Hoops -- Week in Review & Rankings (No. 4)

Hello hoops' fans. Here are this week's rankings and other interesting takes on college basketball.

Rankings (Includes games played through Sunday, Feb. 22)

1. Stanford: 23-0 overall (14-0 in conference)---(1,ranking last week) They pulled off the "L.A. Sweep," with wins at USC and UCLA. The Cardinal still have to be considered the top team in the nation.

2. Saint Joseph's: 24-0 (13-0)---(2) Hawks had no trouble with Fordham or Temple this past week. Despite being overshadowed by his flashier teammate, Jameer Nelson, guard Delonte West ranks among the top 10 in the Atlantic 10 conference in scoring (18.9), assists (4.9), steals (1.7) and three-point percentage (.433). West also leads the conference in free-throw percentage (.910).

3. Duke: 22-3 (11-2)---(3) Lost 90-84 at Wake Forest, but came back to crush Maryland 86-63. The inside play of freshman Luol Deng (14.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and sophomore Shelden Williams (8.3 rpg, .594 FG%) gives the Blue Devils the interior presence that they desperately lacked last March, when they were bullied out of the NCAA tournament by Kansas.

4. Pittsburgh: 24-2 (10-2)---(5) Turned in a solid road win against a West Virginia team that had won four straight Big East home games. In their previous 25 trips into Morgantown, Pitt was 5-20.

5. Oklahoma State: 21-2 (11-1)---(6) After an impressive 65-52 win over rival Oklahoma, the Cowboys barely avoided an upset at home with a wild overtime victory over Nebraska, 87-83. Junior guard Joey Graham, who had reached 20 points only once all season, scored 36 to lead the charge.

6. Mississippi State: 21-2 (10-2)---(4) They apparently spent last week reading their press clippings before an upset loss at home to Alabama, 77-73. The Bulldogs, the top rebounding team in the SEC, were out-rebounded 34-31 in the loss.

7. Kentucky: 19-4 (9-3)---(7) The Wildcats defense shut down Arkansas and Auburn to take control of the SEC East. Big trap game looms this week at the LSU Tigers, who are down to their final shots at a big win for their NCAA Tournament resume.

8. Connecticut: 21-5 (9-3)---(8) UConn got healthy after back-to-back losses with a couple of easy home wins over Miami and Notre Dame. They still stand one behind Pitt in the Big East, but they should easily handle road games this week against St. John's and Villanova.

9. Wake Forest: 17-6 (7-5)---(14) Wake jumps into the Top 10 after beating Duke in a shootout, 90-84, and winning at Georgia Tech, 80-76. After losing his starting job to freshman Kyle Visser, center Eric Williams has scored in double figures in each of Wake's last three games.

10. Texas: 19-4 (10-2)---(9) They are still clipping at the heels of Oklahoma State in the Big 12. The Longhorns have won seven of eight after beating Texas A&M (who hasn't?) and Oklahoma. Big week approaches with home dates against Kansas and Texas Tech. They shoot only .678 from the line, ninth in the Big 12, which could pose a problem at some point.

11. Gonzaga: 23-2 (12-0)---(10) The Zags took advantage of a rare opportunity to play a late-season non-conference game by clobbering Tulsa, 76-56. However, be advised that Tulsa is 7-17 this year and is only a shell of the team that harassed higher seeds in the NCAA's the last few years.

12. N.C. State: 17-6 (9-3)---(11) They get the mulligan of the week for a 60-55 loss at Clemson, as they are still a solid second in the ACC. Beat Washington 77-72 in a non-conference home game. Still have to play at Georgia Tech and at Wake.

13. Providence: 18-5 (9-3)---(16) They actually have the tie-breaker for 2nd in the Big East as a result of their January win at UConn. Road games at Notre Dame and St. John's this week.

14. Georgia Tech: 19-7 (6-6)---(13) Won at Maryland for the first time since 1993 and then lost a tight game at home to Wake Forest. They have an opportunity to move up in the ACC standings this week at home against N.C. State.

15. Cincinnati: 18-5 (9-3)---(15) The Bearcats showed some fight after a tough loss to UAB with a wild overtime win over Louisville, 66-61. They will be at Charlotte this week trying to avenge an 86-83 home loss earlier this year. The winner will stay in the mix for the Conference USA title.

16. North Carolina: 16-7 (6-6)---(16) Heels scored a big win over Florida State to get to .500 in ACC play. They are at N.C. State this week, but have to take care of business at Virginia first. Roy Williams claimed that he almost fainted on the sidelines during the Florida State game. Now he knows how CBS execs felt when he dropped the "S-bomb" during his interview with Bonnie Bernstein after the championship game last year. Classy.

17. Louisville: 17-6 (7-5)---(12) How do you lose to TCU by 25 points? The Cards are dropping faster than Howard Dean during caucus season. Interestingly, like Dean, coach Rick Pitino is known for a famous outburst as well. That would be his "Larry Bird isn't walking through that door!" rant when the Celtics were sinking during his regime there. Maybe he can give us another one: "We're going to DePaul! Memphis! St. Louis! Marquette! AARRRGGHHHH!"

18. Memphis: 19-4 (10-2)--- (21) One of the hottest teams in the nation, the Tigers made it 10 straight wins by knocking off UAB, 74-66. They have a one game lead in Conference USA and will go to Louisville on Saturday to try for the season sweep of the Cards. Weak schedule (75th) could hurt them in terms of NCAA tournament seeding, so they need every win they can get in the conference.

19. Kansas: 17-6 (9-3)---(22) Jayhawks got back into the Big 12 race with wins over Baylor and Iowa State. They can move into second place by winning at Texas on Monday. Must improve shooting from three-point range (.315) if they want to be a real factor in the NCAA tournament.

20. Texas Tech: 19-7 (7-5)---(19) Bob Knight's troops continue to scratch and claw their way to an NCAA tournament bid. They haven't won back-to-back games since beating Oklahoma and Texas A&M in late January.

21. Arizona: 17-7 (9-6)---(20) Wildcats lead the nation in scoring per game (88.0). Their 9-6 record in a weak PAC-10 leads one to believe that they are just bored. They figure that they can't catch Stanford, so what's the use? Expect them to turn their game up a few notches come March.

22. Charlotte: 17-6 (9-3)---(25) The 49ers have won six of last seven and is only one back of Memphis in Conference USA. With TCU, Houston and Tulane still on the slate, they should hit the magic 20-win number before conference tournament play begins.

23. Michigan State: 15-9 (10-3)---(NR) The Spartans are undefeated at home in the Big Ten and have taken over the conference lead at 10-3. They lost to Duke, Kentucky and Kansas in non-conference play, so the record is not as bad as it looks.

24. Wisconsin: 18-5 (9-3)---(18) Lost three of last five, as well as the Big Ten lead to Michigan State. The Badgers should rebound this week at home, where they have not lost this season, against Penn State and Purdue.

25. South Carolina: 20-6 (7-5)---(23) Coming into their game against Arkansas, the Gamecocks had the top scoring defense in the SEC (59.3 points per game). They then proceeded to give up 50 second half points in an 82-66 loss. So much for stats. Dropped out: Florida (24)

Other Stuff

* Southern Illinois beat Hawaii 66-62 in the "Bracket Buster" series and we are supposed to get all excited because they won a non-conference game? Ridiculous. Hawaii is a fourth place team from the WAC in the midst of a week-long road trip on the mainland. They had one legit test this year when Charlotte came to town and beat them on their own court. If the Salukis get bounced in the Missouri Valley conference tournament, they should not make the NCAA's. Period.

* I don't see how Melvin Watkins can possibly keep his job at Texas A&M. His team is 0-12 in the Big 12 conference and 7-16 overall. Outside of St. John's, I don't think there is a major conference team having a more miserable season. Watkins has had five years to turn the program around and that is more than enough.

* If George Washington (16-8, 10-3 Atlantic 10) should win their last three games in conference play to finish 13-3, they should get a bid to the NCAA tournament. They host Richmond and then play at Xavier and at La Salle. The Colonials split with Dayton this year and only lost by nine at St. Joseph's. With early season victories over Charlotte and West Virginia, they have proven that they can win against solid non-conference competition. Unfortunately, it is more than likely that an undeserving mid-major (like Southern Illinois) will steal their bid.