There aren’t too many big time matchups on the schedule this weekend but it’s still a decent slate of games to keep you occupied.

Mississippi State @ #12 Florida – 1:30 PM EST Saturday on ESPN FullCourt/ESPN3.com  (***)

Florida May Struggle to Contain the Mississippi State Big Men

• It has gone largely unnoticed but Florida has won six of its past seven games since losing at Rutgers in December. The Gators bring the top-rated offensive efficiency to the table and are a threat to win any game they play because of it. However, Billy Donovan’s team is thin up front and lacks the lockdown defense elite teams exhibit. Against Mississippi State, Florida could very have major problems dealing with the Bulldogs’ front line. Patric Young attempted double figure shots for only the fifth time this season against Mississippi on Thursday. Without a go-to guy in the post, Florida’s offense revolves around Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton with Brad Beal and forward Erik Murphy, a pick-and-pop specialist. Florida will attempt plenty of threes, connecting 40.7% of the time. Scoring from outside shouldn’t be a major problem against Mississippi State but stopping the Bulldogs inside will be.
• Rick Stansbury has a huge advantage in this game with Arnett Moultrie and Renardo Sidney in his frontcourt. Florida can’t match those two players and the Bulldogs should be pounding the ball inside all day long on Saturday. However, Dee Bost has to be able to create and get into the lane in order to get Moultrie and Sidney going early and often. If Bost isn’t able to penetrate Florida’s defense, the Gators can pack it in and dare Mississippi State to beat them from the outside. Of more concern to Stansbury has to be his defense. In SEC play, the Bulldogs are allowing opponents to shoot 43.4% from beyond the three point arc. If Florida shoots anywhere near that percentage, it’s likely going to be a long afternoon at the O-Dome for the visitors from Starkville.
• In order to steal an important road win, the Bulldogs have to rebound and score in the paint as well as in transition off long rebounds since neither team turns the ball over much. Fast break points will be at a premium in this game but whichever team wins that category will have an advantage. However, the most important part of Mississippi State’s game plan has to be defending the three point line. If the Bulldogs can’t, they won’t win in Gainesville. Even with all that said, this is a game Mississippi State can win with a strong effort. Florida needed a second half rally to defeat Ole Miss in its last game and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Mississippi State could spring the upset.

• With the status of Ryan Boatright still uncertain, Connecticut might be as beatable as it will ever be. The Huskies have lost two straight games and four out of their past six, but one of the two wins over this swoon was over Notre Dame. Under Jim Calhoun, UConn has always exhibited elite interior defense and shot blocking without fouling. That hasn’t changed this year as the Huskies are #1 in two point percentage defense. The way to beat UConn is to make threes and that’s something Notre Dame can do very well when it gets hot as we saw against Syracuse. If Connecticut can defend the three point line better than it has for most of this year, it should be able to win a low possession game against the Fighting Irish. UConn is playing with one point guard right now, sophomore Shabazz Napier. He does everything for Calhoun offensively whether it’s making threes or penetrating and setting up others. Notre Dame will target him defensively so the Huskies’ other pieces, namely Jeremy Lamb, need to have a big game if Napier is struggling.
• Notre Dame comes into this game off two quality wins over Syracuse and on the road at Seton Hall. The Irish defense completely dismantled the Pirates on Wednesday night and they’ll hope to do the same on the road again. If Eric Atkins can defend Napier like he did Jordan Theodore, Notre Dame will have a very good chance at pulling the upset. Mike Brey will play his customary low-scoring, low-possession game and try to muck it up as much as possible. Notre Dame thrives in those types of environments because it can spring a couple of three pointers on you at a moment’s notice and take command of the game. Connecticut opponents get 37.2% of their scoring from beyond the arc so you know three point shooting will be vital for Notre Dame. In their loss to UConn earlier this season, the Irish shot 32% overall and six of 26 from deep. That’s not going to cut it, especially on the road. Facing an intimidating interior defense, it’ll be tough for Notre Dame to probe UConn and get good shots at the end of the shot clock.
• For Notre Dame to come out on top, it must get its inside-outside game working in order to move the ball well and find open looks late in the shot clock. Jack Cooley is going to be a key player in that regard, both offensively and on the boards. Cooley sets the tone for the Irish when he’s rebounding well, something that allows them to control tempo. Cooley had seven points and six rebounds in the first meeting between these teams but that likely won’t be enough on the road. He’s been playing well lately and another double-double from the junior forward may be necessary. Connecticut has the edge in talent and the match-ups appear to be favorable but Notre Dame has that funny thing called momentum on its side. UConn should win this one but it would be a massive win for the Irish, if they can get it, as they try to build an NCAA Tournament resume.

#19 Michigan @ #4 Ohio State – 1:00 PM EST Sunday on CBS (****)

• Ohio State hasn’t lost a home game in nearly two years and the loss to Illinois over two weeks ago seems to have served as a wakeup call for the Buckeyes. No such call will be needed on Sunday against rival Michigan. The Buckeyes have a pretty big talent edge in this game and will use their top-ranked defense to turn Michigan into a one-dimensional team. While Jared Sullinger is not an elite post defender, the Wolverines will rarely look inside to Jordan Morgan. Instead, Michigan will attempt many three pointers, the area where Thad Matta will look to focus his defense. Ohio State allows 31.6% shooting to opponents from behind the arc but Michigan is capable of getting hot and knocking down plenty of triples. To prevent that, the Buckeyes will extend their defense and look for turnovers, in addition to putting Aaron Craft on freshman Trey Burke.
• Quite simply, Michigan has to make threes in order to have a chance. Everyone knows that coming in so John Beilein may want to look to someone else to maybe get going inside or slashing through the Ohio State defense. That someone may be Evan Smotrycz. The Massachusetts native scored 10 points in the road win at Purdue earlier this week and has the body necessary to maneuver against the physical Buckeye defense. If Smotrycz can get on the board early, that will open up some open looks for Michigan’s shooters as Ohio State will have to respect Smotrycz’s penetration. In the end though, the Wolverines have to make shots and defend at a level better than they’ve exhibited in Big Ten play. Michigan ranks ninth out of 12 Big Ten teams in eFG% against in conference play.
• Another area of concern is rebounding. Because they shoot so many threes that lead to long rebounds, Michigan is a poor offensive rebounding team. The Wolverines do a nice job on the defensive glass but going up against Sullinger and company is another challenge. Michigan hasn’t shot the three ball well in Big Ten play (30.6%) but that must change on Sunday if the Wolverines are going to get out of Columbus with a rare road win on Ohio State’s home court.

Don’t miss these games either:

• Harvard @ Yale (7 PM Friday) – The Ivy League is a one-bid league regardless of what Harvard does. The Crimson do not want to fall one game back by losing a game at fellow early conference leader Yale.
• #22 West Virginia @ #2 Syracuse (1 PM Saturday on ESPNU) – Syracuse responded very well to its first loss at Cincinnati on Monday night. The Orange will look to continue their winning ways against a West Virginia team that really struggles to shoot from outside and is coming off an ugly loss at St. John’s.
• #5 Kansas @ Iowa State (2 PM Saturday on ESPN) – Hilton Magic again? It’s possible. Kansas struggled with Texas and Texas A&M since beating Baylor and Hilton Coliseum is always a tough place to play. The Cyclones are trying to mount a charge at the NCAA Tournament and a win here would be a big piece of that puzzle.
• St. Louis @ Massachusetts (2 PM Saturday on CSN New England/CSS) – These teams are among the log jam at the top of the Atlantic 10. UMass has surprised many observers this year under fourth year head coach Derek Kellogg.
• Middle Tennessee @ Vanderbilt (2 PM Saturday) – This is a massive opportunity for the  Blue Raiders, winners of 11 straight games and owners of the fifth-ranked eFG% defense. Vanderbilt will definitely have its hands full in this one and may very well get beat by a hungry team looking for respect.
• Southern Mississippi @ Central Florida (7 PM Saturday on CSS) – If you’re looking for some clarity in Conference USA, this game may help.
• Louisville @ Seton Hall (8 PM Saturday on ESPN FullCourt/ESPN3.com) – The Pirates are in a free fall, losers of three straight since starting the season 15-2. The loser of this mentor (Rick Pitino) vs. protégé (Kevin Willard) game will drop under .500 in Big East play. Louisville has won three of its past four games since losing four of five.
• #20 Virginia @ NC State (8 PM Saturday on ESPN2) – Both teams are one game behind the ACC leaders in the loss column, each a pleasant surprise this season. The Cavaliers fended off Boston College’s upset bid while NC State was blown out at North Carolina on Thursday. If the Wolfpack want to make the NCAA’s, they need to win games like this.
• #16 St. Mary’s @ BYU (9 PM Saturday on ESPNU) – The Gaels sit undefeated atop the WCC but trips to the Marriott Center are never easy, especially with BYU in its first season as a WCC member. St. Mary’s has won 10 straight games, including a 98-82 victory over BYU in Moraga on December 29.
• Stanford @ California (8:30 PM Sunday on FSN) – The basketball version of the Big Game actually has some implications. While the Pac-12 has been brutal, the Cardinal trails the first place Golden Bears by just one game heading into this meeting.

The Official RTC Star System

***** – quit your job and divorce your wife if that’s what it takes to watch this game live
**** – best watched live, but if you must, tivo and watch it tonight as soon as you get home
*** – set your tivo but make sure you watch it later
** – set your tivo but we’ll forgive you if it stays in the queue until 2014
* – don’t waste bandwidth (yours or the tivo’s) of any kind on this game

1. Sometimes, life just ain’t fair. After earning Pac-12 Player of the Week honors last week after averaging 28.5 points per game last week, Washington State senior guard Faisal Aden left the Cougars game with Arizona late in the first half Thursday night with a knee injury. While we are by no means doctors here, it is quite possible that Aden has played his final game in a Washington State uniform. Washington State beat writer Christian Caple reports that it is a sprained MCL, but we will get more details later. After what appeared to be a complete makeover in his game the last several games, the prospect that Aden does not get a chance to work towards proving his growth as a player and proving his critics wrong is, in a word, depressing. Who knows? Maybe the injury isn’t as bad as it seemed, and he’ll be back sooner rather than later. We can hope. As for the rest of the game, the Wildcats hit 15-of-27 three-point attempts, shot a 63.6 eFG%, held WSU to 38.5 eFG%, forced 16 Cougar turnovers and committed just nine. In short, a confidence-building performance heading into Saturday’s tough match-up with Washington.
2. Herb Sendek got excellent effort out of his undermanned Arizona State team Thursday night, but they still struggled to score with consistency, scoring just one point in the first six minutes of the second half as Washington turned a two-point halftime deficit into an 11-point lead. Arizona State got back within four late in the game, but Washington held on for a six-point win. Tony Wroten had a great game for the Huskies, scoring 22 points on 12 field goal attempts (including a serious throw-down late in the game), grabbing six rebounds, handing out four assists, swiping a couple steals, and only turning the ball over twice, in what may have been his second-best all-around game in a U-Dub uniform. Freshman Jonathan Gilling did his best to keep the Sun Devils around, scoring a career-high 20 points and hitting five threes (three in the second half), but it was not to be.
3. UCLA took apart Utah is a game only a mother could love (and really, that mother would be up for a mother-of-the-year award for pretending to love this thing). After a sluggish Bruin first half (in which they still out-scored the Utes by 15), they really turned it on early in the second half, building their lead up as high as 37 behind balanced scoring. Seven Bruins scored eight points or more, UCLA shot a 68.5 eFG% and held Utah to just 42.4 eFG%. Beyond that, yuck.
4. At least the game across town was interesting in a train-wreck type of way. USC’s nightmare season continued as they got absolutely owned by Colorado, who earned their first-ever Pac-12 road win in dominating fashion. It’s hard to take a lot out of a win over these Trojans this year, but winning at USC may be a good first step towards further road success for the Buffaloes the rest of the way. Thursday night, they were mighty impressive, holding USC to 36.4 eFG% and killing the Trojans on the boards. Colorado grabbed 92.9% of defensive rebound opportunities and 43.5% on the offensive end. Five Buffs scored in double figures, and five grabbed more than five boards while the trio of Colorado players making a return to their Southern California home (Carlon Brown, Askia Booker, and Spencer Dinwiddie) combined for 34 points and 27 rebounds. Even worse for the Trojans, sophomore center DeWayne Dedmon left early in the first half with a knee injury and did not return. USC has already lost three players for the season to injury.
5. Lastly, ESPN’s Jay Bilas weighed in on the weakness of the Pac-12, blaming not only the early defections of some conference players to the NBA, but also the number of new coaches up and down the conference. Certainly Arizona has had to deal with the transition from the Lute Olson era to the Sean Miller era, while USC’s struggles in the wake of the Tim Floyd era helped bolster the Wildcats a bit. Then there’s Oregon’s struggles keeping players around the start of the Dana Altman era, and the loss of Tony Bennett from Washington State was a crushing blow, but that explanation does nothing to excuse the problems at UCLA, Washington, or Arizona State.

This week’s topic: Agony and Ecstasy.

1. Mississippi State guard Jalen Steele knows his role on the team, as do his teammates and coaches. “I’ve always said that Jalen (Steele) is the one guy that does something different on this basketball team,” coach Rick Stansbury said. “He is capable of doing what he did, jump up and make shots. He’s the one guy, if you ask me what his role is — it is to make shots.” And that is exactly what Steele did on Wednesday night against LSU. While the Bulldogs were just five of 14 from beyond the arc, Steele contributed to more than half of MSU’s outside points going three of four from three-point land. The Bulldogs are solid in the frontcourt, but could use a consistent outside threat as they are fifth in the conference with a 35.3% three-point accuracy. Not bad, but not terribly threatening either. Steele becomes even more valuable for the Bulldogs if he can continue to knock shots down from long range.
2. LSU forward Johnny O’Bryant was medically cleared to play on Tuesday for his first action since the beginning of January. O’Bryant suffered a fractured hand in practice on January 4, which kept him on the sidelines for five straight games. He saw playing time on Wednesday night against Mississippi State and its formidable frontline of Arnett Moultrie and Renardo Sidney. And it looks like O’Bryant will need a few more games to get back in the swing of things. He played a solid 20 minutes, but finished with just six points and four rebounds. The key to the game was rebounds, and LSU wasn’t able to keep up with Mississippi State. The Tigers had a 51.4% defensive rebounding percentage and just 21.6% on the offensive end. LSU will need O’Bryant and the rest of the LSU frontcourt to shore up its rebounding to stay competitive in the conference.
3. With Wednesday’s win over Alabama, South Carolina avoided an 0-5 start in SEC play. It would have been their worst start in the conference since an 0-6 start in 1998-99. Coach Darrin Horn admits his Gamecocks need the kind of atmosphere that was displayed in the Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday night. “We need our fans,” Horn said. “We need some atmosphere. I appreciate them finally getting up and doing that.” South Carolina also needed a little Bruce Ellington. The sophomore guard hit the game-winner with 1.3 seconds remaining. He finished with 12 points for the Gamecocks, but more importantly, appears to be getting into a solid groove as he becomes more comfortable on the basketball court (after playing football for Steve Spurrier through early January). Ellington has averaged 14.5 points and three assists over his last four games, and will need to continue to be a focal point for South Carolina to win another conference game (or two).
4. After a four game losing streak, Alabama has gone from SEC title contender to no longer even a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide’s only win over an RPI top 25 opponent came against Wichita State in mid-November. For a team with an RPI of 40, the problem is that there aren’t too many more opportunities for that big victory. The Tide have Florida and Mississippi State at home, as well as two games against Ole Miss. Anthony Grant‘s squad was left out of last year’s Big Dance because of a low RPI and very few marquee wins. It would be a shame for a team that started out so strong in 2011-12 to meet the same fate. It is, of course, very early to be talking about which teams are in and which ones are out, but isn’t that part of what makes college basketball so fun? However. there won’t be anything fun about March for Grant and company unless Alabama is able to  string together wins in the SEC.
5. Florida freshman Bradley Beal played poorly over two consecutive games in early January shooting 6-27 without scoring in double figures. After three solid games in a row, Beal says his slump is over. “He’s got a better feel and understanding of when and where shots are coming for him,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “I don’t know if he ever really felt comfortable with that. I think he’s getting better at that. I think he’s understanding when to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive, but he’s not allowing some missed shots or plays that maybe don’t go his way to affect him on the next play.” Even with a couple of difficult games mixed in, Beal has had a terrific first (and maybe only) year for the Gators. He has managed to score 14.1 points per game playing in a backcourt with Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton with Mike Rosario coming off the bench. That is impressive for anyone, but especially a freshman.

1. Virginian-Pilot: Lefty Driesell wasn’t the only one annoyed by Maryland naming its court after Gary Williams. Apparently, some boosters also came forward to express their dismay and there are rumors “that somebody with very deep pockets might have influenced the decision.” Some of the complaints seemed focused on the Driesell being overlooked (and ultimately, I think that’s the reason for almost all of the complaints), but others focus on Williams’ abysmal graduation rate (barely 1/5 of his players graduated his last 15 years). In my opinion (regardless of deep pockets), Maryland made the right move naming the court after Williams.
2. Charlotte Observer: Karl Hicks is the man behind the ACC scheduling. His job is to make sure the unbalanced schedules are as balanced as possible. Basically, he is supposed to tell the future and try to keep teams from getting front- or rear-loaded schedules. Currently, the extreme could be seen with NC State, who played cellar-dwellers until running into a buzz saw in Chapel Hill. Florida State had the opposite issue, as it played a nasty early conference schedule with only a home game against Duke and two games against Virginia looking like real challenges after a brutal early stretch.
3. Grantland: First, for the record, there are some years I would agree with Shane Ryan that Duke’s game at Maryland was the most emotional of the season. In general, those years left with Greivis Vasquez. This year I think home against North Carolina will be Duke’s biggest emotional game though their game at Florida State will be another big one. This isn’t to understate Duke-Maryland as a rivalry (which happens most of the time), but it’s not turned up to eleven like in years past. The most valuable tidbit from the article is the YouTube video, which breaks down Andre Dawkins‘ defensive struggles.
4. Virginia Tech Collegiate Times: The Hokie student newspaper checks in on the recent debate over Seth Greenberg‘s job stability with a piece looking at the major arguments for and against him. Unfortunately, the pro-Greenberg slant left off the most important stat: before Greenberg showed up, Virginia Tech had faced six out of seven losing seasons and won six games in two years in the Big East. Greenberg brought the program to a level its never been to. He also just landed a top-25 recruiting class last year that should prove its worth over the next few years. I understand it’s frustrating to perennially be on the bubble, but don’t let that wipe out past struggles.
5. ESPN: The Worldwide Leader checks in on how to fix Duke‘s attendance issue point-by-point. I’m pretty sure this article is supposed to be ironic, but the suggestions aren’t very witty. To the first point (about conflicting with rush events), I’ll also point out that Wake Forest is not good this year. Is that an excuse for a top-10 team not filling its stands? No, but it’s a lot harder to get fraternities and sororities out for what’s expected to be a blowout. I’ll let you read the rest.

EXTRA: The legendary NC State player David “Skywalker” Thompson who led NC State to an undefeated season in 1973 and a national championship in 1974 is helping his community as a motivational speaker. College basketball robbed its fans of seeing his 48-inch vertical (five inches higher than Vince Carter) in all its majesty because of a dunk ban at the time. Thompson himself struggled with substance abuse during his professional career, robbing himself and the fans of what should have been one of the top careers ever. Thompson’s goal is to share his mistakes, so kids today don’t make the same ones.

“But he did make one dunk in his college career — a thunderous jam in his final regular-season home game that showed fans what they had been missing.

‘They gave me a technical (foul), and I got a standing ovation,’ he said, laughing. ‘You don’t usually have your coach (Norman Sloan) smiling and your fans cheering when you get a T.’”

1. Many dishonorable things happen on the recruiting trail. Much like in politics, coaches sell the positives of their programs as much as they attempt to create negativity around that of their competitors. There are few bullets left unfired, and it can get personal. Therefore it comes as little surprise that St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin’s continued recovery from prostate cancer is being used against him. Lavin’s Red Storm team has been short-handed this season both on the court and on the sideline. They employ just seven scholarship players and Lavin has not been able to coach the team during games since early in the season due to the physical demands involved. To Lavin’s credit, he has met the challenge with honesty and positivity. The approach recently paid dividends as Lavin landed Jamal Branch, a transfer from Texas A&M. Lavin spoke about the process that brought Branch to Jamaica, New York: “Naturally in recruiting he’s going to hear from all the other schools, speculation, innuendo and rumors, so my inclination is to take that head on and just lay it out. We were able to convince Jamal that this was a great situation in spite of the fact that I’m currently recuperating from prostate cancer.”
2. Since Louisville was dismantled by Providence two weeks ago to cap off a stretch where the Cardinals lost four of five games, the Cardinals have won three four to stabilize its season. The turn-around can be attributed in part to some soul searching that started with a team meeting after the Providence game. In a delayed celebration of Festivus, grievances were aired and it appears the open communication, along with some much needed practice time, have relieved some stress. Head coach Rick Pitino has been vocal about the team’s need for practice, while others criticized the alleged over-intensity of Pitino’s training sessions. Despite unconfirmed fake rumors, started by unknown people who may or may not be writing this Morning Five right now, that Rick Pitino has been seen working out material at the Comedy Caravan, Pitino has never been confused with Shecky Green. Yet, there are reports of laughter coming out of Louisville practices. And now Pitino finds himself cracking a smile as the newly found levity around Louisville has translated from practice floor to the main stage.
3. Syracuse and basketball coach Jim Boeheim are looking to get out of the city. However New York apartment hunters will be disappointed to learn that this is just a bit of legal maneuvering. Syracuse and Boeheim are being sued for defamation by two of former Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine’s accusers. Fine has been accused of alleged sexual misconduct with minors but has not been charged. However when the allegations surfaced Boeheim made comments in defense of Fine that referenced the accusers may perhaps be lying and looking for personal gain. The suit was brought in New York City and lawyers for the defense have filed a motion to have the case moved to Onondaga County given that is where those involved reside. The accusers counter argument is to have the case in Onondaga County would not be fair due to Syracuse and Boeheim’s high profile in that area.
4. You know how in professional sports when an owner comes out and gives his or her coach or general manager a vote of confidence it usually means said coach or general manager better dust of the old resume?  Well, the Big 12 expansion committee met on Wednesday and yesterday the conference’s associate commissioner for communications, Bob Burda said of the proceedings, “There is nothing imminent with regard to expansion.” So, taking Burda at his word, Louisville and Brigham Young University are apparently on, or back on, the Big 12’s wish list as the league ponders a 12-team membership. This is fresh off locking up current Big East participant West Virginia. Regardless of further expansion, the Big 12 remains in near-term flux as West Virginia’s departure date from the Big East is being litigated as the school is challenging the 27-month exit clause they had previously agreed to in the Big East bylaws.
5. Brooklyn’s James Buchanan High School turned out no notable basketball products, despite some promising moments from Freddie ‘Boom Boom’ Washington. However, this is not an item about letters of intent. For this is an item about letters from Epstein’s mother. Those letters allowed Robert Hegyes (a.k.a “Juan Epstein”) to avoid many a detention session, or other such disciplinary action at the hands of Mr. Kotter. Of course Epstein’s mother and her famed pen were no match for mortality as the “Welcome Back Kotter” star, and Sweathog point guard, died of a heart attack yesterday at the age of 60.

(There is no such thing as James Buchanan High School in Brooklyn, but you know that already.)

1. We all love college basketball — otherwise, you’re not reading this sentence and we’re not writing it. But do you ever wonder how the game matches up against the rest of the major American sports in terms of its popularity? Luckily for us, the Harris Poll annually measures exactly that thing, publishing its results in Sports Business Daily.The methodology of this poll is not all that sophisticated — the one question asked of 2,237 adults was to name their favorite US sport — but if you buy what they’re selling, college hoops at 5% is roughly equal in popularity to the NBA (5%), but is far behind the sporting goliath known as the NFL (36%) and has some ground to make up on MLB (13%), college football (13%), and NASCAR (8%). Since Harris didn’t ask people to list, for example, their top five favorites in popularity, it’s not really a true approximation of the sport’s popularity, but it’s worth noting nevertheless.
2. In this interview with Gene Wojciechowski about his new book, The Last Great Game: Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds That Changed Basketball, here is his answer as to why the Elite Eight battle between the two titan programs was so epic: “Because it was Kentucky vs. Duke, Pitino vs. Krzyzewski, the soon-to-be-called Unforgettables vs. the virtually unbeatables of Duke. Because the game was played at an incredibly high level from start to finish. Because it went to overtime. Because you need a calculator to add all the great shots down the stretch and during OT. Because a Final Four was at stake. Because Kentucky was back from the near-dead and Duke was going for dynasty status.” Yep, that pretty much sums it up, with one additional caveat: David vs. Goliath — Kentucky wasn’t given a chance by anybody to win that game. Young folks, here’s your assignment: Read Wojciechowski’s book, then re-watch the game from start to finish. After that, if you can make an argument for a more compelling game in the last 35 years of college basketball, let us know.
3. Player quote of the year? NC State got pummeled by North Carolina last night in Chapel Hill, the eleventh loss in a row for the Wolfpack to its hated rival a few miles up the road. After the game, NCSU junior Scott Wood (0-5 himself) expressed his frustration with continually losing to the Heels with a rather vivid analogy: “I don’t know. Has your wife ever cheated on you… (pause)… that’s probably how frustrated it would be.” We cannot speak from experience, but we’d imagine that Wood is suggesting a level of frustration suitable for medication. The Heels will pay NC State a return visit to Raleigh on February 21 — maybe by then Wood will have been re-educated by NC State brass to not actually speak his mind in public (although we appreciate the honesty, frankly).
4. One of the chic picks for an upset this weekend is Iowa State hosting Kansas at Hilton Coliseum in Ames Saturday. With the Cyclones currently at 4-3 in the Big 12 race with wins at home already over Texas and Oklahoma State, it’s certainly a reasonable choice. If Iowa State manages to pull off the shocker, there’s no doubt that its big man, Royce White, will play a major role in the win. Myron Medcalf writes that the huge space-eater in the paint is dominating this season after a long layoff in large part because he’s learned to handle the anxiety that has at times caused him severe emotional problems in the past. It’s a very enlightening read, and for a player whose problems have inspired more ridicule than sympathy, perhaps provides some context to many of the negative stories surrounding this kid.
5. It’s Friday which means that Luke Winn‘s power rankings are out for this week. A few of teaser jewels from this version: Kentucky may not be the best defensive team in the SEC, much less the nation; Missouri’s Ricardo Ratliffe is nothing if not consistent; Nike’s new uniforms are not only spacey but can elicit “super-sick dunks”; and, Vegas isn’t as smart as everybody thinks it is (well, at least when it comes to San Diego State’s travel woes). Enjoy.

“Which recent Pac-12 transfer would do the most to help his former team this year?”

Andrew Murawa: Where to begin? There have been so many transfers around the conference in recent years that seemingly every team has been hit hard by one loss or another. Utah has had multiple players transfer out, leaving head coach Larry Krystkowiak with a nearly empty cupboard when he arrived – they could certainly make use of the offensive punch of either current Colorado senior Carlon Brown (although he would have used up his eligibility by now without the transfer) or Marshall Henderson, who will begin his sophomore season at Texas Tech next year. Bryce Jones would give the ridiculously shorthanded USC squad some firepower, but he is currently sitting out his transfer season at UNLV. Arizona State is currently struggling with its backcourt depth, and Demetrius Walker, currently struggling to earn playing time at New Mexico, would certainly be ready to provide minutes for Herb Sendek’s team. And that’s just a partial list.

Mike Moser's Athleticism And Perimeter Abilities Would Greatly Help The Current UCLA Team (photo credit: John Gurzinski, AP Photo)

But really, let’s not get too fancy here. The Pac-12 transfer who would do the most to help his former team is Mike Moser, the best player on the list. Moser left UCLA in April 2010 in search of playing time that Ben Howland either could not or would not find for him. After sitting out last season, he’s become a force at UNLV this year, averaging 14 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, while contributing an athleticism and even a three-point shooting presence that is sorely missing at UCLA. While Moser couldn’t earn consistent minutes as a freshman in 2009-10 on a team that started guys like James Keefe and Nikola Dragovic up front, he would be far and away the most athletic frontcourt player on the squad, and together with freshman guard Norman Powell, one of just two above-average Pac-12 athletes on the team. His ability to rebound has been well documented (he grabs 28.1% of defensive rebounds, good for ninth in the nation, and his 12.9% offensive rebounding rate is somewhat restricted by his tendency to play on the perimeter offensively) but he would also provide some punch outside (he hits slightly more than one three per game at a 32.4% rate). Throw in the fact that he would be the one player on the squad who could effectively match up defensively with athletic threes, freeing up the Wear twins to play primarily at the four and five, and he would be a major boon to a struggling UCLA defense. Moser is a prime example of why it is important for coaches to expand their rotations a bit and at least find a bit of time for youngsters, keeping those guys involved, finding out what they can do and providing them the promise of a chance to contribute to the program in more substantial ways in the future.

Connor Pelton: Lamont “Momo” Jones is my pick. Arizona has had an alright season without Jones, but if he’s in Tucson instead of New Rochelle, the Wildcats are going dancing instead of NITing. The key is in his offensive ability. The Wildcats would have had an impossible-to-defend three-guard tandem of Josiah Turner, Kyle Fogg, and Jones, but instead they were forced to replace Jones with another freshman, Nick Johnson. Don’t get me wrong, Turner and Johnson are both incredible talents, but I would have much rather seen Johnson coming off the bench this year. That’s why Jones’ transfer was so big; it didn’t hurt their lineup immediately because Johnson was right there to take his place, but that meant the bench players were going to receive more and more minutes. So in reality, it’s not Johnson that’s taking Jones’ minutes, it’s Jordin Mayes and Kevin Parrom. And while those are two are also tremendous athletes, they’re just not yet at a level to make the key contributions needed for an NCAA bid.

Despite being self-proclaimed “experts” in the field of college basketball, me and my fellow hoops writers are often wrong. And that’s part of it — first, we predict that Texas A&M will be a threat to win the Big 12; then, we say Missouri’s hopeless without Laurence Bowers; and then, we are proven wrong. That’s part of the job. But whenever predictions pan out correctly, most pundits can’t help but pat themselves on the back. We at RTC Big 12 predicted that, despite the injuries, academic ineligibilities, and the effect of conference realignment, the Big 12 would be one of the best conferences in college basketball. With Missouri at #2 in the nation, Kansas at #6, and Baylor at #8, plus the impressive seasons so far by Iowa State and Kansas State, it appears as if we were spot on with that one.

Alley-Oops

• That’s Just Nash-ty: Nash has been under a microscope all season, and for good reason. Touted as one of the nation’s most talented freshmen, Le’Bryan was expected to not only compete for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, but Big 12 Player of the Year too. So, naturally, he’s been a slight disappointment this season. Until last night. Oklahoma State hosted the #2 Missouri Tigers, hot off a huge road win at Baylor, and Le’Bryan went off, dropping 27 on the stunned Tigers.
• Border War Hype:  No matter what the records of Kansas and Missouri are, the Border War will always be surrounded by a great deal of hype in the Midwest. But this season, the teams have skyrocketed the polls, now sitting at #2 and #6, respectively. The jawing between the fanbases has reached new highs, which is saying something because these guys already despise each other. Next Saturday, with ESPN’s College Gameday in town, Missouri will host Kansas, in what many are touting to be the Big 12 game of the season.
• Taylor Made: Perhaps Tyshawn Taylor noted the public’s criticism. Or maybe he ignored it and knew his game would naturally come back. Either way, Taylor has been playing some stellar basketball as of late. His turnovers are down, his points are up, and he’s playing like the floor general Kansas needs. When Thomas Robinson and Taylor are in sync, I’m not sure anyone can stop them.

• Overrated is Overrated: Seriously fellow Big 12 students, enough with the “Overrated” chant. I realize this chant isn’t stricken just to the Big 12, but it’s a problem in the Big 12. I heard Kansas fans chanting it after beating Baylor. Even worse, I heard Oklahoma State fans chanting it after beating Missouri, THEN proceeding to rush the court. You can’t have both, Pokes fans. Why would any fan base want to diminish the glory of their victory by basically saying “We just beat a team that isn’t as good as people think!” I’d rather see an “underrated” chant, any day.
• Neinas the Pot-Stirrer: I get it Chuck Neinas, you’re in a tough spot. You’re the interim commissioner for a conference that has been pickpocketed during realignment, and you inherited the mess Dan Beebe created (By the way, follow @fakedanbeebe on Twitter, you won’t be disappointed). But to go out and openly criticize Missouri for being “selfish” during conference realignment while Missouri is still a Big 12 member is dumb. There is no benefit to it, and it only can make things more difficult. Once they are in the SEC, have at ‘em. But until then, treat them as you would any other Big 12 team and don’t create further intra-conference conflict.

Kevin McCarthy of Parsing The WAC and Sam Wasson of bleedCrimson.net are the RTC correspondents for the WAC. You can follow Sam on Twitter @AgsBleedCrimson.

Reader’s Take

Looking Back

Louisiana Tech had the best week overall finishing 2-0 on their road trip to Honolulu and San Jose. New Mexico State split that same road trip, winning in San Jose but falling on the islands. Nevada held off a pesky Fresno State squad while Idaho got the better of Utah State in Moscow.

Jerry Evans And The Wolf Pack Are On A Collision Course With New Mexico State (Julie Dawes/RGJ.com)

Power Rankings:

1. Nevada (16-3, 5-0): Winners of 13 in a row, the Wolf Pack now holds the second longest win streak in the nation thanks to a loss by Syracuse over the weekend. Only Murray State, a potential BracketBuster opponent, has a longer win streak (and is the only undefeated team left in the nation). Nevada’s starting five continue to get it done, scoring 58 of the team’s 74 points in a tougher-than-expected win over Fresno State at home on Saturday. That win sets up the battle for first place with New Mexico State (4-1) in Las Cruces on Thursday night, though the Aggies come in with a blemished record thanks to fellow contender Hawai’i.  The Wolf Pack has been torching the nets from deep. In conference play, the Pack is shooting 43 percent, tops in the league and four percentage points better than their non-conference performance.
2. New Mexico State (14-6, 4-1): The Aggies split the San Jose State/Hawai’i road trip, winning easily at San Jose State but falling at Hawai’i in a game where they trailed big in the second half but rallied in the waning minutes before eventually losing by four points. The Aggies were done in by Zane Johnson‘s 29 points, which included seven treys. The Aggies had done an outstanding job guarding the three-point shot in the previous five games (their previous four WAC opponents had hit just 22 percent of their attempts), but allowed UH to shoot 53 percent from deep, something which they cannot allow Nevada to do when the two teams meet Thursday night in Las Cruces.
3. Hawai’i (12-8, 3-2): With Jeremiah Ostrowski and Zane Johnson absent due to injury and Vander Joaquim somehow in foul trouble against the diminutive Bulldogs, UH fell 74-70 to visiting Louisiana Tech. Then it was New Mexico State coming to Honolulu and UH led 44-34 at the half. The Rainbow Warriors extended the lead to 71-52 at the 11-minute mark and eventually won 91-87. Back from ill health, Johnson and Ostrowski played major roles, the former finishing with 29 points on 7-13 shooting from long distance and the latter passing for eight assists. Joaquim enjoyed an 11/10 double-double and UH totaled ten blocked shots on the night. Packing up for matchups with hosts Utah State and then Idaho are on the upcoming agenda — it’s an intriguing trip offering the possibility of a pair of wins if Hawaii can play solid back-to-back games on the road.
4. Idaho (10-9, 3-2): It’s not often that a team gets the better of Utah State two years in a row but that’s exactly what Idaho was able to do in knocking off the UtAgs in Moscow. Their victory essentially eliminated the Aggies from winning their fifth consecutive regular season title by dealing them a third conference loss before the first half of conference play has ended. The Vandals somehow managed the victory despite shooting worse from the field (41 percent versus 49 percent), worse from the free throw line (though they did make three more) and getting out rebounded by seven. That formula will not win them games this week as San Jose State and Hawai’i visit Moscow.
5. Louisiana Tech (10-10, 2-3): The Bulldogs had arguably the best week of the WAC teams as they went into Honolulu and came away with a 74-70 victory and then defeated San Jose State 71-67 on the back end of the trip. Pulling off a sweep on that road trip, particularly for the team who has to travel the furthest to complete it, is cause for celebration in Ruston and don’t look know but the Bulldogs have the same conference record as the four-time defending champs, Utah State.
   

   Brockeith Pane and Utah State Find Themselves Looking Up In The Standings ... A Position The Aggies Aren't Used To

6. Utah State (10-10, 2-3): Utah State faced off with host Seattle and the Redhawks led 22-9 at the 12-minute mark, 30-20 with four minutes remaining in the initial 20 and 34-27 at halftime. It ended 73-66 in favor of the Washington-ers, who shot 53 percent overall, 57 percent on 14 trey attempts. Seattle also won the rebounding battle 32-21. Brockeith Pane led the Aggies with 20 points and Preston Medlin was right behind with 19, although the latter went 2-of-10 on threes. USU beat Seattle 78-53 in Logan back on December 17. Then visiting USU enjoyed a four-point halftime margin over Idaho and the Aggies were still leading at the eight minute mark. However, the Vandals had 57 to USU’s 54 come buzzer time. Despite an off a 1-of-7 long distance shooting night for Medlin, the redshirt sophomore still paced the Logan-ites with 17, plus his seven rebounds also led. The turnover differential: eight for Idaho, 16 for USU, haunted the Aggies plus the latter also totaled but six assists.  Welcome-wagoning Hawaii and then San Jose State are next on the menu.
7. Fresno State (7-12, 1-4): Cal State San Marcos came to town — the return of prodigal son Tim Steed — and the Bulldogs won 66-55 behind 17 points and seven rebounds from Jerry Brown. It was 26-all at halftime. By the way, Steed scored 10 points in 33 minutes but added four rebounds, four steals and three assists. Then it was an in the realm of the expected 74-61 fall to Nevada, with the bright spot being 17 points from sophomore backcourter Tyler Johnson. The major down side was leading scorer Kevin Olekaibe shooting 9-34 in the two games. Fresno State can’t win with those numbers. Next up are road trips to Ruston (Louisiana Tech) and then Las Cruces (New Mexico State). The former offers a chance to win, the latter not so much.
8. San Jose State (6-13, 0-5): It was Hamidu Rahman night for New Mexico State as the Aggies went into San Jose and defeated the Spartans 79-63. The big went for 20 points against the smaller and far less bulkier SJSU. Keith Shamburger‘s 19 paced SJSU who gave up 51% shooting to the opponents and also lost the battle of the boards 39-25. Then Louisiana Tech came into Silicon Valley and also emerged with a win, 71-67. The Spartans held a 33-31 lead after the initial 20 minutes but the Bulldogs came on after intermission, winning the shooting percentage battle 49 percent to SJSU’s 39 percent. James Kinney was the top producer for San Jose State 22 points, followed by Keith Shamburger‘s 16 and forward Wil Carter put up a 12/11 double-double. The trifecta game of the week, against Cal State Bakersfield proved fruitful, 78-70, behind 30 points from redshirt freshman D.J. Brown.

Looking Ahead

• The headliner is Nevada at New Mexico State (Thursday, Jan. 26, 6 P.M., ESPN3) with first place on the line. A win by New Mexico State keeps the regular season race interesting for a few more weeks while a win by Nevada could potentially seal the regular season title for the Pack as they would have wins at Idaho, at Utah State and at New Mexico State, all before the midway point of conference play.
  

  Wendell McKines (31) and New Mexico State Hosts Nevada Is A Huge Contest Later Tonight (AP)

• The undercard on Thursday night features Hawai’i at Utah State. A win by Hawai’i keeps their regular season title hopes alive, especially if New Mexico State can deal Nevada a loss as the Wolf Pack still have to visit Honolulu. Then on Saturday the Warriors visit Idaho. Should Hawai’i come in fresh off a victory, the game will serve as an elimination game in the regular season title race as a third loss before the midway point of conference play spells doom in a shortened 14-game schedule.
• Fresno State hits the road taking on LA Tech and New Mexico State. Louisiana Tech hosts Fresno State and then Nevada, their fourth and fifth home games of conference play (that means the back half of their schedule will leave the team road-weary).

The Stickback

• Louisiana Tech freshman guard Raheem Appleby is averaging 19 points per contest in WAC play so far this season — okay, hands up of those who saw this coming?
• In four conference contests, Hawaii wing/guard Zane Johnson is averaging 18.3 point a game — this despite just a pair of free throw attempts so far.
• If SJSU frontcourter Wil Carter continues his pace of scoring and boarding — 13.6 and 11.0 respectively — does he get a nod for a spot on the All WAC team?

The Case for Hamidu Rahman

At the risk of sounding like a legal representative of the Department of Homeland Security, an apology is due. A preseason prediction by Kevin that senior Hamidu Rahman would relegated to coming off the bench by 6’10” sophomore Tshilidzi Nephawe in 2011-12 has proven to be invalid.  Rahman has started all 20 New Mexico State games and is averaging 10.4 points (14.0 in conference action) and 6.6 boards while shooting 63% on the season.  Meanwhile, Nephawe is a 43% marksman and averaging 5.2 and 3.1 respectively. Of late, Rahman has enjoyed 20 points and eight boards (in 22 minutes) matching up with San Jose State, followed by 16 points and six rebounds versus Hawaii (in 20 minutes). It was 12 and six in 17 minutes versus Idaho prior to SJSU. The senior out of New Jersey was nagged by injuries last season, averaging 7.2 points per game while making 49 percent of his shot attempts. This go-round, he is healthy and showing his full potential.

Charlie Parks is the RTC correspondent for The Summit League. You can follow him on Twitter @CharlieParksRTC.

Reader’s Take

The Week That Was

• League Continues To Impress: If you still underestimate the Summit League, I have some news for you. On January 24, The Summit League was ranked No. 15 in the Collegiate Basketball News RPI (rpiratings.com) and No. 17 in the Sagarin Ratings. The Summit League has a winning percentage of .500 or better against 15 of the 17 mid-major conferences its teams have played this season, a .506 winning percentage against non-league Division I opposition and a .585 winning percentage against all non-league competition. Still not convinced? How about five players currently among the NCAA’s Top 15 in scoring average, more than any other Division I conference. IUPUI’s Alex Young owned the nation’s highest single-game scoring total this season (43), and he is the active points leader in the nation. Oral Roberts is making the most noise nationally, but whomever emerges from the conference will be a challenge for anyone in the Big Dance.
  

  Can Dominique Morrison Lead The Golden Eagles To An Undefeated Conference Mark?

• Golden Eagles Flying High: Oral Roberts enters the week having won 17 consecutive Summit League games dating back to last season, The Golden Eagles are closing in on Oakland’s record of 20 games set during the 2009-11 seasons.

Power Rankings

1. Oral Roberts (18-4, 10-0) — Dominique Morrison has led the Golden Eagles to one of the best starts in school history, but they have a daunting road trip ahead when they travel to the Dakotas for back-to-back games. If they can survive early February without a blemish, they’ll have a strong chance to finish with the first undefeated record in conference history.
2. South Dakota State (13-5, 8-1) — They have not lost since the meltdown at ORU, and although that game made them fade into the background, they are still a talented and dangerous team. ORU is in the top-45 in RPI, but the Rabbits are right on their heels in the top-60. Golden Eagles beware; there are no free-passes.
3. North Dakota State (11-6, 6-3) — They have now lost to the top two teams in the conference, but they are still very much in the mix as well. When Taylor Braun plays well, the Bison have a chance to beat anyone. He’s averaging 16.2 points per game and 7.1 rebounds.
4. Oakland (10-11, 5-5) — Reggie Hamilton is having an incredible season, averaging 23.7 points per game, good enough for third in the nation, but it is getting overshadowed by the Golden Grizzlies’ struggles as a team. The Golden Grizzlies are having strong offensive week, but they have struggled to play defense.
5. Western Illinois (8-8, 5-5) — The Leathernecks play the best defense in the conference, allowing just 59.8 points per game, and their upcoming matchups with ORU, North Dakota State and South Dakota State could decide the outcome of this conference. They are a tough team to beat at home, and their next three conference games will be at home.
6. Southern Utah (8-10, 5-5) — The T-Birds have won three of their last four to keep their heads above the water, but Southern Utah has struggled to get into the lane and score, so most of their points come on three-point shots and midrange jumpers, which isn’t exactly the most sustainable model for offensive prowess. They slow the pace and try to keep the score in the mid 60’s where they can give themselves a chance to win. The T-birds don’t have enough firepower to keep up with a team shooting lights-out, and they don’t really have enough to keep up with average scoring teams, either. Jackson Stevenettleads the team with 13.9 points per game, the lowest total of any team leader in the Summit League.
   

   Jackson Stevenett Paces The Southern Utah Offense With 13.9 PPG

7. UMKC (8-13, 2-7) — The Kangaroos had a tough December and January, losing eight straight before dominating Western Illinois at home for their first conference win of the season. UMKC’s struggles to score (66.1 PPG) have given them the lowest average scoring margin in the conference at -5.1.
8. IPFW (6-10, 3-7)— The Mastodons have lost four in a row and seven of their last nine games. They are very close to last in every defensive category and last in assist-turnover ratio, but lead the Summit League in rebounding, which is a bit of an anomaly. Junior Frank Gaines continues to carry this team, and his 20.2 points per game and 5.7 rebounds give the IPFW faithful some hope for next season.
9. South Dakota (4-12, 2-8) — Summit League foes are getting their first looks at South Dakota and are experiencing overwhelming success. The team’s struggles in their first season was expected. Charlie Westbrook and Louie Krogman are sixth and ninth in the Summit League in scoring, respectively, and rank as one of the top tandems in the League (31.8 PPG).
10. IUPUI (6-14, 2-8)— Alex Young is a great basketball player, but the Jags as a team are a long way from the days when Young led them to the conference championship in 2009. IUPUI is in the midst of its third and longest losing streak of the season, which now stands at six games. Young is truly the lone bright spot, leading the team in points, rebounds, steels, assists, and field goal percentage.

Looking Ahead

• North Dakota State at Oakland, January 28—The loser of this game may be out of the conversation when it comes to conference contenders.
• Oral Roberts at South Dakota State, February 2—This is the rematch between the two powerhouses. Oral Roberts needs this game more than South Dakota State with at-large talk being thrown around. It will also give us a better look at these teams when they are in conference tournament surroundings.

“Where would we be without No. 5?,” asked West Virginia coach Bob Huggins after his team got throttled by St. John’s on Wednesday night. “What do you think our record would be without him? He’s been the most valuable player in the country.” Coach Huggins posed a legitimate question during post-game of his team’s worst performance of the season in which the Mountaineers came into Madison Square Garden as seven-point favorites and left with a 16-point loss. In the 78-62 defeat, West Virginia’s offensive deficiencies were exposed and the team’s guards were thoroughly outplayed on both ends of the floor. And despite it all, forward Kevin Jones still put up gaudy numbers – 26 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks on 48% shooting – that have become the norm for this superstar senior. The fact that Jones has completely dominated this season and led the Mountaineers to a Top 25-worthy resume is remarkable considering the team’s lack of other playmakers on the roster. The Big East leader in scoring and rebounding, Jones should get a long look as a first-team All-American.

Kevin Jones Has Been Ferocious for West Virginia All Season (AP Photo/D. Smith)

Wednesday’s loss showed how limited the Mountaineers are offensively, especially from the perimeter. St. John’s played a 2-3 zone defense all game that focused on packing the paint, which left room for open shots from the outside. West Virginia took those outside opportunities, but had no confidence in their shooting and finished 5-22 from three-point range, and an extremely poor 35.4% from the floor as a whole. Starting guards Truck Bryant and Jabarie Hinds combined to shoot 7-25 on the night and reserve guard Gary Browne did not score in 14 minutes of play. While his teammates fell into the trap of the St. John’s game plan, Kevin Jones was not at all affected and continued battling, playing all 40 minutes of the game and recording another monster double-double.

“He’s playing with all these freshmen who can’t pass,” Huggins said about Jones after the game. “The numbers that he gets are pretty good when they can’t pass him the ball.” Huggins was certainly not happy after the loss and it probably won’t help the confidence of his young players that he called them out for their ineptitude. But he speaks the truth in the fact that his senior doesn’t get a ton of help from his guards. Jones averages a conference-leading 20.9 PPG and 11.6 RPG, and he works his tail off for every point and every board. In the process, the Mountaineers have exceeded expectations and sit at 15-6 on the season with a 5-3 Big East record that’s good for fourth in the conference. Even after the horrible loss on Wednesday, the Mountaineers are still in good position for a solid NCAA Tournament seed and they have Jones’ constant effort and production to thank.

Not only does he fill up the stat sheet, but Jones is also constantly affecting the game in ways that don’t reach the box score. On a free throw miss by his own team in the first half, Jones crashed the boards and forced Moe Harkless, a terrific rebounder, to struggle with the catch and knock it out of bounds for the Mountaineers to retain possession. A few minutes later, St. John’s guard Phil Greene beat his man offensively and got to the rim with ease before Jones came from the weak side and challenged the shot, forcing a missed layup.

The Red Storm deserve all the credit for the dominant victory on Wednesday, as they implemented the zone defense from the opening tip that keyed on eliminating easy buckets and forced the Mountaineers to make shots from the outside. Coach Mike Dunlap let his young guys play freely in this game, and it resulted in a fast-paced, efficient offensive output. In fact, St. John’s started five freshmen in this game, which marked the first time in 85 years that the program had a lineup of all rookies. Led by the dynamite frosh duo of Harkless (23 points, 11 rebounds) and D’Angelo Harrison (19 points), St. John’s was constantly on the attack and produced its third-highest scoring output of the season.

Wednesday’s game proved that the young Red Storm may actually have a more talented roster than the No. 23 Mountaineers. But the West Virginia loss should not deter Kevin Jones’ chance for an All-American spot, not when he still found a way to put up 26 points and 14 rebounds and keep his team in a game where nobody else came to play. Jones is not a guy that will ‘wow’ you with his athleticism, and he’s seemingly been around forever, so perhaps he gets overlooked when it comes to the best forwards in the country. Players like Anthony Davis of Kentucky, Thomas Robinson of Kansas, and John Henson of North Carolina have much more flash to their game that makes them the more frequented names when discussing first-team All-Americans. And while each of those players has been outstanding this season, the senior in Morgantown needs to be neck and neck in that discussion. Kevin Jones is top 10 in the nation in both scoring and rebounding, and this fiery competitor will let his production speak for itself when it comes to stating his case to be recognized as one of college basketball’s finest forwards.

Andrew Murawa is the RTC correspondent for the Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences. He is also a Pac-12 microsite staffer.

Reader’s Take

Top Storylines

Parity abounds in the Pac-12. After four weeks of conference play, no less than five teams sit within a game of first place. Last weekend California had a chance to snatch the outright lead in the conference for themselves on Saturday night after pulling off a big road win against Washington on Thursday, but they were shot down in Pullman by Pac-12 Player of the Week Faisal Aden and his Washington State team. Oregon, meanwhile, put together a home sweep of the Los Angeles schools, has now won four straight and is tied atop the conference with the Golden Bears at 6-2. Sitting just back of the leaders are Colorado (off a 2-0 weekend against the Arizona schools) and Washington (split against the Bay Area schools), while Stanford drops back to fifth in the conference after getting swept in Washington.

Faisal Aden's Big Week Helped Washington State Sweep The Bay Area Schools (AP)

Outside of the top five, you could make arguments for any of the next four teams getting hot and making a run. Arizona sits at 4-3, but is one of just three conference teams with at least two road wins in the first four weeks. Washington State is 3-4, but they’re on a two-game streak and Aden’s outburst has Cougar fans hoping for a turnaround. UCLA also sits at 3-4, but their road trips to Oregon and the Bay Area are in the past. And Oregon State got off to a terrible start in conference play, but they’ve now won two straight, and if they can make a splash in their next three games (all road games against Oregon, Colorado and Utah), they’ve got five of their last seven at home.

The rest of the conference is looking ahead to spring break and next season. USC, in particular, sits at 0-7 in the conference, 5-15 on the year and all but left for dead, while Arizona State and Utah, despite similar overall records and a similar lack of talent, are at least overachieving.

What to Watch For

The biggest games of the weekend come on Sunday this week, with a couple of late afternoon rivalry games. Oregon State heads to Oregon hoping to break the Ducks’ two-game winning streak in the series and get their mojo back. After that, we’ve got the game we’ve all been waiting for, the basketball version of The Big Game, as California hosts Stanford in an attempt to hang on to their hold on first place in the conference. It has been exceedingly tough for road teams to come away with victories thus far this season (the home team is 33-11 in conference play), and despite the proximity of these two pairs of rivals to each other, it has been difficult for the road team to come away with a win (home teams are 28-12 in these two rivalry games in the past ten years), meaning we could expect to see Oregon and Cal still atop the conference standings come Monday morning.

Elsewhere this weekend, Colorado will need to earn its first Pac-12 road wins in order to remain in the conversation near the top of the league; they’ve got a eminently winnable game against USC on Thursday night followed by a tougher game at UCLA Saturday. Meanwhile, the Washington schools turn snowbird, as they head to the desert this weekend for matchups with the Arizona schools. The undermanned Sun Devils may seem like easy pickings, but they’ve split their only two conference home games so far, while the Wildcats figure to be a little ornery this weekend, after losing a tough one to Colorado last Saturday.

Player of the Year Watch

Let’s just go ahead and say it; much like the other aspects of the Pac-12 conference this season, the race for Player of the Year is just an absolute mess. Tony Wroten is the apparent favorite right now, mostly because his traditional numbers look good. He’s second in the conference in both points and steals (16.8 and 2.0, respectively), tenth in assists with 3.3 dimes per night, and he throws in a solid 4.5 rebounds per night. And those are all good numbers in a down year in the conference, but the fact remains that there is still some discussion over whether Wroten is either a positive or a negative force for his own team. You see, if you dig a bit deeper, you see some disturbing stats: 19% three-point shooting, yet a continued insistence on hoisting a couple attempts per game; more than four turnovers per game and turnovers on 23.4% of his possessions; a great ability to get to the line (he draws more than seven fouls per 40 minutes, good for 13^th in the nation), but an inability to hit his free throws when he gets there (54.9 FT%); and most damning of all, an offensive efficiency rating of 94.9 (this worst rating of any Husky getting more than seven minutes per game) compounded by his use of 33.2% of all Husky possessions and his taking of 28.2% of their shots when he’s in the game. There are certainly plenty of things that Wroten does well, but one cannot abide the idea of a conference POY candidate with those types of numbers.

So, if not Wroten, who else?

Terrence Ross has been excellent for the Huskies all year long, scoring in double figures in all but one game while adding 6.5 rebounds per night, the only player in the conference in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding. But he’s not even the go-to guy on his own team. Jared Cunningham is leading the conference in scoring and steals and still manages to hand out three assists per night, but his team is a couple games below .500 in conference play – he’ll need to get his team on the right track in order to be a serious candidate. Jorge Gutierrez is the heart and soul of a team that is currently in first place in the conference, he’s averaging solid offensive numbers (14.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.5 APG) and is an even better defensive player, but you just figure in a major conference, there’s got to be somebody more skilled who is worthy of the POY award.

But, looking up and down the rosters, you just don’t find anybody. Guys like Devoe Joseph, E.J. Singler and Garrett Sim are having nice years for conference-leader Oregon, but they’re the essence of a team – no one player stands out there. Stanford is much the same way. For now, Wroten is the guy who will most likely win the award, but there is still hope that basketball writers up and down the conference will figure out that he’s got some serious holes in his game that go a long way towards eclipsing his positives. The pick from here, right now at least, is Gutierrez, but it is still wide open.

Tony Wroten May Be Flashier, But Jorge Gutierrez Is The Best Player In The Pac-12 - For Now

Newcomer of the Year Watch

Aside from Wroten, who will certainly be in this conversation, the strongest potential candidates are transfers, guys like Colorado’s Carlon Brown or Oregon’s Devoe Joseph. Freshmen like CU’s Spencer Dinwiddie and Stanford’s Chasson Randle are also in the mix, but this is certainly Wroten’s race to lose. And, really, despite his negatives, he brings enough to the table to warrant his spot at the top of this list.

Power Rankings

After seven consecutive weeks at the top of our power rankings, Stanford’s two losses in Washington this weekend finally sent them plunging, all the way to third, while California regained the top spot, a position it held for the first three weeks of the season. Oregon is now second in our ratings, the highest spot it has seen this year. And, for just the second time all year, Utah is not our lowest ranked team, as USC has gone out of their way to earn 12^th place.

Weekly Honors

Our weekly honors are a good way to sum up the parity in the conference. With Faisal Aden taking down the Player of the Week honors, we now have had 11 different players win the recognition in 11 weeks. Aden’s Washington State team earned our Team of the Week honors for their second time this season, and eight teams have won the award so far this year – amazingly California is not among them. Our Newcomer of the Week award went to Tony Wroten again this week, the fourth time he has won the award in the past seven weeks. CU’s Carlon Brown is the only other player who has won the award more than once.

YouTube of the Week

The scene from the seats at Beasley Coliseum as DaVonte Lacy drills a three to put Washington State up late, and they hold on from there, dodging a couple last-ditch opportunities from the Golden Bears.

Mike Brey is used to it by now. After losing Luke Harangody to an injury late in the 2009-10 season, the Fighting Irish coach changed the way his team ran its offense by going to the “burn.” Its been a staple of his program ever since, which is a stark contrast from Brey’s teams in the mid to late-2000s that played at a tempo ranked in the top third of Division I or better.

Veteran Coach Mike Brey Has Tailored His Offense To Fit His Personnel This Season (AP)

This season, with Tim Abromaitis out for the year with a torn ACL, Brey continues to have his team playing deliberate, grind-it-out type of games, such as the upset win over previously undefeated and top-ranked Syracuse this past Saturday in South Bend. It worked wonders again Wednesday night as the Irish rolled to a surprisingly easy 55-42 road win over Seton Hall in Newark, following up the big home win over the previously-No. 1 Orange with a solid performance away from Purcell Pavilion, something Notre Dame hasn’t historically put forth all that well.

“Our group is conditioned to concentrate if the game is kind of ugly and we’re not scoring,” the Notre Dame coach, now in his 12^th year at the South Bend school, said. Kind of ugly? That’s an understatement. In a game where neither team scored a single point before the first media timeout and the halftime margin was 19-18 in favor of the Irish, Notre Dame’s stingy defense and its mental and physical toughness frustrated the cold-shooting Pirates into their lowest point total in six seasons, equaling their output in a 44-42 home loss to Northwestern on December 18, 2005.

Despite the frigid start by both teams, the game remained close until Notre Dame broke it open after halftime with a 10-1 run to start the second stanza. Brey praised his team’s growth and maturity in putting its first half struggles to bed. “We didn’t let it discourage us,” he said. “That shows some maturity. There’s no way this team could have done that in November and December. No way.” Even with its best player sidelined, this Notre Dame team is finding ways to win. It starts with the play of junior forward Jack Cooley who had 13 points and 11 rebounds against the Pirates, his second consecutive double-double and fourth since Big East play began. Cooley, who posted less than four points and rebounds per game in limited playing time last year, is now averaging 10.9 PPG and 8.5 RPG while leading the Irish to their second straight win and eighth in 12 games. “He’s got to be a candidate for most improved (player) in this league,” Brey said. “It’s neat to see him get more confident.”

Jack Cooley Is A Candidate For Most Improved

With Cooley breaking out, Eric Atkins taking good care of the basketball while running the point, and guys like Jerian Grant and even Alex Dragicevich making timely plays, Notre Dame is putting itself in a position to possibly make a run at the NCAA Tournament, something almost nobody thought was possible even a month ago. At 13-8 (5-3 Big East) with a poor RPI, the Irish still have plenty of work to do. However, opportunities are aplenty in the Big East and another one comes calling this Sunday at Connecticut.

Nobody is publicly talking about the postseason since there is still such a long way to go but Notre Dame is building up a lot of positive momentum in the middle of the Big East. In the latest projected brackets here at RTC and on ESPN.com, the Fighting Irish are among the last four teams out of the field of 68. With a few more wins like the one against Syracuse, Seton Hall (road) and Louisville (road), Notre Dame may find itself in the bracket easier than you might expect in yet another year with a weak bubble.

One thing is for sure; If Notre Dame keeps playing well with this style of basketball, Seton Hall won’t be the only opponent to become completely frustrated by the slow pace, lack of transition opportunities and ugly meat-grinder style. And that’s just the way Mike Brey likes it.

Big Ten and WAC match-ups headline tonight’s conference action. Let’s get to the games.

#14 Indiana at Wisconsin – 9:00PM EST on ESPN HD (****)

Tom Crean looks for a big road win at Wisconsin

• Indiana recently ended a three-game losing last Sunday by beating Penn State for the second time this season. The Hoosiers have been a bit sloppy on offense in Big Ten play, turning the ball over more, getting more shots blocked, and dipping under the 50% mark from inside the arc. However, it’s the IU defense that has seen the biggest dip against Big Ten opponents. Tom Creen’s squad is not creating turnovers and is getting lit up from two-point land to the tune of 52.2%. While Wisconsin is far from an offensive juggernaut, keep a close eye on how the Hoosiers lock-up on defense. Also, pay close attention to Indiana’s ability to get to the line. If the Hoosiers do not have a free throw rate (FTA/FGA) of at least 30%, there is a higher probability that they will lose the game.
• Wisconsin has suffered through its own three-game losing streak in the Big Ten this season. They have since put together a four-game win streak with strong defense. After a miserable start on offense, the Badgers have picked up their shooting in the last four games. Wisconsin can survive a poor shooting night because of strong defense. However, with a total eFG% under  50% and a two-point shooting percentage of 44.9% in conference, they have seen their fair share of dismal shooting displays that even stellar defense cannot overcome.
• There are three keys to this game that will determine the outcome. Indiana’s free throws, Wisconsin’s shooting, and Indiana’s ability to grab offensive boards. We have discussed the first two. If Indiana does not get to the line, they are much more susceptible to losing. Wisconsin does not have to shoot lights out to win, but if they are clanking too many, it’s over. The third key is very important though. Wisconsin has a tough time against teams that can grab their misses and pick-up second chance points. With Indiana’s size advantage in the this contest, pay close attention to the Hoosiers’ boarding on offense and subsequent trips to the line on hard fouls on the inside.

Nevada at New Mexico State – 9:00PM EST on WAC Sports Network (***)

• Nevada is riding a 13-game win streak into the biggest game of the season for the WAC conference. A win by the Wolfpack will give them a two-game cushion against the next best team in the league and a big leg up for the regular season conference championship. David Carter’s team is cleaning up on the offensive end in conference play. His guys are shooting 43% from three and 55% from two. They will be facing a tough NMSU defense that is only allowing teams to shoot 26.8% from downtown. While the Pack does not take a ton of shots from beyond the arc, keep an eye on how they handle the perimeter pressure from the Aggies.
• While the Wolfpack may have the best offense in the WAC, NMSU has the best defense. They are also one of the fastest teams in the country. The Aggies play at a break neck speed and average approximately 73 possessions per game. Compare that to Nevada’s 65 possessions per game. Watch to see if NMSU is able to dictate the tempo and play at their pace.
• This game should have excellent two-point shooting with both teams shooting approximately 55% from inside the arc in conference play. The deep ball does not figure to be a huge factor with NMSU only hitting 35% of its threes on the season and sporting such a stout three-point defense. However, if the Wolfpack can find open looks on the outside, they can certainly drain them. This game may come down to rebounding. If each team continues to shoot like they have been from inside the arc, there will not be a ton of misses, so boards will be even more important. The rebounding winner just may be the winner of the game.

Other Games to Watch:

South Dakota State at Oakland (7:00PM EST on Fox Sports Detroit) – South Dakota State’s Nate Wolters is battling Doug McDermott for the Jimmer Fredette Award this year for best white guy on a mid-major. Try to catch him play so you can know what to expect if he’s in the tourney.