Auburn has spent the past month ranked as the nation’s best team in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. The committee that will choose the 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament is just as high on the Tigers.

And the Southeastern Conference, for that matter.

Auburn was the top overall seed in the committee’s preliminary rankings unveiled Saturday, while Alabama and Florida joined as No. 1 regional seeds. They were the headliners for a league that had five of the top six seeds and six spots in the 16-seed unveiling with a month left until Selection Sunday.

Duke was the only interruption to the SEC’s running name call at the top, claiming the No. 3 overall seed.

The Tigers have held the top spot in the AP Top 25 for five straight weeks, and in advanced metrics they rank No. 1 in KenPom; No. 2 for Bart Torvik; and No. 3 for Evan Miyakawa. They also entered the weekend with a 13-2 record in Quadrant 1 games that headline a postseason resume; no other team had even 10 of those wins.

“Of all the voters in our group that were available to vote, they were the unanimous choice,” committee chairman Bubba Cunningham said on the CBS unveiling broadcast. “So they are clearly our No. 1.”

That impact trickled further down the bracket, too. Cunningham said five teams were seriously considered for top seeds. Ultimately Tennessee lost out, with Cunningham pointing to Florida’s win over Auburn as the edge for the Gators.

Fittingly, the unveiling came hours before the Tigers visit their in-state rival Crimson Tide in an AP 1-vs-2 throwdown, the first of two regular-season meetings that could alter landing spots by March.

Johni Broome had 19 points and 14 rebounds while five teammates also scored in double figures as No. 1 Auburn beat in-state rival and second-ranked Alabama 94-85.

Mark Sears scored 18 points and Grant Nelson added 12 points and 12 rebounds for Alabama, which rallied to tie the score after trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half but failed to complete the comeback.

SEC member Texas A&M followed Tennessee as the No. 6 overall seed, followed by Purdue and Houston as regional 2-seeds. Iowa State was next at No. 9 overall, followed by Kentucky, Wisconsin and Arizona as regional 3-seeds.

Texas Tech, Michigan, preseason AP No. 1 Kansas and St. John’s were 4-seeds to round out the top 16.

Cunningham said AP No. 11 Michigan State and No. 18 Marquette are “right there” for consideration of the teams just outside the top 16.

Saturday’s reveal is little more than a snapshot of where things stand, but teams listed above the cutline for a top-four regional seed generally stay there.

Since the first seed-reveal show in 2017, 94 of 112 teams (83.9%) have remained as top-16 seeds; that data from the NCAA excludes 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of that year’s tournament.

Additionally 22 of 28 teams with a 1-seed ended up on a top line.

Hockey

Ex-Shark scores game-winner >> Mikael Granlund skated toward the net on a 2-on-1 rush, cradled the puck on his stick twice and fired it past Linus Ullmark.

With that snipe of a goal in overtime Saturday, the former San Jose Shark put Finland right back in the mix at the 4 Nations Face-Off by beating Sweden 4-3 and keeping the compelling action going at the NHL-run international tournament.

“It’s great to come (out) on top, and at the same time we are alive in this tournament,” said Granlund, traded earlier this month to Dallas, whose goal came 1:49 into 3-on-3 OT. “Everything is in our own hands. Good for us.”

A regulation loss could have eliminated the Finns before the play shifts to Boston for the final. Instead, they bounced back from an early deficit to win an instant classic, back-and-forth masterpiece between the bitter rivals that Mikko Rantanen said was a must-win and “felt like a playoff game.”

Anton Lundell and Rantanen also scored for Finland, and Kevin Lankinen made 21 saves in his 4 Nations debut, including a pad stop on Mika Zibanejad seconds into overtime. Coach Antti Pennanen switched from Juuse Saros to Lankinen after his team lost 6-1 to the United States on Thursday night.