College basketball stock watch: John Calipari get last laugh, Saint Marys is booming
The Post’s Zach Braziller provides a college basketball stock watch and look ahead to this week’s biggest games.No.5 Florida at No.
1 Auburn, Saturday, 4 p.m.:Saturday’s showdown against the Gators will mark Auburn’s sixth game this season against a current Top 10 team.The top-ranked Tigers are 4-1 in such contests, well on their way to the overall No.
1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.They own a ridiculous 12-1 record in Quad 1 games, and sit all alone atop the dominant SEC, a game in the loss column up on No.
4 Alabama.Expect offensive fireworks in this one, as two of the top 5 offenses in terms of efficiency in the nation meet.1.
Auburn, Duke, Alabama, Tennessee2.Purdue, Iowa State, Florida, Houston3.
Marquette, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Michigan State4.Kansas, Arizona, Ole Miss, MissouriJohn CalipariSaturday’s victory at No.
12 Kentucky had to be one of the most satisfying wins of the Hall of Fame coach’s career.On a night when he was booed in his old arena, despite leading the Wildcats to a national championship and four Final Four berths in 15 mostly successful seasons, Calipari led his new program, Arkansas, to a win that could ultimately get them into the NCAA Tournament.
Calipari was gracious afterward, when nobody would’ve faulted him for taking a few parting shots at the Kentucky fan base.Saint Mary’sThe WCC is Saint Mary’s to lose.After knocking off Gonzaga on Saturday night, the Gaels have won 10 straight games, and hold a commanding three-game lead over San Francisco and the Zags.
Their three losses, to Utah State, Arizona State and Boise State, have each come by seven points or fewer.Despite losing star guard Aidan Mahaney to the transfer portal, Saint Mary’s is having another big year, buoyed by scoring depth — six players average at least nine points per game — and a defense that allows 60.8 points, the seventh-lowest total in the country.KansasThe preseason No.
1 team is showing major cracks.After blowing a 21-point lea...