This Week's Sweet 16

Vito Forlenza's College Basketball Power Rankings

It's a little more than a week away. The Big Dance, the brackets, the office pools, the road trips, and watching basketball noon 'til midnight ... few weeks are better than the first of the NCAA tournament.

But I have some news for you. This week is one of those weeks.

This week, dubbed Championship Week by network marketing execs, is the perfect week for the true college hoops fan. The plethora of conference tournaments gives you the chance to see more college basketball in six days than you have all season.

And while I've used this space in the past to rail against the concept of conference tournaments (because they really are needless exhibitions designed to squeeze every penny out of the penniless players), I can't deny that I've also often claimed this is the week when the madness actually begins.

So if you need me, I'll be glued to my TV until Sunday night. These tourneys may be unnecessary. But they sure are fun to watch.

(All records and stats through Tuesday.)

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This Week's Swee... It's a little more than a week away. The Big Dance, the brackets, the office pools, the road trips, and watching basketball noon 'til midnight ... few weeks are better than the first of the NCAA tournament.
But I have some news for you. This week is one of those weeks.
This week, dubbed Championship Week by network marketing execs, is the perfect week for the true college hoops fan. The plethora of conference tournaments gives you the chance to see more college basketball in six days than you have all season.
And while I've used this space in the past to rail against the concept of conference tournaments (because they really are needless exhibitions designed to squeeze every penny out of the penniless players), I can't deny that I've also often claimed this is the week when the madness actually begins.
So if you need me, I'll be glued to my TV until Sunday night. These tourneys may be unnecessary. But they sure are fun to watch.
(All records and stats through Tuesday.)
16. Tennessee (2... The Vols enter Championship Week playing their best basketball of the season … and settling some scores in the process. Tennessee won five of six to close the regular season, including the stunner over Kentucky, and avenged last season's loss in the SEC tournament title game by crushing Mississippi State on Saturday. The Vols were apparently fired up to face the Bulldogs again, jumping out to a 17-0 lead at the start. "It was not just a little about payback," guard Bobby Maze said, "it was a lot about payback." That same passion could lead to a return to this year's championship game. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
15. Baylor (24-6... Despite enjoying a memorable run to the Big 12 tournament championship game last year, Baylor wasn't expected to carry that success over into this season. But the Bears finished the regular season with their strongest stretch of the campaign, crushing Texas on Saturday for their seventh win in eight games. "When you are picked 10th and finish third in a league that's No. 1 [in RPI] in the nation, you really have to look to the upperclassmen and recognize what a great job they did with the leadership of the team," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. Now that the Bears have locked up the three seed in this year's Big 12 tourney, no one is discounting them this time around. (AP Photo/Duane A. Laverty)
14. Temple (26-5... The Owls have had a banner year to this point – going 4-0 in the Big 5 for the first time since 1988, beating a top five team (Villanova) for the first time since 2000 and winning at least a share of the Atlantic 10 regular-season championship for the first time since 2002. With a team that's has gotten deeper as the season's progressed thanks to the emergence of A-10 Sixth Man of the Year Ramone Moore and Michael Eric, Temple has won seven straight. A third straight conference tournament crown could be in the offing, but the Owls must beware: a No. 1 seed hasn't won the A-10 tourney since 2005. (AP Photo/Bradley C Bower)
13. Maryland (23... The Terps needed to beat someone of significance to grab a spot in the Sweet 16. And they did just that. Greivis Vasquez scored 20 points, including an improbable runner with 37 seconds left, to beat Duke last Wednesday and put Maryland in position to win a share of the ACC title. The ACC first-team selection followed it up with 23 points in Saturday's win over Virginia to lock up a piece of the crown. Maryland ended the season winning nine of 10 with Vasquez scoring at least 20 points in seven of them. "He likes the attention, we all know that," coach Gary Williams said of his team's emotional leader. "But he is willing to take the heat when things don’t go well. I think that is what you get with Greivis." (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
12. Purdue (26-4... The biggest question facing the selection committee is what to do with Purdue. The team that won 24 of its first 27 games is not the same squad that'll take the court this postseason. The loss of Robbie Hummel to an ACL tear is that damaging. The Boilers have won two of the three games they've played without Hummel, but the results don't inspire confidence. They were held to their lowest point total of the season in a 53-44 loss to Michigan State and survived at Penn State in the regular-season finale. Still, coach Matt Painter hopes the committee looks at the so-called body of work for the co-Big Ten champs. "I would think we would be anywhere from a No. 1 to a No. 3", Painter said, "no matter what happens in the Big Ten tournament." Of course, Purdue has a huge opportunity to prove it can still contend in the NCAAs by making a strong run in Indianapolis, but will need Big Ten first-teamer E'Twaun Moore and second-teamer JaJuan Johnson to come up big. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
11. Pittsburgh (... Since losing four of five from late January to early February, Pitt has been on a tear. The Panthers went 8-1 down the stretch to turn their fortunes around and grab the second seed in the Big East tournament. However, Pitt, which gets a double bye, could be without the full services of Jermaine Dixon for the early part of the tourney. The senior guard, who scored 24 points against Providence on Thursday, poured in 10 points in 12 minutes Saturday against Rutgers, but was lifted after injuring his ankle. Although Dixon said after the game that he was fine, the injury is concerning to Pitt fans because Dixon missed the first eight games of the season after twice breaking his right foot. (AP Photo/Don Wright)
10. Michigan Sta... Last year at this time, Raymar Morgan was struggling to find his game after dealing with mono and walking pneumonia throughout the winter. Heading into this year's Big Ten tournament, the senior forward is playing some of the best basketball of his career. Morgan scored a season-best 22 points and pulled down 10 boards as Michigan State hammered Michigan to win a piece of its sixth Big Ten title under coach Tom Izzo and 12th overall. Morgan, who did bounce back to have some strong postseason performances last March, is averaging 15.7 points and 11 rebounds over the last four games and has notched three straight double-doubles. "If he plays like he's been playing lately, the sky is the limit for us and we can get back to the Final Four," Big Ten first-teamer Kalin Lucas said. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
9. West Virginia... WVU enters the Big East tournament riding a strong wave of momentum after overcoming a 13-point first-half deficit to dump Villanova in OT on the road. The Mountaineers opened the second half with an 18-5 run to win for the fifth time in six games. "We've done it all year but I don't think I can take any more of these kind," coach Bob Huggins said of his team's penchant for trailing early. "If there's such a thing as making people overconfident we're the masters at it, but our guys compete." Although WVU has a double bye in the Big East tournament, their path to the title game will be a difficult one – the Mountaineers could get Louisville in the quarters and Pitt in the semifinals. (AP Photo/David Smith)
8. Kansas State ... After a late January OT loss to Kansas, the Wildcats won admirers by bouncing back and winning seven in a row. However, K-State wasn't able to rebound after a second setback to their in-state rivals last Wednesday. And it's cost them dearly. The Wildcats were still in the mix for the final No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament despite the blowout, but eliminated themselves with a sluggish effort in Saturday's home loss to Iowa State. "We lost three home games," Big 12 Coach of the Year Frank Martin said. "That's who we are. We're not a championship-level team in the Big 12 because we can't win at home." K-State could get another shot at Kansas in the conference tournament, but will likely have to go through Baylor or Texas to get it. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
7. Butler (28-4,... They had already won the Horizon League regular-season championship. They owned the nation' longest winning streak. And they were appearing in their fifth straight conference championship game. But the Bulldogs approached Tuesday's Horizon tournament title game with a chip on their shoulder, still feeling the disappointment from last year's championship game loss to Cleveland State. It was obvious from the tip that there would be no disappointment this time around. Butler pushed the longest winning streak in the country to 20 games with a 70-45 thrashing of second-seeded Wright State. "It's pretty good, but I hope the guys aren't happy with this, that they don’t want this to be the highlight of their year,” tournament MVP and All-League forward Matt Howard said. “I hope … they’ve got a bigger goal and a bigger vision in mind." (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
6. New Mexico (2... The Lobos started out 0-2 in Mountain West play. They've been unbeatable ever since. New Mexico ended the regular season on a 14-0 run to win the conference championship outright for their second regular-season crown in as many years. The difference between last year's team that shared the title with BYU and Utah and this year's group that rose above everyone else is JuCo transfer Darington Hobson. The junior guard was named both the Mountain West Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year after leading his team in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (9.1 rpg) and assists (4.6 apg). Hobson and the Lobos enter the conference tournament needing just one more win to set the school record for Ws in a season. (AP Photo/Kenny Crookston)
5. Duke (26-5, L... Everyone knows that the Blue Devils have been relying on the "Big Three" of ACC first-teamers Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler and second-teamer Nolan Smith to carry them throughout the season. Still, few are capable of stopping them. The trio combined for 65 points in Saturday's win over UNC – Duke's first sweep of its Tobacco Road rival since 2004 – after netting 53 in Wednesday's loss to Maryland. However, the loss to the Terps kept the Devils from winning the ACC regular-season championship outright. The Dukies are already in the running for the final No. 1 seed, but they can significantly strengthen their case with an ACC tournament title – particularly if they beat Maryland in the process. And it wouldn't hurt to find another scorer either. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
4. Ohio State (2... Despite entering the postseason on the heels of 10 wins in their last 11 games, the Buckeyes are worried about the rust factor. Ohio State, which clinched a share its third Big Ten regular-season championship and the top seed in the conference tournament under coach Thad Matta, hasn't played since last Tuesday's pounding of Illinois. That layoff could impair the momentum the Bucks have built up during the stretch run, and a subpar performance in the Big Ten tournament could be enough to cost them a No. 1 seed in the Dance. But with Big Ten Player of the Year Evan Turner on the floor (19.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg and 5.8 apg), Ohio State is a good bet to shake off the rust and a make deep run this March. "It's not over yet," Tuner said. "We've got a couple of more trophies to worry about." (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)
3. Kentucky (29-... Kentucky heads into the SEC tournament with its 44th conference championship in tow. Yet, the biggest question mark centers on how its fabulous freshman trio of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe react in a postseason environment. "I expect it to be crazy just like the regular season," Wall said. “We just have to be prepared. We had to use these games to keep getting better and at the same time use them to help us be prepared for postseason play." The freshmen's performance in the conference tournament will speak volumes to how prepared they really are for the pressures of the Dance. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
2. Kansas (29-2,... How good has Kansas been this year? The Big 12 owns the nation's highest conference RPI rating. The Jayhawks won the league by four games. Kansas bounced back from the Oklahoma State loss with convincing wins last week over Kansas State and Missouri, beating two of the best teams in the conference by a combined 38 points. As if trying to prove their depth, four Jayhawks scored in double figured against K-State and five did so against Mizzou. Although Kansas is assured of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, coach Bill Self knows that earning the overall top seed could make a big difference in the Dance. "I want to be a one seed," Self said, "but on the flip side, once you get in the tournament it’s all about matchups." (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
1. Syracuse (28-... The Orange fell from the top spot in the media and coaches' polls this week, but I'm keeping them as my team to beat heading into the postseason. Two of the 'Cuse's three losses have come at the hands of Louisville, including Saturday's setback in the Freedom Hall finale. Sometimes, a team just has your number – and Louisville has Syracuse's number. Add to that Louisville’s desperation and the closing of a historic arena, and it’s hard to fault the Orange for losing their sixth straight to the Cardinals. Still, Big East first-teamer Wes Johnson and Co. could remind everyone just how dangerous they are with a deep run in the Big East Tournament. And they wouldn't have to face Louisville until the final. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Knocking on the ... Villanova (24-6) – The Wildcats fall out of the Sweet 16 after losing four of their last six. However, they can jump right back in with a strong showing in the Big East tournament. That's not going to be easy. 'Nova has shown during the stretch run that it struggles to match up against the conference's top teams.
Wisconsin (23-7) – The Badgers closed with a strong February, winning seven of nine. But they haven't played a ranked team in four weeks. How they fare in the Big Ten tournament will offer a good indication of how far they can go in the Dance.
BYU (28-4) – Of the three conference games the Cougars lost this season, two came at the hands of New Mexico. BYU might get the chance to extract a measure of revenge – and improve its NCAA seeding – by advancing to the Mountain West finals for a possible rematch with the Lobos.
Xavier (23-7) – The Musketeers are among the hottest teams in the country, winning seven in a row and 11 of 12 to grab a share of their fourth straight A-10 regular-season championship and the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.