Kevin McCarthy of Parsing the WAC and Sam Wasson of bleedCrimson.net are the RTC correspondents for the WAC.

Current Standings

1. Utah State (12-1, 24-2)
2. Nevada (8-4, 15-10)
3. Boise State (7-4, 17-7)
4. New Mexico State (8-5, 14-12)
5. Idaho (5-6, 11-13)
6. Hawai’i (4-8, 12-12)
7. San Jose State (4-8, 11-13)
8. Louisiana Tech (4-9, 10-16)
9. Fresno State (2-9, 10-16)

Random Thoughts: The rest of the league can thank us for putting the serious jinx on the UtAgs with our mention of potential undefeatedness in last week’s WAC Check-In. That being said, Utah State (12-1) will not be caught — a wise man told us — in the race for the league championship despite falling to Boise State Saturday night … Nevada has managed a solid 8-4 WAC record to date despite a young team and some returning players positioned in new roles … Boise State Coach Greg Graham and his Broncos stand at 7-4 with these games remaining until tourney time: Idaho, @ Portland State (BracketBuster), @ Louisiana Tech, @ New Mexico State, Fresno State and Nevada. That same wise man refused to offer who was going to be the second place finisher in the WAC and then told us to get off his lawn.

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College Chalktalk is the RTC correspondent for the Atlantic 10 Conference.

By CCT Staff | February 16, 2009

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Wright (So.), Dayton
For Wright, winning the Player of the Week is about more than just numbers. In Dayton’s resume-building victory against nationally-ranked rival Xavier, Wright powered the Flyers with a 19 point, six rebound effort. In the process, Wright shouldered – as a star must – the additional burden for a Dayton squad without the services of valuable contributor Rob Lowery. Wright wouldn’t let his Flyers suffer a letdown after that rivalry win either, following up the Xavier effort with a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) in Dayton’s triumph over Richmond. Wright averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and an impressive three blocks per contest for the week.

HONORABLE MENTION: Tony Gaffney (Sr.), Massachusetts; Mike Moore (So.), Fordham; Lamont Mack (Sr.), Charlotte

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Rob Dauster of Ballin is a Habit is the RTC correspondent for the Big East Conference.

Player of the year.

How do you define it. Who put up the best stats? Who is the best player on the best team? The most valuable player? Maybe the guy that, if you were to have a draft involving every player in the league, you would pick first?

My criterion is simple – who is the best player? Easy enough, right?

As of now, there are only four players that should be considered for the award, and another few that deserve a mention in the conversation.

1. DeJuan Blair, Pitt – 15.7 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 5.8 Orpg, 60% FG
2. Jerel McNeal, Marquette – 19.9 ppg, 4.0 apg, 4.7 rpg, 2.2 spg, 44% 3PT
3. Terrence Williams, Louisville – 12.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 4.6 apg, 2.1 spg, 1.93 a/t
4. Hasheem Thabeet, UConn – 13.2 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 4.3 bpg, 64% FG

Others deserving mention: Luke Harangody, Jonny Flynn, Jeff Adrien, Levance Fields, and Da’Sean Butler.

Right now, I have no idea who deserves the award. Two weeks ago, I thought McNeal would run away with it. Last week, I thought Thabeet would made a run at national player of the year. This week, well, just scroll down and read about the player of the week.

There are great arguments to be made for each of these four, as well as the five players deserving mention (I mean, Luke Harangody is the only player in the country to be in the top five of points and rebounds per game, and barely cracks the top five for Big East POY?).

What it is going to come down to is who leads their team to the Big East regular season title. Each of the four players listed are the MVPs of the four teams currently tied (in the loss column) atop the Big East.

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Ryan ZumMallen of LBPostSports.com is the RTC correspondent for the ACC, SEC and Big West Conferences.

The SEC standings continue to shake up as Kentucky’s loss at Vanderbilt sent the Wildcats down a few spots, but LSU remains atop the conference and is still the lone ranked team at #24.  The Tigers have won six straight and look like front-runners for the title at this point, but look out for any of the next four teams – who all have the talent to challenge for the crown (if they would just stop beating up on each other).  Notice, if you will, the strength of the SEC’s Eastern Division over the Western in the standings below.

1. LSU (W) 9-1 (21-4)
2. South Carolina (E) 7-3 (18-5)
3. Tennessee (E) 7-3 (16-8)
4. Kentucky (E) 7-4 (18-7)
5. Florida (E) 6-4 (19-6)
6. Mississippi State (W) 6-4 (16-9)
7. Auburn (W) 5-5 (16-9)
8. Vanderbilt (E) 5-6 (15-9)
9. Ole Miss (W) 4-6 (13-11)
10. Alabama (W) 3-7 (13-11)
11. Arkansas (W) 1-9 (13-10)
12. Georgia (E) 1-9 (10-15)

Without a doubt, any of the East’s top four could make a run at the SEC Championship in a few weeks.  Tennessee has sputtered at times but was the preseason favorite and still has the tools to get it done, Kentucky will be especially dangerous if they get Patrick Patterson back to ease the pressure on Jodie Meeks, and South Carolina is as hot as anybody in the conference right now after winning 9 of their last 12.  Of course, LSU is more determined than ever, having recently been ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in over two years. 

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Josh & Mike from Big Ten Geeks are the RTC correspondents for the Big Ten Conference.

Looking Back
At this point in the season, Michigan State has clearly separated itself from the pack in the Big Ten. The real race is for 2nd place in the conference, which would mean more than bragging rights. The increased parity in the league means the Big Ten Tournament won’t be an easy place to pick up wins, and those wins could prove to be critical for a few teams. So in that sense, Wisconsin had a pretty big week, picking up wins over Iowa and Ohio State. The Badgers now sit at 7-6 in conference place, and with two games remaining against Indiana things are looking good.

Also picking up two wins was Illinois and Purdue. Both of these teams have likely already secured a Tournament berth, and at this point are playing for seeding. At the other end of the spectrum is Minnesota, losers of 3 of their last 4 games (and 5 out of their last 8). Tubby Smith‘s team needs the offense to wake out of its doldrums.

Looking Ahead
The game of the week is tonight, with Michigan State visiting Purdue. The Boilermakers have been a bit of a disappointment this season, but to be fair, they’ve been without preseason Conference Player of the Year Robbie Hummel for much of the conference season. Still, even with his absence, Matt Painter‘s team could catch Michigan State in the standings. To do so, however, they all but have to win tonight’s game.

Illinois also has a couple of big tests this week, with games against Penn State and at Ohio State. Win both, and the Illini could be looking at a 3 seed. Lose both, and they could fall lower than a 5 seed. And Wisconsin plays a pivotal game at Michigan State on Sunday. Lots of good games this week.

A Look at the Numbers
You know what’s nuts? Ohio State shoots 55% on its two pointers, and over 40% from the 3 point line, and they’re second in the conference in terms of getting to the line. Yet, they score just 1.05 points per possession. Wisconsin, on the other hand, shoots 49% from 2, 35% from 3, and they’re one of the worst teams in the conference in terms of scoring from the stripe. But they’re second in the conference in points per possession, at 1.08. The reason? Well, Wisconsin doesn’t waste possessions like Ohio State does. The Badgers lead the conference in TO Rate, coughing it up on just 15.4% of their possessions. In contrast, Ohio State’s TO Rate sits at 22.7%. Additionally, Wisconsin’s offensive rebounding percentage is at 31%, while Ohio State grabs just 25.1% of their misses. The point is that scoring isn’t just about making shots, it’s also about taking more shots. This was on full display in Wisconsin’s win over Ohio State – the Buckeyes lit the nets on fire (57.9 eFG), while the Badgers were miserable from the field (40.0 eFG). But Wisconsin won because they attempted 17 more shots. Crafty one, that Bo Ryan.

Michael Vernetti is the RTC correspondent for the West Coast Conference.

There is no drama left in the race for the WCC conference title and favorite’s role heading into the conference tournament – it’s Gonzaga by a landslide – but that doesn’t mean the excitement is over in the West Coast Conference. With Portland’s emergence as a threat to Saint Mary’s for number two behind the Zags and a wild scramble underway to fill out the top four league spots, the last two weeks of play will be interesting.

Here’s how it is shaping up:

Saint Mary’s vs Portland
The Gaels may have righted themselves following the loss of Patty Mills on Jan. 29 by losing a winnable rematch against Gonzaga 72-70 (2/12) and pulling away from Portland in the second half to win 77-65 (2/14), both games in Moraga. Not only did the win over the Pilots give the Gaels as a team a much-needed confidence boost, it may have given even more to sophomore point guard Mickey McConnell. McConnell rebounded from a miserable outing as Mills’ stand-in against Gonzaga – six turnovers and five points is not a line to be remembered – to score 20 against Portland and post a gleaming line: four-for-four from three-point land and six-for-six from the foul line. McConnell has been up and down this year for the Gaels, but may be coming into his own at a crucial time. A coaches’ son from Mesa, AZ, McConnell has held coach Randy Bennett’s praise and confidence since arriving in Moraga, and now has a perfect opportunity to show everyone else what Bennett sees.

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Ryan ZumMallen of LBSports.com is the RTC correspondent for the Big West Conference.

Let’s be very honest about the Big West for a minute: The conference will only send one team to the NCAA Tournament that will probably be seeded 13th or 14th in their region, and there isn’t a single can’t-miss NBA prospect in the conference.

Here’s why you should watch the Big West, anyway.

1. It’s Been A Great Race

Long Beach State jumped out to an early 5-0 conference record behind the fresh legs of their four freshmen, but were hit with an injury to leading scorer Donovan Morris and have stumbled ever since, going just 2-4 in their last six. The most recent loss, a double-overtime thriller at UC Riverside, put the ball in Cal State Northridge’s court. The Matadors, picked in October by both media and coaches to win the conference title, beat that same Riverside team to snatch a full-game lead on Long Beach State. But beware as five teams trail Northridge by 2.5 games or less.

1) Cal State Northridge 12-10 (8-3)
2) Long Beach State 12-11 (7-4)
3) Pacific 14-9 (7-5)
4) Cal State Fullerton 13-12 (7-6)
5) UC Riverside 14-10 (6-6)
6) UC Davis 11-14 (6-6)
7) UC Irvine 8-17 (5-7)
8) UC Santa Barbara 10-13 (4-7)
9) Cal Poly SLO 6-16 (3-9)

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Patrick Marshall of Bluejay Basketball is the RTC correspondent for the Big 12 and Missouri Valley Conferences.

Current Records and My Standings (Conference Record)(Last Week Rank)

1. Northern Iowa (18-8) (12-3)(1)
2. Creighton (21-6)(11-4) (2)
3. Illinois St. (21-5) (10-5)(3)
4. Bradley (14-12) (8-7) (4)
5. Evansville (15-10) (7-8) (5)
6. Wichita St. (13-13) (7-8) (8)
7. Drake (15-12) (6-9) (6)
8. Indiana St. (7-19) (5-10) (10)
9. Southern Illinois (11-15) (6-9) (7)
10. Missouri St. (10-16) (3-12) (9)

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Patrick Marshall of Bluejay Basketball is the RTC correspondent for the Big 12 and Missouri Valley Conferences.

Current Records and my standings (Conference Standings) (Last Week)

1. Oklahoma (25-1)(11-0) (1)
2. Missouri (22-4) (9-2) (3)
3. Kansas (20-5)(9-1) (2)
4. Kansas St. (17-8) (6-5)(5)
5. Texas (17-7) (6-4) (6)
6. Nebraska (15-8) (5-5) (4)
7. Baylor (16-9) (4-7) (8)
8. Oklahoma St. (15-9) (4-6) (9)
9. Texas A&M (17-9) (3-8) (7)
10. Texas Tech (13-12) (3-7)(10)
11. Iowa St. (13-12) (2-8) (11)
12. Colorado (8-14) (1-9) (12)

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Ryan Pravato of College Fast Break is the RTC correspondent for the Summit League.

North Dakota State Bison 19-5 (13-1)
11 games and counting since this squad last lost a game (Jan. 2 @ Oakland). Three out of their last four wins have been by at least 20. In a 38-point murder of UMKC on Thursday, 11 different players scored for NDSU and their 4th leading scorer Michael Tviedt was not one of them.

Ben Woodside (left), Senior, 5’11”: Leads the conference is scoring, 2nd in assists, and totally needs to acquire a license for his guns. Balances the duties of point guard and go-to scorer perfectly.

Brett Winkleman (middle), Senior, 6’6″: 3rd in the conference in scoring, tied for 3rd in rebounding, and his last name is Winkleman.

Mike Nelson (right), Senior, 6’4″: NDSU’s 3rd leading scorer, 3rd in minutes/game, and 1st in headshot creepiness.

Woodside, Winkleman, & Nelson

Oral Roberts Golden Eagles 12-13 (10-3)
Extended their 33-game conference home winning streak by squeaking past Western Illinois on Thursday, an important win considering the two game slide they were on coming into the game. Home date February 24th vs. NDSU.

Robert Jarvis (left) Senior, 5’11: 5th in the conference in scoring, probably has bigger guns than Woodside, and shoots a lackluster 38.5% from the field. Guy thinks his fecal matter and jump shot don’t smell.

Marcus Lewis (right), Senior, 6’8″: Oral’s 2nd leading scorer, team leader in FG% by a mile, and is tied for the team lead in assists (averages more feeds than Jarvis).

Jarvis & Lewis

Oakland Grizzlies 15-11 (8-5)
Two straight victories after two straight losses have the Grizz still in the hunt for the #2 seed. Celebs were in full force when Centenary traveled to Rochester for a date on the 7th. Didn’t actually see Joe Cribbs Car Wash mastermind Jerry with my own two eyes (almost sold out), but he was there.

Erik Kangas (left), Senior, 6’3″: The best shooter in the nation (inside joke, actually, wait a second) is 3rd in the country in total threes made, 2nd in the conference in scoring, and 2nd on the team in minutes/game (36.3).

Jonathon Jones (middle), Junior, 5’11”: J.J. currently has the most total assists in the nation, leads the team in minutes/game (38), and is only shooting 39.5% from the field (it’s unhealthy to be too much of a homer, got to keep it real).

Keith Benson (right), Redshirt Sophomore, 6’11”: Had to throw the big guy in here because he’s blocking over 2 shots/game (best in the conference.), 2nd on the team in scoring with 13.7, and the only guy I know who can effectively smile while swatting a shot, “running” back on defense, and getting cussed at by Coach Kampe. I’m telling you, the Only Guy.

Kangas, Jones, & Benson

The Others…

• Southern Utah had a golden opportunity to draw within one game of Oakland for 3rd place with a win @ SDSU on Thursday, but couldn’t get it done.
• After a 5-4 beginning in conference play, Centenary has lost four straight games by double figures.
• IUPUI is quietly lurking at 7-7 thanks to a 5-1 record since Jan. 24th.
• I think it’s safe to assume 2-10 UMKC won’t qualify for the Summit league tourney at this rate.