There were plenty of surprisng results in college basketball on Saturday with two of the biggest shockers coming when No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Duke both lost. The Tigers were upset at home 90-81 by No. 6 Florida. The Blue Devils met the same fate losing 77-71 at Clemson. Those losses could lead to Alabama taking over No. 1 in the major polls after the No. 3 Crimson Tide defeated Arkansas 85-81.
Speaking of the SEC, opportunities to catch your breath in the naton’s best conference and get back on track are few and far between 2025, which is why No. 14 Kentucky’s home game vs. South Carolina on Saturday was so significant. The Wildcats entered having lost four of their previous five and in serious need of a palate-cleanser.
That’s exactly what UK got in an 80-57 victory over South Carolina. Starting point guard Lamont Butler returned after a three-game absence due to a shoulder injury and played 23 minutes. Key players Andrew Carr and Jaxson Robinson also logged substantive action, despite being considered game-time decisions entering the game.
If Kentucky is going to reach the potential it showed with six victories over top-15 opponents, it will need all three players healthy down the stretch. Thankfully for first-year coach Mark Pope, the ease of Saturday’s win kept him from playing anyone more than 30 minutes ahead of a showdown with No. 4 Tennessee on Tuesday.
Alabama in position to move to No. 1 in major polls after road win vs. Arkansas follows losses by Auburn, Duke
Cameron Salerno
Things didn’t go nearly as well for another struggling blue blood on Saturday, as No. 16 Kansas fell to 3-3 over its last six games with an 81-73 loss at Kansas State. It was the defense which…
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