Alabama and Auburn were victorious Wednesday night, with the former knocking off Mississippi State 88-84 in Starkville and the latter handing LSU an 87-74 loss in Baton Rouge. Following the Crimson Tide’s narrow victory, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein grouped the two Yellowhammer State teams with Duke in a very favorable way.
“The three best teams on a neutral court: *In no particular order,” Rothstein prefaced before naming Auburn, Duke, and Alabama in that order.
Truthfully, Alabama sits behind the other two. The Blue Devils have only lost to blue bloods Kansas and Kentucky. The Tigers have only lost to Duke.
While the Blue Devils got the head-to-head win, Auburn has 12 Quad 1 wins during the 2024-25 season. Duke has less than a quarter of that total.
ESPN’s Andraya Carter had a succinct reason why the Tigers are ahead of the Blue Devils as the nation’s best team: Duke is a one-man show with Cooper Flagg leading the charge.
“I love this Duke team. I love the way they play. They have this system offensively, but to me, everything still surrounds Cooper Flagg,” Carter said, per Saturday Down South. “They have a ton of talent, but who creates for that talent? Cooper Flagg creates for everybody. He is the centerpiece for everything … more often than not, they rely on Cooper Flagg.
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing (that Duke doesn’t play through a ball-dominant guard). Even when you talk about a team being full-strength … there’s still in-game slippage, there’s still having an off night, there’s still foul trouble, and to me, Auburn is the best team because they have the most depth to withstand those in-game obstacles.”
As long as Flagg has to be the star of the show, the Blue Devils are at the mercy of his performance.
Auburn has a system under Bruce Pearl that promotes team ball, and it’s been the top system all season. Most recognize that despite the lone blemish at Cameron Indoor against Duke.
Alabama is also a well-oiled machine under Nate Oats, but their record is tainted by losses to Ole Miss, as a double-digit favorite no less, and more forgivable ones to Oregon and Purdue.
It’s still only January. Come March, this conversation could have new participants.
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