistics -- leading to the opinion Duke is the "best" team in the sport, if not his power rankings' No. 1.
Parrish also acknowledged that if the season ended today, and not in a 2020 way but like the typical saying goes, Auburn would be March Madness's No. 1 overall seed.
"Auburn's 17th double-digit victory of the season -- featuring 31 points and 14 rebounds from Broome -- improved the Tigers to 19-2 in the first two quadrants, including 14-2 in Q1. That's the best body of work in the sport by a wide margin. But Duke's resume is now second, I think. The Blue Devils are 24-3 overall, 11-3 in the first two quadrants and 6-3 in Q1 after their 43-point beatdown of Illinois -- featuring 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists from Flagg -- that doubled as the Illini's worst defeat in program history," Parrish wrote.
"It's crazy what Duke did to Brad Underwood's team inside Madison Square Garden -- and if you want to call the Blue Devils the sport's 'best' team, there is some data to support the claim. But, that acknowledged, Bruce Pearl's Tigers would still be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament if it started today, and by like a million miles, regardless of what the predictive metrics suggest."
Auburn's recent loss to Florida was well-timed. Duke lost to Clemson the same day. The Tigers didn't need to battle an uphill climb back to No. 1 which always seems like a steeper hill for AU. Auburn remained No. 1 and hasn't lost since.
AU could only prove they are the "best" by running through the SEC Tournament and potentially getting their lick back on the Gators, then running through the NCAA Tournament.
If Auburn somehow got another shot at Duke, it'd be a historic box office and perhaps the most-watched college basketball game in history. It'd also help prove AU is the "best."
But the only thing that matters is cut-down nets on an early April Monday in San Antonio. The rest would be gravy.