Gonzaga’s 83-63 destruction of UCLA got a lot of attention earlier this week in part because it was just the 43rd time in college basketball history that the teams ranked first and second in the Associated Press Top 25 poll played each other. But the truth is that Friday night’s showdown between Gonzaga and Duke was always the more interesting matchup on paper.
It’s Chet Holmgren vs. Paolo Banchero.
Barring another meeting in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, this will be the first and only game this season featuring the two prospects currently expected to be selected first and second in the 2022 NBA Draft. Reasonable minds can disagree on which one should and will go first. But, at this point in the process, basically everybody has Holmgren (Gonzaga) and Banchero (Duke) coming off of the board first and second in some order.
Both are frontcourt stars — but very different.
Holmgren is a 7-foot, 195-pound center who rim-protects on defense and floats on offense. He can score at the rim or step away and consistently knock down jumpers all the way out to the 3-point line. Banchero is a 6-10, 250-pound forward who is big and strong and skilled and versatile. He’s averaging 17.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Both freshmen project as possible future NBA All-Stars. So seeing them on the court with each other in a top-10 matchup is a special Black Friday treat.
Gonzaga remains No. 1 in Friday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Duke is No. 7. And Iona — yes, Iona! — is No. 23 after Thursday’s 72-68 victory over Alabama. Rick Pitino’s Gaels entering the rankings, combined with Alabama dropping to No. 24, caused Ohio State, Seton Hall and LSU to drop one spot each, no fault of their own. That means LSU is now what amounts to No. 27 in the Top 25 And 1.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
9
Michigan State
13
Alabama
IN: Iona
OUT: LSU
