The Double Bonus

The Naismith preseason watch list was released Tuesday and it features 50 names, 40 of which have almost no shot of winning the prestigious award that Ohio State‘s Evan Turner took home last year.

So who has a chance?

Well, for starters, let’s get rid of every one not from one of the six major conferences because – let’s face it – they have no shot of winning this. It’s just like the Heisman. If you don’t play for one of the big boys no one notices you enough. It’s a sad reality but reality nonetheless.

With that logic in mind we unfortunately have to eliminate some really great players like BYU‘s Jimmer Fredette. But thanks for playing.

So after step 1, that knocks the list down to 38. From that 38, we’ll eliminate players whose teams have almost no shot of playing any meaningful games in March. Goodbye to the likes of Washington’s State‘s Klay Thompson, Ole Miss‘ Chris Warren, Colorado‘s Alec Burks and Penn State‘s Talor Battle.

That whittles the list down to 34.

Next step is to get rid of the players starring on an above average team that has legitimate NCAA Tournament aspirations heading into the season. They could overachieve and win a game or two in the tournament or sweat out Selection Sunday.

So that gets rid of the likes of Arizona‘s Derrick Williams, Seton Hall‘s Jeremy Hazell, UConn‘s Kemba Walker, Georgia‘s Trey Thompkins, Maryland‘s Jordan Williams, Northwestern‘s John Shurna, Vanderbilt‘s Jeff Taylor and West Virginia‘s Kevin Jones.

And now we’re down to 26.

Next step is to eliminate redundancies, meaning a nominee from the same team that features a superstar caliber player who will garner much of the focus by the media. Goodbye Ohio State‘s William Buford, Duke‘s Nolan Smith, Michigan State‘s Durrell Summers, North Carolina‘s Tyler Zeller and Purdue‘s E’Twaun Moore.

And now we’re down to 21.

Next step get rid of the players who are good but not good enough. Adios Missouri‘s Kim English, Georgetown‘s Austin Freeman, Syracuse‘s Kris Joseph, Baylor‘s Perry Jones, Illinois‘s Demetri McCarney, Villanova‘s Corey Fisher, Wisconsin‘s Jon Leuer, Washington‘s Isaiah Thomas, Pittsburgh‘s Ashton Gibbs and Florida‘s Chandler Parsons.

And finally, goodbye freshman point guards. There’s just too much on your plate to be the best player in the nation, no matter how much hype you’re getting coming into the season. Peace, Duke‘s Kyrie Irving and Kentucky‘s Brandon Knight.

And we’re left with nine I believe are legitimate Naismith contenders.

Chris Singleton, Florida State, F – Longshot indeed but got off to a great start by recording a triple-double in FSU’s season opener. Odds: 50-1

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina, F – The No. 1 recruit in the freshman class will have a lot riding on his shoulders as the Tar Heels will look for him to help improve last year’s offensively challenged squad. Odds: 25-1

Macolm Delaney, Virginia Tech, PG – He’s going to handle the ball for a team some people think could reach the Final Four and he averaged 20-plus last season. Odds: 20-1

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, F – Not a bad debut for the freshman who went for 19 and 14 in the Buckeyes’ season opener. He should be the No. 1 scoring option down low for a team that has national title aspirations. Odds: 15-1

JaJaun Johnson, Purdue, F – The Boilermakers’ top option in the frontcourt, the senior can score from the post and has improved his range considerably. Odds: 15-1

Marcus Morris, Kansas, F – Just like Johnson, he’s the Jayhawks go-to guy now that Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins are no longer in Lawrence. Odds: 10-1

Jacob Pullen, Kansas State, PG – With Denis Clemente gone, Pullen moves back to handling point guard duties. It could affect his scoring average but when it comes to college basketball few epitomize it more than he does: Odds: 10-1

Kalin Lucas, Michigan State, PG – Is there a more clutch player than Lucas? He seems to hit every tough shot in every tough spot for Michigan State. Only problem is can he stay healthy? Odds: 10-1

Kyle Singler, Duke, F – He’s a senior on the best team in the nation and the Blue Devils’ No. 1 scoring option who can score in so many different ways, especially from the outside. He was the NCAA Tournament MOP and he’s gotten more press than any other college player coming into the season. He’s the clear favorite. Odds: 5-1

Indeed. It’s about that time.

The 2010-11 college basketball season kicks off next week and instead of writing a 1,000 long winded previews on the 300-plus teams and endless number of conferences that just about everyone else out there has already written, I figured I’d look at things a little differently.

Based on the odds, of course.

So here’s a look at how the guys out in Vegas have handicapped the race to win the 2011 NCAA Tournament with a quick breakdown of each team’s chances.

Duke senior Kyle Singler avearged 17.7 points per game last year. (AP)

Duke
10-11 Odds: 4-1
Last Year: National Champs (35-5)
Key Returnees: Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, The Plumlee Brothers
Why They Can Win It All: Well, aside from bringing back Singler and Smith, you may have heard about this freshman that Coach K is raving about. Does the name Kyrie Irving ring a bell? He’s a point guard? Nothing? If you don’t know him you will shortly. Cutting to the chase, the Blue Devils are just plan loaded.
Why They Won’t Win It All: A freshman point guard? Other than that you’re really are grabbing at straws to find a reason why the Blue Devils won’t repeat.

Kentucky
10-11 Odds: 8-1
Last Year: Elite Eight (35-3)
Key Returnees: Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins
Why They Can Win It All: John Calipari lost a ton of talent from last year’s team. John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe were all one-and-done. But that hasn’t stopped Calipari from bringing in another awesome class of impact freshmen, led by Brandon Knight, Cal’s next big-impact freshman point guard, and Enes Kanter, a European big man who may have to sit some games before he’s allowed to suit up.
Why They Won’t Win It All: I said throughout last year that Kentucky’s inexperience would cost them in the NCAA Tournament and it did dearly against West Virginia. Same rule applies with this year’s team.

Michigan State
10-11 Odds: 9-1
Last Year: Final Four
Key Returnees: Kalin Lucas, Delvon Roe, Durrell Summers
Why They Can Win It All: A healthy Lucas is one of the most clutch players in the nation and this team returns a ton of experience having been to two straight Final Fours. Plus, this being a Tom Izzo team, you know they’re going to be one of the nation’s best defensive teams.
Why They Won’t Win It All: The loss of Raymar Logan will be significant along with the dismissal of Chris Allen. Health will be the biggest issue for the Spartans. Stay healthy and this team should make it to its third straight Final Four.

Kansas State
10-11 Odds: 10-1
Last Year: Elite Eight (29-8)
Key Returnees: Jacob Pullen, Curtis Kelly, Jamar Samuels
Why They Can Win It All: A great core returns, led by Pullen, one of the top point guards in the country, and they have some big bodies who can score and rebound underneath. Head coach Frank Martin likes his class of sophomores and expects big contributions from them.
Why They Won’t Win It All: Pullen is transitioning back to the point guard spot after the Wildcats lost the services of Denis Clemente. Expectations have never been higher for K-State. While this is an experienced team, can they handle the increased pressure following last year’s run to a regional final?

Memphis
10-11 Odds: 13-1
Last Year: NIT (24-10)
Key Returnees: Will Coleman, Wesley Witherspoon
Why They Can Win It All: Ask the experts and many will tell you that Memphis – and not Kentucky or North Carolina or Duke – has the top freshman class in the nation. With the likes of Joe Jackson and Chris Crawford, there’s a lot to be excited about with the Tigers. The wing play should be overwhelming and controlling the boards, which was a big problem last year, should be significantly improved this year.
Why They Won’t Win It All: Inexperience at so many key positions and while the non-conference schedule is impressive with games against Kansas, Georgetown, Tennessee and Gonzaga, C-USA will once again be underwhelming meaning the Tigers will be relatively lightly tested by the time they get to March.

North Carolina
10-11 Odds: 13-1
Last Year: NIT (20-17)
Key Returnees: Ed Davis, Marcus Ginyard, Deon Thompson
Why They Can Win It All: The Tar Heels are bringing in the nation’s top freshman in Harrison Barnes who some have already tabbed as the player of the year. High praise, indeed, but Barnes is going to have a huge impact. So will freshman Reggie Bullock whose shooting range will give defenses big problems. The nightmare season of last year is behind them and all the Injuries and inexperience are in the rear view mirror.
Why They Won’t Win It All: Frontcourt depth will be an issue with the Heels. And just like Kentucky, relying on freshmen to deliver when the going gets tough can be a recipe for disaster.

Purdue
10-11 Odds: 15-1
Last Year: Sweet 16 (29-5)
Key Returnees: E’Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson
Why They Can Win It All: Moore and Johnson are a dynamic duo up front for the Boilermakers but let’s be serious about their odds…
Why They Won’t Win It All: No Robbie Hummel means no real shot at the Final Four. The Boilermakers heart and soul was on his way to making a comeback from season-ending knee surgery late last season but the forward re-injured the knee – in the first practice of the new season – and should miss the entire season. A crushing blow to a team that pretty much had it’s title hopes dashed on Day 1.

Texas
10-11 Odds: 15-1
Last Year: NCAA Tournament 1st Round (24-10)
Key Returnees: J’Covan Brown, Jordan Hamilton, Dogus Balbay
Why They Can Win It All: N/A
Why They Won’t Win It All: At 15-1, Vegas is being very, very generous with the Longhorns. Truth be told, this team really should be in the 25-1 range. They’re not that good. Rick Barnes is coming off his self-described worst coaching job of his career plus three of the team’s top four scorers from last season are gone.

Villanova's Corey Fisher avearged 13.3 points per game last season.

Villanova
10-11 Odds: 16-1
Last Year: NCAA Tournament 2nd Round (25-8)
Key Returnees: Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, Antonio Pena
Why They Can Win It All: The Wildcats appear to be the cream of the Big East crop with yet another ultra-talented backcourt led by Fisher and Stokes. Fisher will probably handle most of the point guard duties while Stokes will thrive on the wing. When the Wildcats are hitting their shots they’re going to be ridiculously tough to take down. Motivation should be high after last year’s very disappointing exit in the second round of the Tournament.
Why They Won’t Win It All: Defense was an issue with the Wildcats last year and it probably will be this year. As offensively talented as Villanova is – despite not having Scottie Reynolds – they’re decidedly lacking on the defensive end. Head coach Jay Wright will have to develop some defensive toughness with this team after it was sorely missing last year.

Pittsburgh
10-11 Odds: 18-1
Last Year: NCAA Tournament 2nd Round (25-9)
Key Returnees: Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker, Gilbert Brown
Why They Can Win It All: I wouldn’t say that Pitt overachieved last year, but let’s just say the kind of regular season the Panthers put together wasn’t expected. Pitt returns just about all of its scoring from last year and expect really big things from Wanamaker who moves over from the three spot to the two. Jamie Dixon is probably the most underrated coach in a BCS conference. If you don’t believe me, just check out his winning percentage in Big East play.
Why They Won’t Win It All: The Panthers always seem to underachieve. Despite Dixon’s regular season brilliance in his seven seasons at the helm, Pitt hasn’t gotten to the next level, i.e. the Final Four. And keep an eye on frontcourt play. The bodies down low aren’t gong to overwhelm the nation’s best and they showed last year that they can be maddeningly inconsistent.

Kansas
10-11 Odds: 18-1
Last Year: NCAA Tournament 2nd Round (33-3)
Key Returnees: Tyshawn Taylor, Brady Morningstar, The Morris Twins
Why They Can Win It All: The Jayhawks have plenty of talent this year, so what’s new? Josh Selby is the freshman to look out for in the backcourt, although Selby still isn’t cleared to play yet. A lot will be expected of the Morris boys who will have to step up into the considerable leadership void. Truth be told, there are more reasons to say no than yes with this team.
Why They Won’t Win It All: As much talent as this team will feature they’ve lost a ton from last year’s loaded squad. No more Cole Aldrich or Sherron Collins. Forty-nine percent of its scoring from last year is gone and that’s a lot of overcome. Also there’s the track record. Why does Kansas perpetually underachieve?

Baylor
10-11 Odds: 18-1
Last Year: Elite Eight (28-8)
Key Returnees: LaceDarius Dunn, Anthony Jones, Quincy Acy
Why They Can Win It All: The Bears might have the best shooting guard in the country in Dunn. And the rest of the Bears are pretty good as well, including forwards Acy and Jones. Unfortunately, Dunn’s status with the team is still undetermined. With an early fall domestic abuse incident, Dunn is cleared to practice but suspended from competition indefinitely.
Why They Won’t Win It All: Three starters are gone from last year’s squad, including big man Ekpe Udoh and the valuable Tweety Carter. Point guard will be a question mark and how will the Bears deal with the added weight of big expectations? Baylor had a season for the ages under Scott Drew last season. Equaling that same success is going a tough, tough job. It’ll be impossible if Dunn misses significant time.

Other Notables With Long Odds: Butler (28-1), BYU (50-1), Connecticut (50-1), Florida (20-1), Florida State (60-1), Georgetown (22-1), Gonzaga (50-1), Illinois (22-1), Louisville (20-1), Missouri (48-1), Ohio State (25-1), Syracuse (28-1), Washington (55-1), West Virginia (55-1)

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Wednesday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 13 Vanderbilt 64, Florida 60
Vandy kept alive its hopes of an SEC regular season title by earning its first victory in Gainesville in its last nine tries Tuesday. But on the other end of the spectrum, the Commodores handed Florida a crucial loss in their drive to the field of 65. Vandy gave itself the chance to steal the conference crown if Kentucky loses its final two games and while that’s not likely, Florida missing the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year is certainly possible. The Gators, unless they can knock off the Wildcats this weekend in Lexington, might be a little on the anxious side when Selection Sunday finally arrives in a week and a half.

No. 6 Ohio State 73, Illinois 57
The Buckeyes clinched at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title and the top seed in the conference tournament next week with a convincing win over the Illini in Columbus. In their regular season finale, the Buckeyes capped quite the turnaround after a 1-3 start in the league, winning 13 of their last 14 games. Illinois, on the other hand, has picked a bad time to start losing and the Illini are going to sweat out Selection Sunday. A matchup with Wisconsin this weekend to close out the regular season could be their last chance to improve a shaky resume.

No. 9 Villanova 77, Cincinnati 73
Put a fork in Cincinnati’s NCAA Tournament hopes because they’re done after the Bearcats couldn’t knock off the Wildcats at home. Scottie Reynolds scored all 17 of his points in the second half and helped stake Villanova to a 16 point lead before things got closer than head coach Jay Wright would have liked. Unless Cincinnati can rip off an improbable run in next week’s Big East Tournament the Bearcats are looking at the NIT.

Links

Syracuse cruised past St. John’s in its first game as No. 1. [Syracuse Post-Standard]

UTEP clinched the C-USA regular season title by beating Marshall on the road. [El Paso Times]

Minnesota needed a win over Michigan Tuesday and the Gophers played like a bunch of dogs against a dead Wolverines team. No NCAA Tournament for Minnesota. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

Pat Forde, in his latest Forde Minutes, highlights the nation’s best venues. [ESPN.com]

Purdue’s E’Twaun Moore and JaJaun Johnson are planning on coming back to Purdue next season. Good news for Boilermakers fans. [Indianapolis Star]

Vegas Watch ran an NCAA Tournament simulation and the favorite to win it all is…Duke. [Vegas Watch]

This probably means Craig Robinson won’t be the next head coach at DePaul. [The Sporting News]

Stewart Mandel tackles NCAA Tournament expansion which seems – unfortunately – more and more inevitable. There are not enough words in the English language to properly convey my disgust for the most hyper-sensitive, insanely needling, controlling and hypocritical organization in the U.S. But I just gave you five to start. [SI.com]

Tonight’s Must See Game

Connecticut at Notre Dame
Line: Notre Dame -2
KenPom: Notre Dame -2
TV: ESPN, 7 pm
Simply put, it’s a Big East bubble game. A must win for both teams, and probably more so for UConn after their home loss to Louisville Sunday. The Irish are one of the hottest teams in the conference, having ripped off recent wins over Pittsburgh and Georgetown, all without leading scorer Luke Harangody. The Irish big man will likely miss Wednesday’s game, his fifth straight, but that hasn’t stopped Notre Dame from making a late season surge toward the NCAA Tournament. If UConn wants to continue their push taking care of the ball will be paramount. Another 22 turnover performance will send them to the NIT.

No. 5 Kansas State at No. 2 Kansas
Line: Kansas -9.5
KenPom: Kansas -7
TV: ESPN Full Court, 8 pm
One of the biggest games of the season is not on national TV – which is unfathomable – so you better have access to ESPN Full Court or some other means of watching this game because this will have big implications on the national picture. Kansas State is playing for that final No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and probably needs this win to secure that. Kansas is still considered to be the No. 1 overall seed by tournament prognosticators, but might that status change with a second straight loss? It’s a shame a national audience won’t see this one considering how good of a game these two gave us in their first meeting.

No. 4 Duke at Maryland
Line: Duke -1.5
KenPom: Duke -3
TV: ESPN, 9pm
Duke can wrap up the regular season ACC title or make the weekend much more interesting when they visit College Park. Maryland sits one game behind the Blue Devils in the conference standings with two games to go. So it’s all out there for the Terps. Win and tie the Blue Devils. Lose and settle for second. Also at stake? ACC Player of the Year consideration. It’s a two-man race between Duke’s Jon Scheyer and Maryland Greivis Vasquez. And many – including one ACC coach – believe it should be Vasquez

Others To Keep An Eye On: No. 2 Kentucky at Georgia, TCU at No. 8 New Mexico, No. 14 BYU at Utah, No. 20 Temple at Saint Louis

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Tuesday.

No. 10 West Virginia 81, No. 19 Georgetown 68
Georgetown continued to limp toward the finish line as the Mountaineers routed the Hoyas in Morgantown. Georgetown was certainly hurt without the services of Austin Freeman, who sat out due to an illness, dropping its fourth game in five tries. West Virginia led by as many as 27 points in the second half, forced 20 Georgetown turnovers and knocked down 13 more free throws than the Hoyas. The final score doesn’t really indicate how badly the Hoyas were beaten. West Virginia, on senior night, clinched a coveted double bye in the Big East Tournament next week.

Links

Syracuse, predictably, catapulted up to No. 1 Monday afternoon. [Syracuse Post-Standard]

I wasn’t the only one who thought Kansas should have stayed at No. 1. Plenty of others agreed. [FoxSports.com, CBSSports.com & SBNation]

New bracket projections, two feature Connecticut in the field: Bracketology [ESPN.com] | Bracketology 101 [FoxSports.com] | Jerry Palm [CBSSports.com]

Seth Davis gets the lowdown on some of the nation’s best team, like Kansas, Kansas State and New Mexico. [SI.com]

Luke Harangody might be done for the year. But without their best player, Notre Dame has been playing its best basketball of the season. Go figure. [Chicago Tribune]

And the reasons why Rutgers to the Big Ten makes the most sense. [Chicago Tribune]

The MWC slapped New Mexico coach Steve Alford on his hand after things got a little heated in the post-game handshake line Saturday. [USA Today]

We know Kentuckians like their whiskey. The question is does John Calipari? [Louisville Courier-Journal]

Are officials overworked? Of course. [CollegeHoops.net]

Tonight’s Must See Games

St. John’s at No. 1 Syracuse
Line: Syracuse -14
KenPom: Syracuse -16
TV: ESPN Full Court, 7 pm
The Carrier Dome won’t be holding 36,000 like it did Saturday, but it’s going to be loud as the Syracuse faithful close another successful regular season. Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku will get a special send-off on senior night as Syracuse will play its first game as the nation’s No. 1 in 20 years, becoming just the sixth team in the history of the polls to ascend to the top spot after starting the year unranked. Other than that sidebar, there’s not much to this game. Syracuse has already wrapped up the top spot in the Big East Tournament.

No. 9 Villanova at Cincinnati
Line: Villanova -3.5
KenPom: Villanova -4
TV: ESPN Full Court, 7 pm
Cincinnati still has an outside shot at making the tournament but this game is a an absolute must for the Bearcats. Villanova is not the same team that was rolling through the Big East a few weeks ago and the Wildcats enter this one on a two-game road losing streak. The culprit? Getting badly out-rebounded – something the Wildcats can’t really overcome because of a lack of size – and not knocking down their free throws.

No. 13 Vanderbilt at Florida
Line: Florida -3
KenPom: Florida -2
TV: ESPN, 7 pm
Gators get another chance to add a big win to their NCAA Tournament resume and they better do it Tuesday night because a trip to Rupp Arena awaits this weekend when the regular season concludes. Projections have the Gators in the field of 65 but they don’t want to leave it to chance. Vanderbilt hasn’t won in Gainesville in nine years as they look to clinch a bye in next week’s SEC Tournament. The top two teams in the league’s two divisions get a breather on the tournament’s first day.

Illinois at No. 6 Ohio State
Line: Ohio State -9.5
KenPom: Ohio State -10
TV: ESPN, 9 pm
This is Ohio State’s final game of the regular season and if the Buckeyes want to earn a share of the Big Ten title they’ll need to take care of the Illini at home. Also at stake for the Buckeyes is the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament next week. Illinois, meanwhile, could be fighting for its at-large life. The Illini have not exactly impressed down the stretch having lost three of their last four.

Louisville at Marquette
Line: Marquette -1.5
KenPom: Marquette -5
TV: ESPNU, 9:30 pm
Two teams that were bubble material a few weeks ago seem securely in the tournament after recent surges. But a win for either certainly wouldn’t hurt. Can Marquette avoid its fourth straight overtime game?

Others To Keep An Eye On: No. 21 Baylor at Texas Tech, No. 24 UTEP at Marshall

A quick look at went on last night and what to look out for Friday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 2 Kentucky 82, South Carolina 61
The Wildcats dominated, as expected, exacting a little revenge for their one and only loss earlier this season in Columbia. Devan Downey, Mr. Gamecock scoring sensation and the SEC’s leading scorer. did finish with 26 points. But he did so on 9-of-25 shooting and the Gamecocks, who won the battle of the glass in last month’s upset, were badly out-rebounded this time around. DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson led the way for Kentucky, chipping in 19 and 23, respectively, while John Wall went for 12. Next up for Kentucky is a showdown with Tennessee in Knoxville Saturday, a matchup featuring two teams heading in seemingly opposite directions as the regular season winds down.

No. 16 Vanderbilt 96, Georgia 94, OT
This was a lot closer than Vandy would have liked. In fact, the Commodores should consider themselves lucky to pull out this win since they were trailing by six points with under a minute to go in regulation. But Vandy escaped the upset at home, and an embarrassing season sweep by the Bulldogs, thanks to Jermaine Beal who went off for a career-high 28 points and some clutch free throw shooting as a team in overtime. Vandy hit all 12 of their 15-footers to eek out the narrow victory.

Links

If you didn’t know already, Robbie Hummel has been lost for the season with a torn ACL. Purdue now has no shot of making the Final Four. So much for that, Boilermakers fans. [Indianapolis Star]

Now the question is how will Hummel’s injury affect seeding? [SI.com]

Jarvis Varnado of Mississippi State is the all-time leader in blocked shots. [SBNation]

Josh Herwitt chimes in with five thoughts, including one I could not agree with more – Tennessee is done. [FoxSports.com]

Former colleague Anthony Oliva takes a look at Aubrey Coleman – he of the stepping on Chase Budinger fame – and how far he’s come since the incident last year. [NCAA.com]

Rites of spring: Duke’s collapse and a few other March traditions. [Basketball Prospectus]

Seth Davis with a very revealing piece about how he truly evaluates teams. Access is everything. [SI.com]

Rather brief, but definitely to the point, bubble banter from Beyond The Arc. [NBCsports.com]

The Weekend Primer will be out later today, taking a look at all of this weekend’s best matchups.

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Thursday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 3 Purdue 59, Minnesota 58
Purdue survived on the road, gutting out a tough, tough win against the Gophers in Williams Arena. But the biggest story out of this one is going to be the health of Robbie Hummel. The Boilermakers second leading scorer injured his knee and did not play in the second half, reduced to icing it and getting around on crutches. There’s no word on the injury yet – Hummel was prohibited from speaking about it after the game to the media – and the Boilermakers will hold their collective breath as they await test results. Without Hummel, Purdue has no shot at getting to the Final Four and could very easily watch Michigan State or Ohio State take over the top spot in the Big Ten standings. The Spartans get a chance this weekend to pull even with the Boilermakers when the two meet. A lot will be riding on Hummel’s MRI.

Notre Dame 68, No. 12 Pittsburgh 53
Pittsburgh forgot it had a game Wednesday. That’s about the only way to explain how the Panthers were so badly beaten in South Bend. That and the Irish hit 10 3-pointers and shot 50 percent from the field. A general lack of defense did not help matters, either as the Panthers had their five-game winning streak come to a crashing end. All the more impressive win for Notre Dame considering Luke Harangody did not play, but was honored before the game. His No. 44 will now hang from the rafters.

Links

Dayton did not help its at-large chances with a loss at No. 21 Temple. [Dayton Daily News]

No. 9 Ohio State almost let a 17-point lead go by the wayside against Penn State but Evan Turner bailed them out. [Columbus Dispatch]

Josh Herwitt gives us his latest installment of power rankings, featuring Kansas firmly at No. 1. [FoxSports.com]

Looks like Lance Stephenson might make the prudent decision and stick around for another year at Cincinnati. And the bubble Bearcats picked up a win over DePaul. [Cincy Enquirer]

Marquette – another Big East bubble team – avoided disaster in Queens last night when Jimmy Butler’s jumper at the buzzer sent the Eagles home with an OT win over St. John’s. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

He’s been nothing but a winner his whole career, but will Kansas’ Sherron Collins get the chance to break Shane Battier’s individual NCAA record? Beyond The Arc ponders. [NBCSports.com]

The Naismith Award, given out to the nation’s top player at the end of the season, has been whittled down to just 30 candidates. There are 25 with no shot at winning… [Naismith Award]

Some suggestions for Ole Miss as they search for a new mascot. [ESPN.com]

All that talk about Texas possibly moving to the Big Ten or Pac-10, don’t believe it. [Dallas Morning News]

Memphis with at-large dreams? Apparently the Tigers thought it was a possibility before last night’s loss. [Commercial Appeal]

Dana O’Neil takes a look at two retread coaches making the best of it in Conference USA. [ESPN.com]

Tonight’s Must See Game

South Carolina at No. 2 Kentucky
Line: Kentucky -13.5
KenPom: Kentucky -15
TV: ESPN2, 9 pm
Does Devan Downey have another 30-point performance in him? How about a 50-pointer? Because it’s probably going to take the game of a lifetime to knock off the Wildcats in Rupp Arena. And Downey pretty much gave us that when the Gamecocks handed Kentucky its one and only loss earlier this season. I don’t think this one is going to be pretty for SC.

Others To Keep An Eye On: Tulsa at No. 5 Duke, Georgia at No. 16 Vanderbilt, No. 17 Wisconsin at Indiana

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Wednesday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 4 Syracuse 99, Providence 85
The Orange improved to 8-0 on the road and did it in dominating fashion – in the second half, that is. Providence had a five point lead at halftime but Syracuse absolutely blitzed the Friars when they returned to the floor. Syracuse turned up the pressure, watched Providence turn it over time after time and sliced that poor excuse of a Providence defense for 52 second half points. Andy Rautins had himself quite a game, knocking down all five of his 3-pointers, as he finished with 28. With the win, Syracuse secured a double-bye in the Big East Tournament.

No. 11 Georgetown 70, Louisville 60
Just like Syracuse, Georgetown used a big second half to overcome a halftime deficit and end a two-game losing streak on the road. Austin Freeman led the way for the Hoyas, scoring an astounding 24 points in the second half – he finished with 29 – to lead the comeback. The Cardinals couldn’t buy a bucket to start the second half and did not do much to slow down the Hoyas who conversely seemed to knock down all their shots. Louisville, with its tenuous NCAA Tournament status, did not help themselves and only will feel the pressure ratchet up with road games against Marquette and Connecticut and Syracuse at home left on the schedule.

Florida 75, No. 19 Tennessee 62
Tennessee had won six straight in this series but Florida apparently had enough as the Gators picked up a huge win for their NCAA Tournament hopes in Gainesville. The Gators did with defense and by sending Tennessee center Wayne Chism to the bench. Chism was plagued by foul trouble all night long and finished with just seven points and one rebound. As Chism goes, so goes Tennessee. The Gators picked a perfect time to finally start hitting some threes. UConn AD Jeff Hathaway, who just happens to be a member of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, was in the building to watch the win. We’ll see how much of an impression the Gators made.

Links

Wishing you could watch a classic NCAA Tournament game whenever the moment should strike you? You’re now in luck [Vault.NCAA.com]

Good read by Andy Katz on coaches and officials, stemming from Monday’s incident with Bob Huggins. Interesting quote from Jim Calhoun as well. [ESPN.com]

And speaking of Calhoun, Gary Parrish looks at UConn’s turnaround since the coach’s return. [CBSSports.com]

We all know Villanova isn’t a great defensive team, but this had to be a little disconcerting for Wildcats fans. [Wall Street Journal]

Pat Forde hands out grades in his latest Forde Minutes. [ESPN.com]

College basketball is all about guard play. So Jeff Goodman decided to rank the best of them. [FoxSports.com]

No. 6 Kansas State picked up its first win in Lubbock since 1986. [Kansas City Star]

No. 10 New Mexico has now won 12 straight in the Mountain West, gets ready for BYU showdown. [AP]

Philadelphia head coach Herb Magee picked up historic win No. 903 last night. [AP]

Is Northern Iowa the worst ranked team of all time? Quite possibly after losing to 8-20 Evansville. [AP]

Tonight’s Must See Games

Dayton at No. 2o Temple
Line: Temple -3.5
KenPom: Temple -4
TV: Local, 6:30 pm
Dayton is still holding onto an at-large bid right now thanks to a strong resume. But they’ve got work to do to ensure they’ll be dancing and it all starts Wednesday in Philadelphia. Dayton has a strong RPI (42) and SOS (37) but could use one more win against one of the A-10′s best. And if they can’t get it done against the Owls, conference leading Richmond awaits next week. Temple needs a win to stay in step with the Spiders atop the league. Dayton comes into this one having lost 5-of-6 on the road.

No. 3 Purdue at Minnesota
Line: Purdue -2.5
KenPom: Purdue -1
TV: Local, 8:30 pm
Trap game for the Boilermakers? A showdown with Michigan State looms this weekend, and it probably will determine who wins the Big Ten. So would you be surprised if Purdue overlooked the Gophers?  The Barn is not an easy place to play and Minnesota has some confidence heading into this one. The Gophers aren’t really in Purdue’s class, but they can stick with them at home and possibly snap that Boilermaker nine-game Big Ten winning streak.

South Florida at No. 7 Villanova
Line: Villanova -13
KenPom: Villanova -13
TV: ESPN Full Court, 9 pm
South Florida’s NCAA Tournament hopes are about to have the plug pulled – if they’re not dead already – and this is a must win for them. Villanova, meanwhile, will try and do its best not to overlook the Bulls with Syracuse looming Saturday night and end a three-game losing streak.

No. 22 Texas A&M at No. 24 Baylor
Line: Baylor -6.5
KenPom: Baylor -6
TV: ESPNU, 9 pm
This will be just the second time these two have met as ranked teams. The Aggies come into this one having won three straight on the road while the Bears hope LaceDarius Dunn can break out of his recent shooting slump. A&M needs this game more than Baylor does so it can stay within striking distance of second place Kansas State.

Others To Keep An Eye On: No. 9 Ohio State at Penn State, Virginia Tech at Boston College, Marquette at St. John’s, No. Pittsburgh at Notre Dame, Oklahoma State at No. 21 Texas

Apologies for the limited number of posts the last few days. Major computer problems meant we were waiting on a new laptop (Hello, MacBook, goodbye PC – forever). Looking forward to settling back into the normal routine. So without further adieu here’s a quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Tuesday.

Last Night’s Action

Connecticut 73, No. 8 West Virginia 62
After looking like a dead team nine days ago, UConn picked up its second straight win against a Top 10 opponent. The Huskies out-rebounded, out-hustled and out-toughed the Mountaineers in Hartford as they inch closer and closer to securing an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. And if the Selection Committee was choosing the field of 65 today, UConn would probably just sneak in. But they have a long ways to go before they start to feel secure about their postseason plans. As for the game itself, the Mountaineers put themselves in a double-digit hole in the first half for what seemed like the 20th time this season only to battle back to pull within one late in the second half. But the Huskies executed and capitalized on second chance opportunities – not to mention a huge free throw discrepancy that got under the skin of WVU coach Bob Huggins – down the stretch. Kemba Walker had another big game, leading the way with 21 points for UConn.

No. 1 Kansas 81, Oklahoma 68
The Jayhawks pounded another conference opponent at home and clinched at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title marking for the sixth straight. That’s really all you need to know about this one.

Links

Monday’s AP Top 25 features a new No. 3 team from the Big Ten. [Digital Sports Daily]

And the latest brackets: Lunardi [ESPN.com] | Bracketology 101 [FoxSports.com]

Bob Huggins thinks college basketball should take after college football. [Dominion Post]

This weekend’s BracketBuster made-for-TV mid-major showcase left a lot to be desired. [Yahoo.com]

Nation’s winningest coach will call it quits after this season. [AP]

Texas’ disappointing season took yet another turn for the worse when the Longhorns lost PG Dogus Balbay for the rest of the year. [USA Today]

North Carolina’s the worst defending champ? [Beyond The Arc]

Tonight’s Must See Games

No. 5 Syracuse at Providence
Line: Syracuse -8
KenPom: Syracuse -11
TV: ESPNU, 7 pm
Syracuse has not looked like Top 5 material in close to three weeks and while they have a perfect road record in the Big East that record is not exactly indicative of how they’ve played away from the Carrier Dome. Providence has historically had a knack for springing upsets, especially at the Dunkin Donuts Center, and let’s not forget that the Orange could easily overlook the Friars with that home date against Villanova looming Saturday.

No. 11 Georgetown at Louisville
Line: Louisville -3
KenPom: Louisville -2
TV: ESPN2, 7 pm
Louisville needs a big win. With just two victories over RPI Top 50 teams, desperation is going to start to set in, if it hasn’t already. Which Hoya team will show up in this one? Your guess is as good as mine. Surprisingly, Louisville is a game ahead of the Hoyas in the Big East standings, although you’d never guess that looking at the rankings. Rick Pitino thinks his team needs at least 10 conference wins to get into the NCAA Tournament, and 11 to make it a sure thing. He’s got eight right now with four games to go.

No. 7 Kansas State at Texas Tech
Line: Kansas State -4
KenPom: Kansas State -7
TV: ESPN Full Court, 8 pm
Kansas State needs a win to remain in second place in the Big 12 with Missouri and Texas A&M are right on the Wildcats’ heels, one game behind in the standings. The Wildcats have never won in Lubbock since the Big 12′s inception but already took a game from the Red Raiders this season.

No. 20 Tennessee at Florida
Line: Florida -3
KenPom: Florida -1
TV: ESPN, 9 pm
Florida is another team desperate for any kind of notable win for its NCAA Tournament resume but it’s not going to be easy against a team that has owned them recently. Tennessee has won six in a row against the Gators and if Florida has any intentions of pulling off the upset they failed to do in Knoxville, they might want to crash the glass. The Vols badly out-rebounded the Gators in their Jan. 31 meeting that was a lot closer (61-60) than many predicted.

Others To Keep An Eye On: No. 10 New Mexico at Colorado State, No. 25 Northern Iowa at Evansville