This Week's Sweet 16

Vito Forlenza's College Basketball Power Rankings

With two weeks left in the regular season (yea, that's it), the NCAA tournament field is taking shape. And the true national championship contenders are revealing themselves.

Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse have been on the top line for much of the season. But the struggles of Villanova, Michigan State and Georgetown have allowed Purdue (a Final Four pick of mine a year ago), Kansas State and Duke to jump into the fray for that last No. 1 seed.

With conference championship races tightening, watching how teams respond to the rigors of the stretch run goes a long way toward understanding how they'll fare in March.

Who will crack under pressure? Who will suddenly hit the wall? Who will catch fire, pull off an upset and throw the whole bracket out of whack?

The thing to remember about college basketball is that it's a season full of madness. The field may be taking shape, but that shape is changing every day.

(All records and stats are through Monday.)

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This Week's Swee... With two weeks left in the regular season (yea, that's it), the NCAA tournament field is taking shape. And the true national championship contenders are revealing themselves.
Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse have been on the top line for much of the season. But the struggles of Villanova, Michigan State and Georgetown have allowed Purdue (a Final Four pick of mine a year ago), Kansas State and Duke to jump into the fray for that last No. 1 seed.
With conference championship races tightening, watching how teams respond to the rigors of the stretch run goes a long way toward understanding how they'll fare in March.
Who will crack under pressure? Who will suddenly hit the wall? Who will catch fire, pull off an upset and throw the whole bracket out of whack?
The thing to remember about college basketball is that it's a season full of madness. The field may be taking shape, but that shape is changing every day.
(All records and stats are through Monday.)
16. Temple (22-5... Temple is becoming a dangerous team heading into the postseason with the emergence of Ramone Moore. The sophomore guard, who averaged just five points over the Owls' first 21 games, broke into the lineup after Juan Fernandez went down with a concussion and has been a key offensive contributor ever since. Moore scored a career-high 24 points in Saturday's win over rival St. Joe's, including a coast-to-coast layup to send the game into OT. With 16.7 ppg over his last six games, Moore combines with Fernandez, Lavoy Allen and Ryan Brooks to give the Owls four scoring threats. (AP Photo/Clement Britt)
15. Michigan Sta... The Spartans owned the Big Ten throughout much of the season – they opened 9-0 in conference play – but have dropped into a tie for second after losing four of their last six. The only wins during the stretch have come against Penn State and Indiana, who are a combined 5-23 in league play. The collapse started when Kalin Lucas sprained his ankle against Wisconsin (he's had only one good game since) and has since engulfed Raymar Morgan (he's virtually disappeared) and Draymond Green (he's been inconsistent on the boards). "'Disappointed' would be a foolish word right now," coach Tom Izzo said. "It's more than that." (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
14. BYU (25-3, L... The Cougars finally get a spot in my Sweet 16 … just in time for their biggest week of the regular season. Holding onto second place in the Mountain West, BYU gets third-place San Diego State on Wednesday before its showdown with first-place New Mexico on Saturday. The Cougars draw the daunting week at a time when they are finally giving leading scorer Jimmer Fredette (21.5 ppg) consistent support. Jonathan Tavernai has stepped up his play down the stretch, averaging 16.3 pgg over his last four games. "He's been terrific the last month," coach Dave Rose said. "He's been shooting the ball well and with a lot of confidence. He's a real bonus to this group." (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
13. Gonzaga (22-... After a surprising loss at Loyola Marymount last Thursday, coach Mark Few reminded his team that it can't take wins for granted. "I just challenged them," Few said. "You can't approach these games like that. You're getting everybody's best shot." The Bulldogs responded with an 18-point win over Pepperdine in which leading scorer Matt Bouldin also bounced back from a sub-par effort to score a game-high 18 for the Zags. Sometimes, a little reality check right before the postseason is just what a team needs to renew its focus. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
12. West Virgini... The Mountaineers became my latest Sweet 16 victim to fall to a Connecticut team that is finally playing up to its ability. And coach Bob Huggins is just the latest coach to complain about the officiating. "We shot four free throws in the first half and two of those were technicals," Huggins said. "We weren't trying to foul. They shoot 42, we shoot 23. You can't win." But coach, your guys hit just 12 of those 23 free throws. Maybe they should convert a few more attempts before you start groaning about a lack of trips to the foul line. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
11. Pittsburgh (... One of the hottest teams in the country, Pitt has steadily developed into tough out in the Big East and NCAA tournaments and is quietly contending for a conference title. It's a remarkable feat for a young squad that lost four of five in late January-early February. Not only have the Panthers bounced back to win five straight, they've done it during a stretch that had them taking on West Virginia and Villanova (albeit both at home). But with Sunday's win over the Wildcats, Pitt proved it could matchup with anyone by notching its third victory over a top-five team this season. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
10. Butler (25-4... The Bulldogs have now won 17 straight after an impressive 70-53 win over MAAC champ Siena in which they shot 52.1 percent from the field and held Saints to 33.9 percent. Swingman Gordon Hayward scored 15 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double and 11th of the year. With a winning streak that's the longest in school history, Butler can clinch its first perfect Horizon League season since 1995-96 with a win Friday at Valparaiso. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
9. Ohio State (2... The Buckeyes have won seven of eight with Sunday's huge win over Michigan State in which national player of the year contender Evan Turner posted another monster game. The junior swingman scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out six assists. The Buckeyes' only loss during the run has come against red-hot Purdue, which they now trail by a half-game in the Big Ten standings. (AP Photo/Robin Scholz)
8. New Mexico (2... In bouncing back from an 0-2 hole to start conference play, New Mexico climbed to the top of the Mountain West with a run that included big wins over BYU and UNLV. But the Lobos nearly threw it all away against the last-place team in the league. Held to its lowest point total of the season, New Mexico survived a scare against Air Force when Darrington Hobson converted a putback with 16.9 seconds remaining to push the win streak to 11. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
7. Villanova (22... Villanova has lost two straight for the first time in two years (wow) and has dropped three of its last five. All this after a blistering 20-1 start to the season that had everyone talking about a return to the Final Four. Then came matchups with Georgetown, Syracuse and Pitt. "Some people said we were playing like a Final Four team" coach Jay Wright said. "Not now." (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
6. Duke (23-4, L... I mentioned last week that Duke fans should be worried that three players – Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler – are carrying this team. That concern was on full display in Sunday's win over Virginia Tech – the trio scored all but four points in the 67-55 win. "I'd like to have other people score, that's an obvious thing," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "One of these games, we're just going to break out." That breakout game needs to come soon because while three guys have been good enough to lead Duke's six-game winning streak in a weak ACC, Coach K knows his Blue Devils won't go far in the tournament if they don't find another contributor. (AP Photo/Sara D. Davis)
5. Kansas State ... Led by the backcourt tandem of Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen, K-State has won five straight since the OT loss to Kansas at the end of January. Clemente is pouring in 22.2 ppg, while Pullen is averaging 15 ppg during a streak that has lifted the Wildcats into sole possession of second place in the Big 12. "I hear all these people talk about all these guards around the country," coach Frank Martin said. "No disregard to them, but I’m glad these two guys play for me." (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
4. Purdue (23-3,... Led by Big Ten Player of the Year hopeful E'Twaun Moore, the Boilers have won nine straight, a run that includes victories at Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State. It's the first time since 1977 that a team has won on those four campuses in the same season – although, it's a stat that, by definition, takes out some of the best teams in the league. Regardless, Purdue is in the driver's seat for its first regular-season conference title since 1996. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)
3. Syracuse (25... A record crowd is expected to be on hand Saturday for Syracuse's showdown with Villanova. But while the Orange are historically tough at the Carrier Dome, this battle between the two top teams in the Big East comes with an asterisk: Both of the 'Cuse's two losses this season have come at home – Pitt on Jan. 2 and Louisville on Feb. 14. And although guard Andy Rautins has established himself as another scoring threat of late, he's been most productive on the road – scoring 20 at Cincinnati two weeks ago before dumping in a season-high 26 Saturday at Georgetown. Of course, Syracuse's proficiency on the road could lead to good things come tournament time. (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)
2. Kentucky (26-... Entering last week, Patrick Patterson hadn't notched a double-double since before Christmas. But with Kentucky needing to grind out victories at Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, the junior forward stepped up with 19 points and 10 rebounds against the Bulldogs and 13 points and 13 boards against the Commodores. Patterson's re-emergence, along with Kentucky's ability to play varying styles, has coach John Calipari feeling good about his group. "We don’t force our will on the other team," Coach Cal said. "We want to play different ways. When you get in that NCAA tournament, you don’t know if you are playing a team that is going to play fast, play slow. You’ve got to beat them anyway." (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
1. Kansas (27-1,... The Jayhawks clinched at least a share of their sixth straight Big 12 regular-season title in Monday's win over Oklahoma and their 10th crown in the conference's 14 seasons. Rock Chalk have won 13 straight – their second winning streak of at least 13 games this season – and have won nine of those 13 by double digits. Although Kansas boasts a balanced attack, Xavier Henry has led the onslaught in the last two games, netting 24 against Colorado and 23 last night against the Sooners. The freshman phenom has scored in double figures in each of his last five games (averaging 18 ppg) after being held under 10 for five straight. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
Knocking on the ... Missouri (20-7) – The Tigers have risen to third place in the Big 12 on the strength of a defense that's holding opponents to 40.2 percent shooting.
Texas A&M (19-7) – The Aggies rebounded from last week's tough loss to Kansas with a four-point win at Iowa State and have won seven of nine.
Vanderbilt (20-6) – Vandy would have easily upended Kentucky had it hit even a third of its 3-point attempts. Going 2-for-20 from behind the arc against one of the best teams in the land and still only losing by two? The Commodores have proven they can play with anyone in the nation.
Richmond (22-6) – The Spiders have won eight in a row and are on track for their first NCAA tournament berth in six years.
Northern Iowa (24-3) – Winners of eight of nine, the Panthers have clinched their first outright Missouri Valley Conference title in school history.
Connecticut (17-11) – Sure, they still have a losing Big East record (7-8), but the Huskies are finally playing up to their potential and will be a tough out in the conference and NCAA tournaments. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)