College basketball weekend roundup: Auburn confirms status of best team in the country

In the unpredictability that is the SEC, one team reigns supreme above all.

It was ugly and brutal, but in the battle of heavyweights, Auburn got past Tennessee 53-51 in one of the most-anticipated games of the college basketball season. And it lived up to the billing.

Those that love offense probably had a hard time watching what transpired inside Neville Arena, where every single point was earned in a physical 40 minutes; both teams each shot 31% from the field and less than 20% from the 3-point line. While far from pretty − including some questionable decisions from the referees − it truly was two of the best teams in the country showing what makes them such stalwarts.

Does Saturday's game determine who will win the SEC or become national champion? No, but what the contest did prove is Auburn is indeed the best team in the country. It's been three weeks into the conference slate, and every team tasted defeat in the talent-heavy league − except Auburn. A perfect 6-0 start in the SEC likely couldn't be done by any other team in the country, nor could a 11-1 record in Quad 1 games.

If this was the first time the majority of the country saw the Tigers for the first time now that college football is over, it was a solid introduction for player of the year candidate Johni Broome. Questionable to play after suffering a left ankle injury two week injury, the center didn't looked hobbled against Tennessee with a 16-point, 13-rebound performance for his 11th double-double of the season.

Now through the first major test since the start of 2025, the Tigers will be tested again with Mississippi and Florida in the next two weeks before another possible game of the season against rival Alabama on Feb. 15.

Will Auburn lose another game? Probably. But make no mistake: Auburn has a firm grasp on top of the sport as we close in February, and the Tigers lead the top storylines from the past weekend of hoops.

Houston wins thriller to affirm control of Big 12

Remember when Houston started the season 4-3 and there was doubt if the Cougars could continue their dominance? Well less than two months later and 12 consecutive wins, Houston remains on top of the Big 12 after a wild comeback victory at Kansas.

Playing in hostile territory, Houston had a 17-2 second half start to take a lead against the Jayhawks, but Kansas stormed back and looked to be headed toward handing the Cougars the first Big 12 loss of the season. Houston was down six points in the final 90 seconds, and managed to force overtime.

That wasn't all. In the extra period, Kansas again looked to have a win sealed with a six-point lead with 18 seconds. Then, an incredible sequence of a 3-pointer, steal and another three suddenly tied the game up to force another extra period. The second overtime didn't really need to be played; the crowd in Allen Fieldhouse was stunned, Kansas had no juice left and and Houston left Lawrence with a statement victory.

The expanded Big 12 remains a beautiful mess, yet Houston still controls the conference in just its second-year there. In two seasons, the Cougars are 23-3 in the conference and look like the leading contender to win the regular-season title again. Time to put some respect on Houston again.

Wake Forest falters in much-needed win

The past two seasons, Wake Forest has lived on the bubble, hoping the NCAA men's tournament selection committee would slot them into the field of 68, only to end Selection Sunday in disappointment. It's shaping up to be another season like that for Steve Forbes after it couldn't get a signature win against Duke.

It was a first half to forget for the Demon Deacons, but they came out blazing in the second half with a 17-1 run that gave them the lead and had Veterans Memorial Coliseum ready to storm the court. However, Cooper Flagg and company weren't just going to bow down. The freshman star led kept the Blue Devils composed with a 14-2 to retake a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Meanwhile, Wake Forest ended the game cold, going more than six minutes without a made field goal before it was too late.

Wake Forest entered the weekend one of the first four teams out of the first USA TODAY Sports Bracketology of the season, and Saturday was the perfect opportunity to boost its stock. In each of the past two seasons, it had a home win over Duke that really gave the Demon Deacons a case to make the tournament. This time around it doesn't have it, and are now 1-5 in Quad 1 games. It will now take even more work to return to the big dance for the first time since 2017.

Texas boosts tournament resume thanks to last-second shot

One of the projected last teams in the field in last week's Bracketology, Texas has one of the best opportunities to get out of playing in Dayton with so many resume building games left on the schedule. Quickly, the Longhorns are capitalizing.

Texas looked like it was going to suffer an embarrassing home loss to rival Texas A&M when it trailed by 22 points early in the second half. Instead, the Longhorns stormed back to finish the game on a 41-18 run that was capped with Tramon Mark hitting a game-winning shot against the Aggies.

The win capped off a successful week for Texas after it took down a hot Missouri team on Tuesday. Now after an 0-3 start in the SEC, Texas is 3-1 since, with each victory being a Quad 1 win. Are the Longhorns still looking at a double-digit seed? Yes, but getting into the first round is something Rodney Terry will take.

Connecticut, Oregon and West Virginia suffer bad road losses

Even the ranked teams in the country can get in slumps, but it's different when losing to struggling teams like Connecticut, Oregon and West Virginia did.

The defending back-to-back champions have now lost three of its last five games after the Huskies lost to Xavier. Oregon never looked complete against Minnesota, and West Virginia was completely dominated by Kansas State for its third loss in four games. Whether it's because of injuries or just the fatigue of the season setting in, all three squads are in pretty bad funks after looking strong earlier in the season.

There's not much time to figure things out either. West Virginia has Houston next, Oregon has trips to UCLA and the Michigan schools and UConn has Marquette and St. John's approaching on the schedule. True make it or break it moments coming up.

SEC woes continue in South Carolina

For as much as SEC fans love playing the hypotheticals, South Carolina really does have argument it would be a solid team in any other conference.

The Gamecocks remain the only winless team in conference play, a poor 0-7 against the SEC and the only one in the league not above .500. It's become a rough time for a team that started 10-3 and hasn't won since the calendar flipped to 2025, but the winless start in the SEC doesn't mean South Carolina is awful. In fact, it's put up close performances, it just can't capitalize in clutch situations.

It took Auburn to the wire in a 66-63 loss, lost by the same margin to Vanderbilt thanks to a last-second shot, had a 14-point second half lead against Florida get turned into a one-point defeat and on Saturday, took Mississippi State to overtime before falling apart to the Bulldogs. Lamont Paris has a good team, the unfortunately reality is he is constantly facing better teams, and why the Gamecocks are being kept at the bottom of a deep league.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball winners, losers: Auburn. Houston win big