Friday brought the biggest collective night of the college basketball season with a series of early-season, non-conference matchups across the slate — and one conference notching a pair of top-10 victories: the Big Ten. 

If you’re a non-conference team in the regular season, don’t even bother playing Purdue. That has been true since December 2020. The Boilermakers have put together a historic winning streak with 39 consecutive victories in the regular season against out-of-conference opponents after their 87-78 victory over an Alabama team that received six first-place votes in the AP poll last week. It’s not as if this 39-game win streak hasn’t been tested either, with nine of those wins coming over top-10 opponents.

While everybody was wondering in the preseason how Purdue would handle life without Zach Edey, coach Matt Painter said that junior Trey Kaufman-Renn was poised to have a great year. Those words became reality in Friday’s signature win with the 6-foot-9 big man delivering 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists. With how much of a constant the backcourt of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are — with Smith posting 17 points and 10 assists and Loyer totaling 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting — that third piece emerging was the question mark with Purdue, and it was answered.

For Purdue to score 87 points and also limit a potent Crimson Tide backcourt to 9-of-29 shooting from beyond the arc was impressive. On the flip side, coach Nate Oats is clearly still trying to figure things out with his Alabama team, with Mark Sears (5 for 15 from the floor) and Cliff Omoruyi (2 for 5) struggling in the defeat.

Elsewhere, Wisconsin put up an unforgettable 103-88 win over 9th-ranked Arizona on a night when the Badgers were honoring their 2014 and 2015 Final Four teams.

There’s plenty to unpack with this result. First and foremost, it shows the depth of the Big Ten and why the conference can very well get a double-digit number of NCAA Tournament bids, because when the program that was projected to finish 12th in the league in the preseason polls beats a top-10 team, it’s an eye-opening and profile-boosting win. 

Missouri transfer and sixth-year senior John Tonje put up a historic performance with a career-high 41 points, two shy of the Badgers’ single-game record. Tonje drilled four of Wisconsin’s 12 triples and shot 21 for 22 from the free-throw line in a game that was heavy with whistles and had a combined 87 free throws taken. It wasn’t always pretty, but for the Badgers to score 103 points, get double-figure performances from returnees Max Klesmit and John Blackwell and finish off Arizona (in spite of the fact that it tied the game after a slow start) certainly is a needle-moving result for coach Greg Gard. He currently has an offense that sits at No. 18 in KenPom efficiency. Wisconsin is in my Top 25 because of this.

[Read more: 2024-25 college basketball preview: Ranking the top 50 players and coaches]

As for another big takeaway from the weekend, a Big East team went on the road and beat a Big Ten squad on Friday night in dramatic fashion, as top-15 Marquette went into College Park and held off Maryland, 78-74. 

Golden Eagles senior star Kam Jones continues to show he’s as good as any player in the country right now, with the 6-foot-5 guard going off for 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor, marking his third performance in the first four games of at least 24 in the scoring column. At one point in the second half, Jones went on his own personal 12-2 run over the Terps, who fought back in the final two minutes and showed their potential for this season but fell just short. Jones’ classmate Stevie Mitchell continued to display why he’s the ultimate Shaka Smart player, doing the dirty work and finishing the game with Marquette’s final eight points.

With that, here’s my updated Top 25. 

1. Kansas Jayhawks (4-0)

The Jayhawks started the week by grinding out a victory over Michigan State in a game that Hunter Dickinson dominated, but backcourt questions arose despite the win. That said, they’re 4-0 with wins over North Carolina and MSU, with AJ Storr breaking out for a 16-point showing in 19 minutes in a 78-57 win over Oakland on Saturday night. Is there a clear-cut top team in the nation? No, but Kansas is at the top with enough of a body of work and Dickinson, who’s as good as any offensive player in the country.

2. UConn Huskies (3-0)

The Huskies are 36-1 in their past 37 games against non-conference competition after a 90-49 win over Le Moyne on Wednesday. Preseason All-American Alex Karaban continued his strong start to the season with 17 points in the victory. UConn plays its final tune-up before the Maui Invitational when the back-to-back reigning national champions host East Texas A&M on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app).

3. Gonzaga Bulldogs (3-0)

The Zags moved to 3-0 on the season with a 113-54 win over UMass Lowell on Friday behind 21 points from Arkansas transfer Khalif Battle. They have a big road game against San Diego State at Viejas Arena on Monday night.

4. Auburn Tigers (3-0)

Johni Broome is one of the best players in America, but I don’t think he gets enough national love for just how great of a big man he is. He had 18 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in Wednesday’s 79-56 win over Kent State. 

5. Houston Cougars (2-1)

Even though the Cougars fell just short to Auburn last weekend, I still love coach Kelvin Sampson’s squad enough to keep them in my top five. Seven players scored at least eight points in Wednesday’s 91-45 win over Louisiana. We get a better gauge for the Cougars when they meet Alabama at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas next week. 

6. Purdue Boilermakers (4-0)

Freshman guard C.J. Cox appears to be an X-factor on the perimeter, going 7 for 10 from 3-point range in his past two games and combining for 23 points. That’s exactly the type of supplemental scoring the Boilermakers need around Smith, Loyer and Kaufman-Renn. Purdue has its first major road test of the year at Marquette on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app). 

7. Iowa State Cyclones (2-0)

The Cyclones, who return the majority of their pieces from a Sweet 16 and Big 12 Tournament championship team last year, are off to a 2-0 start after an 82-53 win over Kansas City last Monday. Senior guard Curtis Jones came off the bench and shot 7 for 11 from the floor for 20 points. We’ll get a better measuring stick for coach T.J. Otzelberger’s team when they meet Auburn in Round 1 of the Maui Invitational.

8. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-1)

The Crimson Tide are far from hitting their stride offensively, shooting just over 30% from 3-point land thus far and not fully meshing yet. Give Nate Oats some time. Remember: Last year’s team was 6-5 and ended up in the Final Four. Up next: The Tide take on Illinois — a team that’s just outside my Top 25 rankings — on Wednesday. Tomislav Ivisic, who’s coming off a 20-point performance in a win over Oakland this past week, will meet Omoruyi in that clash. 

9. North Carolina Tar Heels (2-1)

The Tar Heels followed up an impressive performance in a loss at Kansas with a 107-55 win over American. Elliott Cadeau is a totally different player in his second season for the Tar Heels, as the UNC point guard delivered 18 points, eight assists and four steals (and just one turnover) in the victory. Having him and RJ Davis together in the backcourt makes for one scary duo for the rest of the ACC. We’ll see UNC get tested more next week at the Maui Invitational.

10. Tennessee Volunteers (3-0)

The Volunteers posted a 2-0 week with Charlotte transfer Igor Milicic posting 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a 92-57 win over Montana on Wednesday. He then followed that up with a 23-point, nine-rebound outing in a 103-67 victory over Austin Peay on Sunday. It would appear coach Rick Barnes and his staff nailed it in the transfer portal once again after doing so last year with Dalton Knecht. 

11. Creighton Bluejays (4-0)

12. Kentucky Wildcats (3-0)

13. Duke Blue Devils (3-1)

14. Marquette Golden Eagles (4-0)

15. Baylor Bears (2-1)

16. Xavier Musketeers (4-0)

17. Arizona Wildcats (2-1)

18. Indiana Hoosiers (3-0)

19. Cincinnati Bearcats (3-0)

20. St. John’s Red Storm (4-0)

21. Florida Gators (4-0)

22. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-0)

23. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-1)

24. Wisconsin Badgers (4-0)

25. Texas A&M Aggies (3-1)

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

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The Alabama Crimson Tide dominated its inferior competition on Saturday, defeating Mercer 52-7 in the second-to-last home game of the year. The result was never in doubt but was the performance enough to move up in the polls?

The Crimson Tide entered the week ranked No. 9 in both the Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 Poll. No. 6 Tennessee and No. 7 BYU both took losses this week, creating room for Alabama to move up.

The Crimson Tide moved up to No. 7 in the Coaches Poll, the AP Top 25 Poll will be released later on Sunday.

Sunday’s rankings serve as conversation starters, however, the latest edition of the College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday night. These are the only rankings that will determine who gets in the 12-team CFP.

(Rank, Team, First-Place Votes, Record, Points)

1. Oregon, 55, 11-0, 1375
2. Ohio State, 9-1, 1316
3. Texas, 9-1, 1263
4. Penn State, 9-1, 1158
5. Indiana, 10-0, 1109
6. Notre Dame, 9-1, 1096
7. Alabama, 8-2, 996
8. Georgia, 8-2, 993
9. Ole Miss, 8-2, 984
10. Miami (FL), 9-1, 847
11. Tennessee, 8-2, 823
12. SM, 9-1, 744
13. Boise State, 9-1, 714
14. Texas A&M, 8-2, 646
15. BYU, 9-1, 633
16. Clemson, 8-2, 569
17. Army, 9-0, 509
18. Colorado, 8-2, 464
19. South Carolina, 7-3, 379
20. Tulane, 9-2, 280
21. Iowa State, 8-2, 268
22. Arizona State, 8-2, 251
23. UNLV, 8-2, 93
24. Memphis, 9-2, 77
25. Kansas State, 7-3, 67

Others Receiving Votes:

Washington State 65, Illinois 56, Missouri 44, Syracuse 18, James Madison 11, Duke 9, Pittsburgh 7, Louisiana 5, Louisville 2, Vanderbilt 1, Sam Houston 1, LSU 1, Colorado State 1.

This story will be updated with the AP Top 25 Poll when it’s released.

Much of the week has been spent pouring over SEC tiebreaker rules and trying to apply them to the season’s remaining regular season games. Before Saturday’s slate of games, one very realistic scenario had an eight-team first place SEC tie going down. Does a five-way tie change much?

Going into today’s action, if every SEC favorite won over the next three weeks and Arkansas beats Missouri, it would be LSU is in the SEC Championship Game vs. the winner of Texas and A&M.

That won’t happen now. LSU laid another huge egg in Gainesville in a 27-16 loss to the Gators. This was LSU’s third loss in a row, third conference loss and fourth loss on the season. The Tigers are out of any consideration for the postseason beyond bowl games.

While LSU’s loss clears up some of the SEC playoff picture, Georgia’s win over Tennessee actually muddles it a little more.

A Tennessee win would have basically eliminated the Georgia Bulldogs and given the Vols a very clear path to the SEC championship game. Instead, Georgia’s 31-17 win over Tennessee leaves the ‘Dawgs alive for the SEC title game. The Vols join the group with two losses.

ATHENS, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Josh Heupel of the Tennessee Volunteers shakes hands with head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs following the game at Sanford Stadium on November 16, 2024 in Athens, Georgia. Georgia defeated Tennessee 31-17. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

The SEC teams with two losses are Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Alabama. There are two teams with only one SEC loss — Texas and Texas A&M.

Obviously, the Horns and Aggies play each other so it is only possible for one team to end the season with one SEC loss. There could be zero one-loss teams since Texas and A&M each have a conference game to play before facing each other Thanksgiving weekend. (Trap game alert!)

None of the two-loss teams play each other over the next couple of weeks in conference. In fact, Georgia is actually done with its conference schedule.

Unless there’s a major upset, there would a single one-loss team and five two-loss teams. The two-loss teams will be subject to the SEC tiebreaker rules to produce a champ.

Since Texas is favored in both of its final two games, let’s assume the Longhorns win out and make it to Atlanta. (Obviously, there is much work to do)

SEC tiebreaker rules:

1. Head-to-head competition among the tied teams
2. Record vs. common conference opponents
3. Record against the high-place opponent among the tied teams
4. Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents

SEC common opponents:

There are too many teams to apply head-to-head. For the second tiebreaker, if applied to the five two-loss teams, the records would be Ole Miss (1-0), Alabama (1-1), Tennessee (1-1), Georgia (1-2) and Texas A&M (0-0).

• Alabama: beat Georgia but lost to Tennessee
• Georgia: beat Tennessee but lost to Ole Miss and Alabama
• Ole Miss: beat Georgia
• Tennessee: beat Alabama but lost to Georgia
• Texas A&M: hasn’t played any of the other two-loss tied teams

Future SEC Opponents:

• Alabama: Oklahoma (Away), Auburn (Home)
• Georgia: Done
• Ole Miss: Florida (Away), Mississippi State (Home)
• Tennessee: Vanderbilt (Away)
• Texas A&M: Auburn (Away), Texas (Home)

There is no round robin or common opponent for all five teams.

Cumulative conference winning percentage:

That means the deciding tiebreaker would be cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents for the five tied teams. Alabama currently leads those percentages.

1. Alabama (27-26, .509)
2. Georgia (23-28, .451)
3. Texas A&M (23-29, .442)
4. Ole Miss (22-33, .400)
5. Tennessee (21-32, .396)

Most Likely SEC Championship Matchup:

Under those circumstances, the SEC championship game opponents would be Texas and Alabama.

But the percentages could change. If Mississippi State upsets Mizzou next week it could actually change a lot. And as we’ve seen, upsets do happen. This entire model could be thrown out by next Saturday night.