It was a weekend of tests for some of the top teams in college basketball, and the heavyweights found a way to overcome them all and avoid an upset. But my No. 1 team, Auburn, had a story bigger than any other in the country this weekend. Johni Broome went down with something Bruce Pearl says he has a severe ankle sprainand the leading candidate for National Player of the Year is expected to miss some time. The good news is that an MRI on Sunday confirmed that Broome does not require surgery. The bad news is that Broome is out indefinitely.

The Tigers still found a way to beat South Carolina on the road 66-63 as Tahaad Pettiford made free throws and Pearl’s team got the final stop. But now we have to ask ourselves: How much time will Broome miss? Will he be back to normal when he comes back? What will Auburn look like without the man who was the best player in the country for most of the season? In the unforgiving SEC, it won’t take long to figure out what the Tigers are without him. Auburn hosts a top-20 Mississippi State team on Tuesday before visiting a red-hot, ranked Georgia squad on Saturday. It doesn’t feel like Broome’s situation is all that serious, but it’s certainly fluid.

This team features one of the best backcourt units in the country – led by five other double-digit scorers alongside Broome, including Chad Baker-Mazara, Denver Jones and Pettiford – and fifth-year senior Dylan Cardwell is a solid backup option to be a backup for Broome. Still, it’s by no means time for the Tigers to panic.

Without Broome, this is still a top 10 team, but with a player who averaged 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, the Tigers were the best team in the country. Without him they might have some problems, but I still believe in this team and think they will be in the Final Four in San Antonio this April. However, this injury represents a potential game changer for our No. 1 seed over the next two months heading into March Madness.

Auburn wasn’t the only heavyweight to face and pass a demanding road test this weekend. Iowa State played one of the best games of the day as Saint Mary’s transfer Joshua Jefferson forced overtime at the buzzer and then hit the game-winning free throws to secure an 85-84 win at Texas Tech. Alabama battled Texas A&M 94-88 and trailed Mark Sears by 27 points, while Tennessee responded to the loss to Florida by defeating Texas 74-70.

(Read more: Ranking of the 50 best players and coaches in the country)

Three more headliners of the week?

St. John’s, which has won nine of its last 10 games, is back in our rankings this week after two double-digit wins at Xavier and at home against Villanova. RJ Luis has become a first-team All-Big East selection and goes for 30 points and 10 rebounds in the win over the Wildcats. Rick Pitino now has a team that is 14-3 and has a good shot at making the NCAA Tournament. They can find real success in March, especially if the perimeter shooting continues like it did in the win over Villanova.

How about Mike White and Georgia? The Bulldogs, who haven’t played in the NCAA Tournament in a decade, are 14-2 after two top-25 wins over Kentucky and Oklahoma. Five-star freshman Asa Newell is a top-10 NBA draft pick and is playing at a really high level, while sophomore Silas Demary has made a nice jump and Dakota Leffew has been a top scorer in his reserve role . This week is an important week for Georgia with a trip to Tennessee on Wednesday followed by a matchup against Auburn on Saturday.

Finally, we turn to one-loss Utah State, which trailed Boise State 79-77 with nine seconds left on Saturday before Ian Martinez hit a 3-pointer and was fouled in a wild sequence, which gave the Aggies the win.

The Aggies are on their third head coach in as many years and are on track to make their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The move from current Utah coach Craig Smith to current VCU coach Ryan Odom to current Washington head coach Danny Sprinkle and a slam-dunk hire in Jerrod Calhoun speaks to the Aggies administration and their ability to find the right coaches for their programs to find. That’s why we’re giving the state of Utah some national love this week. A date to circle: Saturday, February 1 vs. New Mexico (9:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app). Both the Lobos and Aggies are undefeated in the Mountain West (6-0).

Now let’s get to our top 25!

1. Auburn (15-1)

While we’ve already talked at length about how the Tigers will retool without Broome, how about continuing to produce a four-star guard in Pettiford? Not only was he a microwave scorer for Pearl, but he did it against some of the best defensive teams in the country – from a 21-point performance against Houston to a 20-point performance against Duke to 18 in the Purdue win .

2. Iowa State (14-1)

Curtis Jones delivered 26 points in Saturday’s win at Texas Tech, a win I don’t think the Cyclones were able to get last year. But TJ Otzelberger has evolved this group offensively with the addition of Jefferson and player development. Next up is Iowa State? Kansas. Wednesday. Hilton Coliseum.

3. duke (14-2)

How about Cooper Flagg, America? I think he’ll end up being named National Player of the Year, joining Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson as the only others to win that honor as a freshman in college basketball history. He delivered the best performance by a Duke and ACC freshman on Saturday, scoring 42 points (11 of 14 from the floor and 16 of 17 from the free throw line), seven assists and six rebounds in the 86-78 win over Notre Dame. Flagg will be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft this June.

(Read more: 2025 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: Debate at the top with Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper)

4. Alabama (14-2)

Not only did Sears score 27 points in Saturday’s win, but the Tide showed their strength as Chris Youngblood and Aden Holloway scored 29 points off the bench. Alabama hosts Ole Miss on Tuesday before visiting Kentucky on Saturday.

5. Tennessee (15-1)

Zakai Zeigler is one of America’s best guards and proved it again Saturday when he scored 16 points and eight assists in a four-point win at head coach Rick Barnes’ former school in Texas. Barnes had some poignant thoughts about his leading scorer, Chaz Lanier, on Saturday. In the NIL world, everything seems to be fair game.

6. Florida (15-1)

The Gators had their most impressive performance of the week with a 30-point win over previously unbeaten Tennessee behind Alijah Martin’s 18 points. Then they traveled to Arkansas on Saturday and overcame an early 13-2 deficit to win 71-63 after trailing by four by double digits. Todd Golden’s group is stacked.

7. Marquette (14-2)

The Golden Eagles are 5-0 in the Big East, their best start to conference play since 2008-09, after a 74-66 victory over Georgetown in which junior Chase Ross scored a career-high 27 points. Marquette visits DePaul on Tuesday before hosting Xavier on Saturday.

8. Kentucky (13-3)

Big Blue Nation may be upset that I have the Wildcats at No. 8, but every game counts — and Kentucky was blown out of the field by Georgia 82-69 on Tuesday. Kentucky responded with a 95-90 win over Mississippi State on Saturday behind 27 points from Jaxson Robinson and some big shots from Ansley Almonor. Amari Williams also had 10 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as the Cats picked up their fourth win over a top-16 team in the NET. This team is capable of reaching San Antonio because its offense is loaded with talent and options.

9. Houston (12-3)

The Cougars just quietly go about their business and slow down teams. On Saturday, Kelvin Sampson’s team won its eighth straight game with an 87-57 win over Kansas State. Emanuel Sharp scored 15 points while Joseph Tugler posted a double-double. Next up: home game against West Virginia on Wednesday.

10. Michigan State (14-2)

How about the Spartans? In his 30th season at the helm, Tom Izzo did a remarkable job with Michigan State, which won its ninth straight game with a 78-68 victory over Northwestern on Sunday. There’s no question that Sparty will be making its 27th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and the stage is set for Michigan State to reach its 16th Sweet 16 of Izzo’s tenure. I love the way Jeremy Fears can lead the transition and generate offense for a Spartans program that has seemed to lack that in recent years. Add in Jaden Akins as the primary scorer, freshman Jase Richardson as an This team can win the Big Ten.

11. Kansas (12-3)
12. Texas A&M (13-3)
13. UConn (13-4)
14. Michigan (13-3)
15. Illinois (12-4)
16. Oregon (15-2)
17. Mississippi State (14-2)
18. Memphis (13-3)
19. Ole Miss (14-2)
20. Gonzaga (14-4)
21. Georgia (14-2)
22. Purdue (13-4)
22. St. John’s (14-3)
24. State of Utah (16-1)
25. Wisconsin (13-3)

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers sports in a variety of capacities, from broadcasting games on FS1 to serving as lead anchor on the BIG EAST Digital Network to commentating on the Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.

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