The anticipation of Saturday's Auburn vs. Kentucky game was second to none for a conference game this season. Two Final Four contenders playing their best basketball of the 2021-22 men's college basketball season, with a No. 1 pick favorite (Jabari Smith) battling in the frontcourt against a Wooden Award contender (Oscar Tshiebwe). The winner would also have the inside track to an SEC regular-season title, as this was the only head-to-head matchup between the Tigers and Wildcats this season. Due to injuries, however, the game faded somewhat in the second half, with Auburn pulling away and establishing itself as the clear No. 1 team in the country. The Tigers are also now the overwhelming favorite to win the SEC.

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College basketball Power Rankings: Auburn Tigers stay steady at the top as Houston and UCLA jump up

JEFF BORZELLOESPN Staff WriterJan 24, 202224 Minute Read

Jabari Smith's performance is helping to cement Auburn as the No. 1 team in the country -- and his chances of being the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

The anticipation of Saturday's Auburn vs. Kentucky game was second to none for a conference game this season. Two Final Four contenders playing their best basketball of the 2021-22 men's college basketball season, with a No. 1 pick favorite (Jabari Smith) battling in the frontcourt against a Wooden Award contender (Oscar Tshiebwe). The winner would also have the inside track to an SEC regular-season title, as this was the only head-to-head matchup between the Tigers and Wildcats this season. Due to injuries, however, the game faded somewhat in the second half, with Auburn pulling away and establishing itself as the clear No. 1 team in the country. The Tigers are also now the overwhelming favorite to win the SEC.

And that got me thinking: Most of the regular-season title battles are already trending toward one-horse races, despite six weeks remaining until conference tournaments. ESPN's College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a predictive metric that, among other things, estimates the probability of each team winning a conference title, while BartTorvik.com does conference title odds as well.

In the ACC, BPI gives Duke an 83.5% chance at a conference title, while Torvik puts the Blue Devils with a 79% chance of at least a share of the title. Villanova is the pace-setter in the Big East, sitting at 82.1% in the BPI and 84% at Torvik. Arizona, which plays at UCLA on Tuesday, is at 92.8% in the BPI and 89% at Torvik. The Big 12 is expectedly shaping up to be a two-team race, with Baylor (47.8% and 57%) and Kansas (43.5% and 50%) potentially going back-and-forth over the next two months. And after Saturday's win, BPI gives Auburn a 90.4% chance, while Torvik has the Tigers at 95%.

Perhaps the only top-six league with a strong chance for chaos is the Big Ten, where Illinois' back-to-back losses to Purdue and Maryland sent the standings into disarray. After Purdue's win over Northwestern on Sunday, Torvik has Purdue as the favorite -- but with only a 36% of at least a share and 18% of an outright title. Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin all have at least a 23% chance at a share.

Of course, this can all change very quickly, and predictive metrics aren't always correct. But it does show there are clear-cut favorites moving forward in most of the top leagues