Alabama the SEC’s team to beat, concern for St. John’s and more college basketball thoughts

The first Saturday in January gave us a taste of March: 120 games and more than 14 hours of nonstop basketball, from Virginia’s commanding win over NC State in the morning to Boise State and San Diego State battling for three overtimes overnight.

It also provided many new data points to inform us who we might be seeing more of when the calendar turns to March and the NCAA Tournament rolls around.

The Athletic’s college basketball staff’s biggest observations and takeaways from a busy day of hoops:

Is Alabama the team to beat in the SEC?

The No. 14 Crimson Tide (11-3, 1-0 SEC) completely dismantled Kentucky (9-5, 0-1) at home on Saturday, 89-74, leading by double digits for most of the final 30 minutes. (So much for Kentucky being back, by the way. Womp womp.) But the most encouraging part of Alabama’s performance was that it didn’t have to rely on heroics from all-world guard Labaron Philon, who scored a respectable 17 but failed to make a 3-pointer for only the second game this season.

Instead, Nate Oats got major contributions from the likes of Aden Holloway (26 points) and Amari Allen (11) — who combined to make nine of their 12 3-point attempts — and saw Noah Williamson’s best game yet in an Alabama jersey. The 7-foot Bucknell transfer scored 10 points in 18 minutes, looking like another solid frontcourt option for the Tide moving forward. Bama was without three rotation players most of Saturday — starting big Taylor Bol Bowen sat out with a sprained ankle, while sophomore big Aiden Sherell and freshman London Jemison each played limited minutes due to injuries — but it didn’t matter.

Put ’em on skates. pic.twitter.com/oMbGP9AKc8

— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) January 3, 2026

Whenever Bama gets its full roster healthy, it should be as deep as any team in the conference — and maybe the nation. Vanderbilt (14-0, 1-0) remains undefeated amid its own injury issues (more on this below), and both Arkansas (11-3, 1-0) and Florida (9-5, 0-1) have the potential to win the league, but not-at-full-strength Alabama showed why full-strength Alabama might be the SEC’s best by March. — Brendan Marks

Darryn Peterson’s return: Good news, bad news

It’s hard to know what to make of Kansas star Darryn Peterson’s return to the court after a three-week absence. Peterson, the potential No. 1 pick in this June’s NBA Draft, was aggressive in the first half against UCF, scoring 23 of his 26 points before halftime. Was he back? Like back back? Finally!

Nope. This game was like most of the others Peterson has played in. Peterson has played five games, and he has finished four of them on the bench, unable to go because of an injury or cramps or a combination of the two. (No. 17 Kansas has now lost two of those games, dropping this one 81-75.)

Bill Self said the reason Peterson did not return was his “legs feel differently the second half,” and Self, who said Peterson was on a minutes restriction, took the blame for playing him too many minutes in the first half. Peterson played 18 minutes before halftime, then played the opening four of the second half. He sat for 4 1/2 minutes, returned to make a corner 3-pointer that gave KU a 1-point lead, picked up a foul on the other end and then never re-entered the game, sitting the final 10:55.

It’s not quite to the point where I wonder if Peterson will ever play a full game, but it’s getting closer. There didn’t seem to be a singular moment where he reinjured himself, but he did almost seem to be holding back in the second half and not fully comfortable. The best-case scenario for Kansas would be if this is just a conditioning issue.

Kansas (10-4, 0-1 Big 12) hosts TCU (11-3, 1-0) on Tuesday. Self did not say anything to indicate that Peterson would not be available — nor did he say that Peterson would be. The “wait and see” game continues. — C.J. Moore

Duke, then … who? … in the ACC

It wasn’t pretty, but by outlasting Florida State 91-87, No. 6 Duke (13-1, 2-0 ACC) accomplished something that other ranked ACC teams have struggled with: winning on the road.

No. 21 Virginia (12-2, 1-1) started the trend on New Year’s Eve, losing in triple overtime to rival Virginia Tech (12-3, 1-1). The Cavaliers did bounce back with a nice road win at NC State (10-5, 1-1) on Saturday. On Friday, No. 16 Louisville (11-3, 1-1) fell to Stanford (12-3, 1-1) on the second leg of its West Coast swing. And on Saturday, No. 12 North Carolina (13-2, 1-1) made it a trio of thumping road losses, ceding 97 points to SMU (12-2, 1-0) — the most UNC has allowed in a regulation game since Hubert Davis’ debut season, back in February 2022.

In the grand scheme of things, Virginia, Louisville and UNC are going to be fine. All are more than capable of winning games (plural) in the NCAA Tournament.

But of the three, who has the best chance to realistically challenge Duke for the ACC title? I would’ve said Louisville a month or two ago — I picked the Cardinals to make the Final Four this preseason — but my faith has wavered some, even while acknowledging how much Pat Kelsey’s team misses point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who has been out with a back injury since Dec. 13. UNC intrigues also me, especially with Seth Trimble back from a broken forearm, but the SMU loss laid bare that the Tar Heels’ perimeter group remains a work in progress.

While Virginia isn’t fully whole, either — sharpshooter Jacari White remains out indefinitely with a broken wrist — it’s hard not to be encouraged by the Cavaliers’ size, versatility and improving defense. For now, I narrowly lean toward UVA, but there’s less separation in that top group than I would have predicted, and I’m expecting all four to be firmly in the mix come March. — Marks

Should we be worried about St. John’s? A little.

St. John’s center Zuby Ejiofor turned in a herculean effort Saturday. He scored 33 points, grabbed 15 rebounds (11 offensive) and went to the free throw line 23 times — the most attempts by a player in a Big East game in nearly seven years.

And yet the Red Storm (9-5, 2-1 Big East) lost at home, 77-71, to a Providence team that was previously 0-6 against KenPom top-100 teams. The rest of St. John’s starting five combined for just 24 points on 18.6 percent (8 of 43) shooting.

Saturday might have been an outlier performance for poor shooting — St. John’s 28.1 percent mark from the field was its worst performance since its second-round loss to Arkansas in last year’s NCAA Tournament. But it wasn’t the first uneven performance for a group that already has as many losses as last year’s 31-5 team.

Right now, the Red Storm’s resume looks more like that of a bubble team than the Big East contender it was expected to be in the preseason. Against top-100 opponents, it’s just 2-5. Against top-50 opponents, it’s 1-4. As it stands now, this was an ugly Quad 3 loss for St. John’s in the system the NCAA uses to sort games; the Friars (8-6, 1-2) entered the day ranked 101st in the NET.

St. John’s can only have better days shooting the basketball, and the Big East doesn’t have many juggernauts — just UConn. But road games at Butler (10-5, 1-3) and Creighton (9-5, 3-0) this week — two teams rated higher than Providence — should illuminate just how worried we need to be about the Red Storm. — Mark Cooper

Miami (the other one) could be ranked next week

Or at least the Redhawks should be ranked after Saturday’s 76-73 win over Akron, given that Miami (Ohio) is now 15-0, the only undefeated non-high-major left in Division I. The Redhawks haven’t been ranked since the 1998-99 season, when, led by All-American Wally Szczerbiak, they rose as high as No. 22. Miami went to the Sweet 16 as a 10 seed that year.

This team doesn’t have a scorer like Szczerbiak, but it does have five different players who average 10 points or more, including super sub Almar Atlason (12.3 ppg), an Icelandic native who transferred from Bradley. Brant Byers, the 2025 MAC Freshman of the Year, leads the team with 15.4 points per game.

It’s true that Miami’s schedule is populated with teams you might not have heard of — Mercyhurst, Indiana East and Milligan, to name a few — but it’s also true that being blemish-free in January is worthy of a top-25 nod. Miami has been getting Associated Press Top 25 votes for a few weeks, but just broke into the “others receiving votes” category in the coaches’ poll last week.

Ya’ll hear us yet?? 1️⃣5️⃣#UnFinishedBusiness || #MiamiMindset || #RiseUpRedHawks pic.twitter.com/D7x2cO5SYu

— Miami Men’s Basketball (@MiamiOH_BBall) January 4, 2026

Miami’s win Saturday over Akron (10-4, 1-1) is especially noteworthy because the Zips represented the Mid-American Conference at the past two NCAA Tournaments and they rank 55th in KenPom — higher than several power-conference teams, including Missouri (which just beat Florida) and Providence. Numbers-wise, Miami’s most impressive stat might not actually be 15-0 but rather 43.9 — the percentage the Redhawks shoot from 3, the best in college hoops. According to KenPom, the Redhawks are also No. 12 in effective field goal percentage.

All of which is to say: This team knows how to score, and you’d be wise to get familiar with them before March. — Lindsay Schnell

Appreciate Braden Smith while you can

There’s a new all-time assists leader in the Big Ten … and it’s likely his record will remain unbroken for a long, long time.

With 9:25 to play Saturday against Wisconsin, Purdue point guard Braden Smith drove to the rim, drew a help defender and flipped the ball to forward Oscar Cluff, who muscled inside for the bucket and foul, giving Smith the 891st assist of his four-year career.

BIG TEN HISTORY!

The moment @BoilerBall Braden Smith became the Big Ten all-time assists leader! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/VKA8bL5dRy

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 4, 2026

The pass moved Smith in front of former Michigan State guard Cassius Winston, who tallied 890 career assists from 2016 to 2020. Another Spartans guard, Mateen Cleaves, is third on the list. Smith’s performance in No. 5 Purdue’s 89-73 win at Wisconsin — 14 points, 12 assists — gives him 893, with 17 regular-season games left to play. Saturday also marked the 18th double-double of his career.

Smith, a popular preseason pick for national player of the year, is now tied with former Arkansas State guard Chico Fletcher for No. 18 all-time in Division I assists. Taking over the No. 1 slot — which has been held by former Duke guard and current Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley since 1993 — is still within reach. Hurley totaled 1,076 assists over 140 career games, a 7.7 per-game clip. Through 124 career games, Smith is averaging 7.2.

There are concerns about Smith’s size at the next level, but there is no question he’s a brilliant college point guard. And given how uncommon it has become to stay at one school for four years, Smith’s Big Ten record appears unlikely to be topped anytime soon. We should all appreciate his play — and his basketball IQ — while we can. — Schnell

Tyler Tanner and Vanderbilt have a chance to pick up a statement win against Alabama this week. (Jeff Blake / Imagn Images)

Vanderbilt’s meteoric rise continues

No. 11 Vanderbilt is about to be a top-10 team, and the “Commodores haven’t played anyone” narrative took a hit Saturday.

Two of Vandy’s best wins — at UCF and a 19-point home win over SMU — look much better now that SMU knocked off North Carolina and UCF beat Kansas on Saturday. Those two teams are now a combined 24-1 in games when they’re not playing Vanderbilt (14-0, 1-0 SEC). The Commodores also took care of business on the road Saturday, beating South Carolina 83-71 while missing leading scorer Duke Miles because of injury.

Vanderbilt has a huge opportunity to legitimize itself as the SEC favorite Wednesday night, when Alabama comes to Nashville. Even just one game into conference play, Vandy, Bama and Arkansas appear to be establishing themselves as the league’s top tier. All three looked strong in their SEC openers Saturday.

If Vandy is ranked in the top 10 on Monday — and it’ll likely move up with No. 9 Michigan State (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) losing Friday night at No. 13 Nebraska (14-0, 3-0) — it’ll be the first time the school has been in the top 10 since the 2011-12 preseason. The Commodores haven’t been top 10 during the season since 1992-93. — Moore

And while you were sleeping …

San Diego State tried to give its fans a heart attack — and then they put on a pretty good show in a triple-overtime thriller, beating Boise State, 110-107.

After blowing a 24-point, first-half lead, SDSU (9-4, 3-0 Mountain West) managed to hang on for dear life as Boise State (9-5, 1-2) forced overtime. The Broncos’ comeback happened mostly because of former NAIA All-American Javan Buchanan, who went a perfect 8-for-8 from the field in regulation and finished with a career-high 29 points.

It looked like SDSU was toast with 27 seconds to play in the first overtime, trailing 93-87. Then, Aztecs guard Elzie Harrington hit a 3 with 10 seconds to go, SDSU guard BJ Davis stole the inbounds pass with nine seconds to go, and followed that up by hitting a 3 with 0.4 seconds to go to send the game into double OT.

BJ WITH THE EQUALIZER pic.twitter.com/eppZ3JI1DI

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) January 4, 2026

Davis led SDSU with 22 points, including 9 in the first overtime. He didn’t score in the second or third overtime, but his team held Boise State without a field goal over the final 4:04, and the Aztecs escaped with the win to remain undefeated in conference play. Davis also had 10 rebounds and six assists.

The Aztecs struggled against top competition in nonconference play, going 1-3 against power-conference foes — the caveat being that two of those losses came to No. 1 Arizona and No. 2 Michigan. But the lack of marquee wins leaves them with less margin for error in their pursuit of a sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. — Schnell