It is kind of hard to believe that Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament is only five weeks away.  It is becoming time when college basketball teams are separating themselves as either tourney contenders or pretenders.  Here is The Sports Bank‘s latest Bracketology?  I have more than held my own the past couple of years against ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and with my extreme college hoops nerdom, plan to do so again this year.  Check back every week for an update.

UPDATED: 2/6/12

SOUTH REGIONAL-Atlanta

AT LOUISVILLE
1. Kentucky 23-1 (SEC)
16. UNC-Asheville 18-7 (Big South)/Mississippi Valley State 11-11 (SWAC)

8. Notre Dame 15-8 (BE)
9. Illinois 16-7 (B10)

AT PORTLAND
5. San Diego State 20-3 (MWC)
12. VCU 20-5 (CAA)/N.C. State 17-7 (ACC)

4. St. Mary’s 22-2 (WCC)
13. Nevada 19-4 (WAC)

AT  OMAHA
6. Mississippi State 18-5 (SEC)
11. California 18-6 (P12)

3. Kansas 18-5 (B12)
14. Oral Roberts 21-5 (Summit)

AT COLUMBUS
7.  Virginia 18-4 (ACC)
10. Kansas State 16-6 (B12)

2. Michigan State 18-5 (B10)
15. Akron 16-7 (MAC)

MIDWEST REGIONAL- St.Louis

AT LOUISVILLE
1. Ohio State 20-3 (B10)
16. Norfolk State 16-8 (MEAC)

8. Wichita State 20-4 (MVC)
9. New Mexico 19-4 (MWC)

AT COLUMBUS
5. Louisville 18-5 (BE)
12. Miami FL 14-7 (ACC)

4. Murray State 23-0 (OVC)
13. Middle Tennessee 21-4 (Sun Belt)

AT PITTSBURGH
6. Indiana 18-6 (B10)
11. BYU 20-6 (WCC)

3. Marquette 19-5 (BE)
14. George Mason 19-6 (CAA)

AT OMAHA
7. Vanderbilt 16-7 (SEC)
10. Memphis 16-7 (CUSA)

2. Missouri 21-2 (B12)
15. Belmont 17-7 (A-Sun)

EAST REGIONAL-Boston        

AT PITTSBURGH
1. Syracuse 23-1 (BE)
16. Long Island 17-7 (NEC)/Stony Brook 15-7 (AEC)

8. Temple 17-5 (A10)
9. Harvard 20-2 (Ivy)

AT ALBUQUERQUE
5. Creighton 21-3 (MVC)
12. Minnesota 17-7 (B10)

4. Florida State 16-6 (ACC)
13. Long Beach State 17-6 (Big West)

AT NASHVILLE
6. Southern Miss 20-3 (CUSA)
11. Cincinnati 16-7 (BE)

3. Florida 19-4 (SEC)
14. Cleveland State 20-4 (Horizon)

AT GREENSBORO
7. UConn 15-7 (BE)
10. Iowa State 17-6 (B12)

2. Duke 19-4 (ACC)
15. Bucknell 18-6 (Patroit)

WEST REGIONAL-Phoenix

AT GREENSBORO
1. North Carolina 20-3 (ACC)
16. UT-Arlington 17-5 (Southland)

8. West Virginia 16-8 (BE)
9. Alabama 15-7 (SEC)

AT PORTLAND
5. Wisconsin 18-6 (B10)
12. Seton Hall 15-8 (BE)/Xavier 15-8 (A10)

4. UNLV 21-4 (MWC)
13. Iona 19-5 (MAAC)

AT NASHVILLE
6. Michigan 17-7 (B10)
11. Washington 16-7 (P12)

3. Georgetown 18-4 (BE)
14. Davidson 17-5 (Southern)

AT ALBUQUERQUE
7. Gonzaga 18-4 (WCC)
10. St. Louis 18-5 (A10)

2. Baylor 21-1 (B12)
15. Weber State 18-4 (Big Sky)

Wrong Side of the Bubble:
Purdue 15-8 (B10)
Oregon 16-7 (P12)
Colorado 16-7 (P12)
Central Florida 17-6 (CUSA)
Arkansas 16-7 (SEC)
UMass 17-6 (A10)
Arizona 16-8 (P12)
Ohio 19-4 (MAC)

Multiple Bid Conferences:
Big East (9)
Big Ten (7)
ACC (6)
Big 12 (5)
SEC (5)
A10 (3)
MWC (3)
WCC (3)
CAA (2)
CUSA (2)
MVC (2)
Pac-12 (2)

Click here for a list of RPI and SOS

David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank.  He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities.  David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu.  He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.

You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.

WCC (3)
CAA (2)
CUSA (2)
MVC (2)
Pac-12 (2)

Ah you gotta love Danny Woodhead of the New England Patriots; or at least his name. Misprouncing the surname of the tailback who looks a lot like someone who works at Medieval Times caused the NFL Network team, especially Deion $anders to literally lose it during a show taping.

Former Washington Redskins and Notre Dame legend Joe Theismann made a mildly funny malapropism that became epically hilarious once you see the reaction from it.

Bug tip of the hat to Midwest Sports Fans.com on this one. When you see Steve Maricucci on the floor; the only parallel I can think of is the infamous interlude from the track “B- Boys Making with the Freak Freak” off the album Ill Communications.

Here’s the soundbite, and the original bit.

Oh and here’s the video too

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

It seems if you are in the Big East, you are either streaking (Marquette, Notre Dame, Louisville, Pitt) or you are sliding (Cincinnati, UConn, West Virginia, Seton Hall.)  All in all, it makes for a competitive conference with several teams still having plenty of work to do on their NCAA Tournament resume.  Be sure to check back every Friday for my latest Big East Power Rankings.

1. Syracuse: 22-1 overall, 9-1 in Big East (Last Week Ranking: 1)
Isn’t it crazy how much Fab Melo means to ‘Cuse this season?  If you would have told me that he’d be making this much of an impact as a sophomore, I’d call you more insane than a cast of MTV’s The Challenge.  The Orange survived without the big fella the past two games and get him back from his academic suspension this weekend versus St. John’s.

Up Next: at St. John’s (Sat), vs. Georgetown (Wed)

2. Marquette: 19-4, 8-2 (LWR: 3)
Winners of seven straight, the Golden Eagles have taken a firm hold on the number two spot in the Big East.  There is some concern with center Davante Gardner missing MU’s last game due to a knee injury.  With Chris Otule already lost for the season, Marquette is very thin and under-sized in their frontcourt and need Gardner back sooner than later if they are going to remain in the number two spot.  

Up Next: at Notre Dame (Sat), at DePaul (Mon)

3. Georgetown: 17-4, 7-3 (LWR: 2)
The loss to Pitt isn’t at bad as it seems anymore since the Panthers are starting to find their groove.  The Hoyas bounced back nicely with an impressive showing against slumping UConn.  Still, I am not convinced JT3’s team can do serious damage in March.  I’m not predicting their third straight one-and-done, but I don’t see this team making a deep run either.

Up Next: vs. South Florida (Sat), at Syracuse (Wed)

4. Notre Dame: 14-8, 6-3 (LWR: 7)
The Fighting Irish are really the fourth best team in the Big East?  Right now, yes.  Mike Brey has once again done a terrific coaching job, but here’s a serious question… does Notre Dame even practice running offense with a full shot clock?  I bet Brey just skips the first twenty seconds and puts 15 on the shot clock and says, “Go!”  That burn offense is Big Ten-brutal to watch.

Up Next: vs. Marquette (Sat), at West Virginia (Wed)

5. Louisville: 17-5, 5-4 (LWR: 8)
The Cards early conference funk is over as they have bounced back with three straight wins.  Ready for a fun fact? (I know you are.)  L-Ville is 4-0 in Big East play when Gorgui Dieng records a double-double, 1-4 when he doesn’t.  The only the game they won, he was one rebound shy of a double-double.  In other words, when Dieng is active on the glass and stays out of foul trouble, Rick Pitino’s squad is a much, much better team.

Up Next: vs. Rutgers (Sat), vs. UConn (Mon)

6. West Virginia: 15-8, 5-5 (LWR: 5)
Rough week for the Mountaineers… They suffer a screw job ending against Syracuse on a blatantly missed goaltending call that would have sent the game in overtime.  Less than sixty hours later, West Virginia was upset by a suddenly surging Pitt team in Morgantown.  Now Bob Huggins team is five-hundred in conference play, has eight total losses, and is just 1-5 on the road.

Up Next: at Providence (Sun), vs. Notre Dame (Wed)

7. Cincinnati: 15-7, 5-4 (LWR: 4)
Add the Bearcats to the list of “upper-echelon” Big East teams currently in a funk.  Cincy has dropped three straight, most recently losing at Rutgers.  You figure all Cincinnati needs to do is finish above five-hundred in conference to get into the tourney.  However, with an RPI of 101 and a strength of schedule around 126, this team’s margin of error is rather slim.

Up Next: vs. DePaul (Sat), at St. John’s (Wed)

8. South Florida: 13-9, 6-3 (LWR: 10)
Yes, I’m still dogging on the Bulls.  Consider this though; USF doesn’t have a win against a Big East team with a winning conference record.

Up Next: at Georgetown (Sat), vs. Pittsburgh (Wed)

9. UConn: 14-7, 4-5 (LWR: 6)
It is kind of like Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me… The Huskies have lost their mojo.  Not just their mojo, but this team also lacks any leadership, heart, or toughness.  They were held to a season-low 44 points in a loss to Georgetown; their fourth straight defeat.  UConn is far too talented to be playing so poorly but as Jim Calhoun proved last year, there is still plenty of time to turn things around.

Up Next: vs. Seton Hall (Sat), at Louisville (Mon)

10. Pittsburgh: 14-9, 3-7 (LWR: 15)
Theeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy’re baaaaaaaaaaack.  The Tray Woodall effect has been obvious for the Panthers.  Pitt was 6-1 prior to Woodall’s injury and now 3-1 since he has returned to the line-up including three straight wins.  Their remaining schedule is somewhat soft and I wouldn’t be shocked if they ended finishing .500 in conference.  Would that be enough to earn them a spot in the tourney?

Up Next: vs. Villanova (Sun), at South Florida (Wed)

11. Seton Hall: 15-7, 4-6 (LWR: 9)
Five straight losses and the Pirates are suddenly fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives.  They will need to finish at least five-hundred in conference to have any hopes of dancing in March since their “signature” non-conference win came at Dayton.

Up Next: at UConn (Sat), at Rutgers (Wed)

12. St. John’s 10-12, 4-6 (LWR: 13)
I know Moe Harkless has an off shooting night against DePaul (2-15) but he is totally league.  I’m going to go ahead and say it; he is a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft if he declares.  In fact, I have him going eighth overall in our latest 2012 NBA Mock Draft.

Up Next: vs. Syracuse (Sat), vs. Cincinnati (Wed)

13. Rutgers: 12-11, 4-6 (LWR: 11)
I would never, ever bet on a Rutgers game since this team has zero consistency.  They lose at Georgetown by only two points, get beat at home to DePaul, knock off Cincy, and then lose at last place Providence.  

Up Next: at Louisville (Sat), vs. Seton Hall (Wed)

14. Villanova: 10-12, 3-7 (LWR: 12)
‘Nova let an 18-point lead slip away against Marquette and are in jeopardy of missing out on a post-season tournament for the first time since 1998.  Glass half-full: this team will have everybody coming back next season assuming Maalik Wayns stays for his senior season and nobody transfers.

Up Next: at Pitt (Sun), vs. Providence (Tues)

15. Providence: 13-10, 2-8 (LWR: 16)
LaDontae Henton is one of the most underrated, least-talked-about freshmen in the country.  He is logging major minutes for the Friars having played 238 of a possible 240 minutes in Providence’s last six games.  The lefty exploded for 33 points in his team’s three-point loss to South Florida and is averaging almost nine rebounds per game.  Plus, dude rocks a headband.  Who doesn’t love a dude rocking a headband?  Ed Cooley also picked up a transfer in Arizona big man Sidiki Johnson who should add even more depth to what should be a much improved team next season.

Up Next: vs. West Virginia (Sun), at Villanova (Tues)

16. DePaul: 11-10, 2-7 (LWR: 14)
In the words of Ma$e, “Welcome Back… welcome back… welllllllllcome baaaaaaaack…” (to the cellar of the Big East Power Rankings.)

Up Next: at Cincinnati (Sat), vs. Marquette (Mon)

PAST BIG EAST POWER RANKINGS:
WEEK 5 (1/27/12)
WEEK 4 (1/20/12)
WEEK 3 (1/13/12)
WEEK 2 (1/6/12)
WEEK 1 (12/30/11)

David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank.  He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities.  David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu.  He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.

You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.

Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly did suffer one major setback today, as 5-star wide receiver Deontay Greenberry, Mr. Football in the state of California, verbally committed to ND 8 months ago. Today, he changed his mind and instead signed with Houston.

However, there’s still a lot left in this class. ESPNU ranks the Irish class #9, Scout #15.

The nation’s No. 1 quarterback prospect and state of Indiana Mr. Football Gunner Kiel’s circus act style recruitment saw him committed to the Hoosiers and LSU before enrolling at Notre Dame in January. 5-Star cornerback Tee Shepard is the best overall prospect in this class, and he’s Greenberry’s cousin, so Deontay was expected to follow him to South Bend.

Offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley out of Nevada is another national recruit who could have a big future in South Bend.

Among the 16 players that will be freshmen for the Irish this fall are:

-       Four who were selected for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio: DL Jarron Jones, QB Gunner Kiel, RB KeiVarae Russell and DB Elijah Shumate.

-       Five who played in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in Phoenix: DL Sheldon Day, WR Justin Ferguson, OL Mark Harrell, DB Tee Shepard and OL Ronnie Stanley.

-       Nine members of the SuperPrep All-America Team: QB Gunner Kiel, RB KeiVarae Russell, WR Chris Brown, OL Ronnie Stanley, DL Jarron Jones, DL Sheldon Day, DB Tee Shepard, DB Elijah Shumate and DB C.J. Prosise.

Eight members of the Rivals.com 250: QB Gunner Kiel (20^th), DB Tee Shepard (76^th), DB Elijah Shumate (113^th), RB KeiVarae Russell (124^th), OL Ronnie Stanley (176^th), RB Will Mahone (197^th), DL Jarron Jones (199^th) and DL Sheldon Day (244^th).

-       Nine members of the Scout.com Top 300: QB Gunner Kiel (38^th), DB Tee Shepard (39^th), DL Sheldon Day (50^th), DB Elijah Shumate (55^th), OL Ronnie Stanley (66^th), RB Will Mahone (201^st), RB KeiVarae Russell (207^th), DL Jarron Jones (229^th) and DB CJ Prosise (276^th).

-       Seven members of the 247Sports Top 247: QB Gunner Kiel (24^th), DB Tee Shepard (50^th), DL Sheldon Day (81^st), DB Elijah Shumate (103^rd), DL Jarron Jones (107^th), RB KeiVarae Russell (122^nd) and OL Ronnie Stanley (145^th).

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

Call it Ewing Theory Part Deux. When leading scorer and rebounder Luke Harangody when down with injury in 2010 midseason, Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey rallied his college basketball team out of a losing streak and into a solid NCAA Tournament berth with a few adjustments.

The major adjustment was shifting to the burn offense, which although extremely boring to watch, limits possessions and equalizes talent disparities. When his star player Tim Abromaitis went down for the season with an ACL after he played just two games, Brey had adjustments to make again.

I wrote off the Irish, as did everyone else. Yet here they are with a 6-3 Big East record, and a fantastic tournament resume. How was Brey done it?

Brey was named the 2011 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year in 2011, and it may be tough to expect his colleagues to vote him that honor a second straight year. Even though he might be doing a better job of “doing-more-with-less” in 2012 than he did last year. He’s certainly the league’s coach of the month for January after his Irish knocked off a third ranked opponent in the month Sunday at Connecticut. Notre Dame’s January wins at Louisville, against #1 Syracuse (the first loss of the season for the Orange) and at Connecticut make January the sixth time a Notre Dame men’s basketball squad has beaten three ranked opponents in a single month.

They just beat a very talented UConn team loaded with NBA talent, and they did it with….who? Cuz Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromaitis are long gone. The alpha on this team is point guard Eric Atkins, a high upside Baltimore product who’s becoming a floor general in his sophomore year. Second banana is Jerian Grant and that is a miracle when you consider what an afterthought he was this preseason. This kid has established himself in practice to shoot way up the depth chart and become one of the team’s vital cogs. Then there’s Baby ‘Gody, Jack Cooley who’s developed into a force inside, and Scott Martin, a key scorer and rebounder.

But mostly this team is doing it with defense.Notre Dame set team records in their win over a very decent Seton Hall team by allowing the Pirates just 15 field goals, and 42 points.

So once again, Brey is cooking up a very healthy, delicious gourmet meal despite having mediocre or worse ingredients to work with. Will he get coach of the year again? Probably only if he gets some wins in the NCAA Tournament. Last year’s team was ranked as high as #4 and headed into championship week in the mix for a #1 seed. However, they choked and couldn’t even make it past the second round of the tourney.That needs to change in order for Brey to truly get more accolades.

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

It is kind of hard to believe that Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament is only six weeks away.  It is becoming time when college basketball teams are separating themselves as either tourney contenders or pretenders.  Here is The Sports Bank‘s latest Bracketology?  I have more than held my own the past couple of years against ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and with my extreme college hoops nerdom, plan to do so again this year.  Check back every week for an update.

UPDATED: 1/30/12

SOUTH REGIONAL-Atlanta

AT LOUISVILLE
1. Kentucky 21-1 (SEC)
16. UNC-Asheville 16-7 (Big South)/Mississippi Valley State 9-11 (SWAC)

8. Southern Miss 19-3 (CUSA)
9. Illinois 15-6 (B10)

AT COLUMBUS
5. Wisconsin 17-5 (B10)
12. BYU 18-6 (WCC)/Notre Dame 14-8 (BE)

4. Murray State 21-0 (OVC)
13. Middle Tennessee 20-3 (Sun Belt)

AT  NASHVILLE
6. Florida State 14-6 (ACC)
11. New Mexico 17-4 (MWC)

3. Georgetown 16-4 (BE)
14. Davidson 15-5 (Southern)

AT ALBUQUERQUE
7.  California 17-5 (P12)
10. Wichita State 18-4 (MVC)

2. Baylor 19-2 (B12)
15. Weber State 16-4 (Big Sky)

MIDWEST REGIONAL- St.Louis

AT LOUISVILLE
1. Ohio State 19-3 (B10)
16. Norfolk State 16-6 (MEAC)

8. Kansas State 15-5 (B12)
9. Memphis 15-6 (CUSA)

AT PORTLAND
5. St. Mary’s 21-2 (WCC)
12. Oregon 16-6 (P12)/Ole Miss 14-7 (SEC)

4. Creighton 20-2 (MVC)
13. Nevada 18-3 (WAC)

AT PITTSBURGH
6. Virginia 17-3 (ACC)
11. Xavier 14-7 (A10)

3. Marquette 18-4 (BE)
14. George Mason 18-5 (CAA)

AT OMAHA
7. Michigan 16-6 (B10)
10. Alabama 13-7 (SEC)

2. Missouri 19-2 (B12)
15. Akron 14-7 (MAC)

EAST REGIONAL-Boston        

AT PITTSBURGH
1. Syracuse 22-1 (BE)
16. Long Island 15-7 (NEC)/Stony Brook 13-7 (AEC)

8. Temple 15-5 (A10)
9. Harvard 18-2 (Ivy)

AT NASHVILLE
5. Indiana 17-5 (B10)
12. UMass 16-5 (A10)

4. Florida 17-4 (SEC)
13. Iona 17-5 (MAAC)

AT COLUMBUS
6. San Diego State 18-3 (MWC)
11. St. Louis 16-5 (A10)

3. Michigan State 17-4 (B10)
14. Cleveland State 18-4 (Horizon)

AT GREENSBORO
7. UConn 14-6 (BE)
10. Iowa State 15-6 (B12)

2. North Carolina 18-3 (ACC)
15. Bucknell 17-6 (Patroit)

WEST REGIONAL-Phoenix

AT GREENSBORO
1. Duke 18-3 (ACC)
16. UT-Arlington 15-5 (Southland)

8. West Virginia 15-7 (BE)
9. Minnesota 16-6 (B10)

AT PORTLAND
5. Vanderbilt 16-5 (SEC)
12. Washington 14-7 (P12)

4. Gonzaga 17-3 (WCC)
13. Long Beach State 16-6 (Big West)

AT ALBUQUERQUE
6. Louisville 17-5 (BE)
11. Purdue 15-7 (B10)

3. UNLV 20-3 (MWC)
14. Oral Roberts 20-4 (Summit)

AT OMAHA
7. Mississippi State 17-5 (SEC)
10. Seton Hall 15-6 (BE)

2. Kansas 17-4 (B12)
15. Belmont 15-7 (A-Sun)

Wrong Side of the Bubble:
Dayton 14-7 (A10)
Cincinnati 15-7 (BE)
Stanford 15-6 (P12)
N.C. State 15-7 (ACC)
Arkansas 15-6 (SEC)
VCU 18-5 (CAA)
Wyoming 17-4 (MWC)
Central Florida 15-6 (CUSA)

Multiple Bid Conferences:
Big East (8)
Big Ten (8)
SEC (6)
Big 12 (5)
ACC (4)
A10 (4)
Pac-12 (3)
MWC (3)
WCC (3)
MVC (2)
CUSA (2)

Click here for a list of RPI and SOS

David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank.  He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities.  David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu.  He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.

You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.

“Down Goes Frazier!  Down Goes Frazier!”  Syracuse suffers their first loss of the season at the hands of Notre Dame but still sits atop my latest Big East Basketball Power Rankings.  Meanwhile, Pitt wins their first game of the season while the Seton Hall slide continues.  Be sure to check back every Friday for my latest rankings.

1. Syracuse: 21-1 overall, 8-1 in Big East (Last Week Ranking: 1)
The Orange proved they were human in a loss at Notre Dame but bounced back with a tough win at Cincy.  Cuse obviously misses Fab Melo’s presence in the middle and it looks like the big man could be out a while as he reportedly deals with academic issues.  They will need freshman Rakeem Christmas to step up in Melo’s absence.

Up Next: vs. West Virginia (Sat)

2. Georgetown: 16-3, 6-2 (LWR: 2)
The Hoyas got a pair of late free throws to avoid being upset by Rutgers.  Georgetown shot just 29% from the field in that game which is very unlike this Hoya team that on average shoots 47%.  The one positive for JT3 is that when his team is struggling to score the basketball, they can still win games due to their defensive effort.

Up Next: at Pittsburgh (Sat), vs. UConn (Wed)

3. Marquette: 16-4, 6-2 (LWR: 4)
Since dropping back-to-back games at Georgetown and Syracuse, the Golden Eagles have rattled off five straight wins.  As a Marquette fan, it is nice to see them winning games they should win; something that was a major issue last season.  Jamil Wilson is starting to come into his own and getting Davante Gardner involved and engaged early in games is crucial for MU going forward.

Up Next: at Villanova (Sat), vs. Seton Hall (Tues)

4. Cincinnati: 15-6, 5-3 (LWR: 2)
The Bearcats suffered a pair of defeats in the past week, losing in overtime at West Virginia and then getting beat on their home court by Syracuse.  Cincy’s schedule is very friendly for the remainder of the season so Mick Cronin’s team should be able to bounce back.

Up Next: at Rutgers (Sat)

5. West Virginia: 15-6, 5-3 (LWR: 5)
When their two-man show of Kevin Jones and Truck Bryant have little to no supporting cast on any given night, we saw what happens as the Mountaineers lost by 16 at St. John’s.  Jones and Bryant scored 42 of their 62 points as the other Mountaineers combined to shoot 9-31 from the floor, 2-14 from three, and didn’t make a single free throw.

Up Next: at Syracuse (Sat), vs. Pitt (Mon)

6. UConn: 14-5, 4-3 (LWR: 6)
Forget about West Virginia’s two-trick pony, in UConn’s loss at Tennessee this past week, Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier combined to score 41 of the Huskies’ 57 points.  They got zero scoring from their bench and it doesn’t help that Andre Drummond remains an enigma more times than not and Ryan Boatright’s issue with NCAA remains unresolved.

Up Next: vs. Notre Dame (Sun), at Georgetown (Wed)

7. Notre Dame: 13-8, 5-3 (LWR: 9)
The Irish really belong in the Big Ten with that burn offense.  DVR’ing through one of their games is rather easy because every time they are on offense, I can fast forward until there is ten seconds left on the shot clock.  That has been working for Mike Brey’s team and as we all saw against Syracuse, when Notre Dame can control the tempo, they can beat anybody.

Up Next: at UConn (Sun)

8. Louisville: 16-5, 4-4 (LWR: 8)
Kyle Kuric returns to the line-up and the Cardinals win back-to-back games.  Coincidence? I think not.

Up Next: at Seton Hall (Sat)

9. Seton Hall: 15-5, 4-4 (LWR: 7)
The Pirates slide continues as they managed to score just 42 points in a loss against Notre Dame.  A couple of weeks ago everybody was asking if this team is for real.  The answer appears to be no as the Hall has some work to do if they want to be dancing for the first time since 2006.

Up Next: vs. Louisville (Sat), at Marquette (Tues)

10. South Florida: 12-9, 5-3 (LWR: 10)
USF looked offensively challenged in their loss to Marquette which explains why they are 307th in the nation in scoring and rely on their defense to win games.

Up Next: vs. Providence (Sun), at Marquette (Tues)

11. Rutgers: 11-10, 3-5 (LWR: 11)
The Jekyll and Hyde-ness of this team continues.  They follow up a two-point loss at Georgetown by losing at the RAC against DePaul.  Go figure.

Up Next: vs. Cincinnati (Sat), at Providence (Wed)

12. Villanova: 10-11, 3-6 (LWR: 12)
Since being held to three points against Syracuse, Maalik Wayns has scored 111 points in his last four games.  JayVaughn Pinkston is starting to throw his big body around inside as well which has to be encouraging for Jay Wright.

Up Next: vs. Marquette (Sat)

13. St. John’s 9-11, 3-6 (LWR: 13)
Talk about breaking a four-game losing skid in style; that’s exactly what the Red Storm did Wednesday night in their 16-point win against West Virginia in which the Johnnies used an all-freshmen starting five.  Moe Harkless is looking more and more like a one-and-done player though.

Up Next: at Duke (Sat), vs. DePaul (Wed)

14. DePaul: 11-9, 2-6 (LWR: 14)
In picking up a win at Rutgers, the Blue Demons secured just their second Big East road victory in the past four seasons.  Baby steps…

Up Next: vs. St. John’s (Wed)

15. Pittsburgh: 12-9, 1-7 (LWR: 16)
Hey, the Panthers picked up their first conference win of the season, beating in Providence in the battle of cellar dwellars.  We saw in that game how much Pitt missed Tray Woodall who finally appears to be healthy.  By the way, ESPN has to be a bit bummed that Pitt has sucked it up this season since they did a gameday there last weekend and the Panthers will make their second “Big Monday” appearance this week.

Up Next: vs. Georgetown (Sat), at West Virginia (Mon)

16. Providence: 12-9, 1-7 (LWR: 15)
I am in no way making fun of Ed Cooley, but I was curious about why he has those bald patches of hair on the back of his head and apparently it is from some sort of skin disease.  See, you can learn non-basketball things in these power rankings as well.

Up Next: at South Florida (Sat), vs. Rutgers (Wed)

PAST BIG EAST POWER RANKINGS:
WEEK 4 (1/20/12)
WEEK 3 (1/13/12)
WEEK 2 (1/6/12)
WEEK 1 (12/30/11)

David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank.  He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities.  David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu.  He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.

You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.

With conference play underway, we begin to get a better feel for how college basketball teams stack up in our Bracketology?  I have more than held my own the past couple of years against ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and with my extreme college hoops nerdom, plan to do so again this year.  Check back every week for an update.

UPDATED: 1/23/12

SOUTH REGIONAL-Atlanta

AT LOUISVILLE
1. Kentucky 19-1 (SEC)
16. UNC-Asheville 14-7 (Big South)/Mississippi Valley State 7-11 (SWAC)

8. Southern Miss 17-3 (CUSA)
9. Dayton 14-5 (A10)

AT COLUMBUS
5. West Virginia 15-5 (BE)
12. Iona 15-4 (MAAC)

4. Indiana 16-4 (B10)
13. Mississippi 13-6 (SEC)/Oregon 15-5 (P12)

AT  NASHVILLE
6. Vanderbilt 14-5 (SEC)
11. Minnesota 15-5 (B10)

3. Georgetown 16-3 (BE)
14. Middle Tennessee 19-2 (Sun Belt)

AT ALBUQUERQUE
7. Florida State 13-6 (ACC)
10. California 16-5 (P12)

2. Baylor 17-2 (B12)
15. Weber State 15-3 (Big Sky)

MIDWEST REGIONAL- St.Louis

AT LOUISVILLE
1. Ohio State 17-3 (B10)
16. Norfolk State 15-5 (MEAC)

8. Temple 13-5 (A10)
9. Alabama 13-6 (SEC)

AT PORTLAND
5. St. Mary’s 19-2 (WCC)
12. Iowa State 14-5 (B12)

4. Creighton 18-2 (MVC)
13. Long Beach State 14-6 (Big West)

AT PITTSBURGH
6. Virginia 15-3 (ACC)
11. Central Florida 15-4 (CUSA)

3. Marquette 16-4 (BE)
14. Belmont 13-7 (A-Sun)

AT OMAHA
7. Michigan 15-5 (B10)
10. New Mexico 15-4 (MWC)

2. Kansas 16-3 (B12)
15. Akron 12-7 (MAC)

EAST REGIONAL-Boston        

AT PITTSBURGH
1. Syracuse 20-1 (BE)
16. Long Island 14-6 (NEC)/Stony Brook 12-7 (AEC)

8. Illinois 15-5 (B10)
9. Harvard 15-2 (Ivy)

AT NASHVILLE
5. Florida 15-4 (SEC)
12. St. Louis 15-4 (A10)/BYU 17-5 (WCC)

4. Murray State 20-0 (OVC)
13. Davidson 14-4 (Southern)

AT COLUMBUS
6. UConn 14-5 (BE)
11. Xavier 13-6 (A10)

3. Michigan State 16-4 (B10)
14. Cleveland State 17-4 (Horizon)

AT GREENSBORO
7. Mississippi State 16-4 (SEC)
10. Louisville 15-5 (BE)

2. Duke 16-3 (ACC)
15. Bucknell 15-6 (Patroit)

WEST REGIONAL-Phoenix

AT OMAHA
1. Missouri 18-1 (B12)
16. UT-Arlington 13-5 (Southland)

8. Wisconsin 16-5 (B10)
9. Wichita State 17-3 (MVC)

AT PORTLAND
5. San Diego State 17-2 (MWC)
12. Purdue 14-6 (B10)

4. Gonzaga 16-3 (WCC)
13. Nevada 16-3 (WAC)

AT ALBUQUERQUE
6. Kansas State 14-4 (B12)
11. Cincinnati 15-5 (BE)

3. UNLV 18-3 (MWC)
14. Oral Roberts 18-4 (Summit)

AT GREENSBORO
7. Seton Hall 15-4 (BE)
10. Memphis 13-6 (CUSA)

2. North Carolina 16-3 (ACC)
15. George Mason 15-5 (CAA)

Wrong Side of the Bubble:
Stanford 15-5 (P12)
N.C. State 15-5 (ACC)
Marshall 13-6 (CUSA)
Colorado State 13-5 (MWC)
Arkansas 14-5 (SEC)
Colorado 13-6 (P12)
Northwestern 12-7 (B10)
Texas 12-7 (B12)

Multiple Bid Conferences:
Big East (8)
Big Ten (8)
SEC (6)
Big 12 (5)
ACC (4)
A10 (4)
CUSA(3)
MWC (3)
WCC (3)
MVC (2)
Pac-12 (2)

Click here for a list of RPI and SOS

David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank.  He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities.  David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu.  He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.

You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.

With what happened tonight in South Bend, I felt it necessary to re-run yesterday’s story about Notre Dame knocking off so many #1 ranked teams. It seems very prescient now on my part, almost predicative . Though I did say in the article I don’t think it was going to happen.

Jack Cooley (yes, the new Luke Harangody looking guy) had 17 points and 10 rebounds against a Syracuse team missing its shot-blocking, rebounding center Fab Melo as the Irish knocked off the Orange 67-58 on Saturday.

Fans stormed the court after the ND upset victory, something you got to do when you beat #1. It was the eighth time Notre Dame has beaten a No. 1 team—that ties for fourth-most all-time, with North Carolina having the most with 12.

Here’s the article from yesterday:

The Syracuse Orange have been the kings of the college basketball court this season. The Bernie Fine child molestation scandal, and the early season calls for the head of Jim Boeheim haven’t distracted them, as they’ve gone 7-0 in the Big East and 20-0 overall, the Cuse is off to its best start in program history.

They look poised to make a run deep into March.

But as several other #1 teams have learned over the past few decades, beating Notre Dame on its home court is no easy task. Notre Dame’s most notable victory over a #1 team came 38 years ago this week, on Jan. 19, 1974, when the #2 Irish ended UCLA’s historic NCAA-record 88-game winning streak.

Coincidentally, it was Notre Dame that had last defeated the Bruins, nearly three years earlier on Jan. 23, 1971. These were the legendary John Wooden teams.

I still don’t think it’s going to happen. ND just had their long home win streak end in a 14 point defeat to UConn. I think the Orange should be fine in getting past this one. However, they have to lose some time, and history might just be on the side of the Irish Saturday at 6pm.

More top-ranked opponents have fallen at the Purcell Pavilion (Joyce Center):

San Francisco (1977), Marquette (1978), DePaul (1980) and most recently, North Carolina (1987). The Irish also defeated #1 Virginia on Feb. 22, 1981 at Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, IL. Notre Dame has played 30 games against opponents ranked first in the Associated Press Poll since the 1951-52 season, and the Fighting Irish have compiled a 7-23 record during that time (They are 9-23 if you count the 1954 and 1981 victories over Indiana and Kentucky, respectively, teams that were #1 in the Coaches Poll, but not the AP).

Though the .233 winning percentage is still awful, it compares well against the winning percentage of other teams.

Notre Dame has won its last five contests against top-ranked teams. That last home loss was in 1973, when the Wooden Bruins were in the midst of their unprecedented streak. Since the victory over North Carolina on Feb. 1, 1987, the Irish have lost to five #1 teams, but all of these games were played away from the comforts of campus.Other statistics about Notre Dame vs. #1 AP teams:

– 10: Number of games against UCLA

– 6: Number of games against Kentucky

– 4: Number of games each against Indiana & Duke

– 5-8: Record when Notre Dame was ranked

– 2-15: Record when Notre Dame was unranked

– 0-10: Away record

– 6-3: Home record

– 1-10: Neutral site record

– 2-5: January record

If the Cuse win in South Bend, they’ll have another dangerous road test at the Cincinnati Bearcats, plus two with UConn. A home date with Georgetown looms, as well as the potential road blocks in the upsets of Big East conference play.

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

Unbeaten Syracuse maintains their hold on the top spot in my latest Big East Basketball Power Rankings.  As has been the case early in this season, the pecking order after the Orange remains up for grabs as we have our fourth #2 team in the past four weeks.  Be sure to check back every Friday for my latest rankings.

1. Syracuse: 20-0 overall, 7-0 in Big East (Last Week Ranking: 1)
The Orange’s path to perfection continues to roll along.  The ‘Cuse has a pair of tough road games this week including what could be a first place showdown at Cincinnati.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Syracuse gets tripped up in one of those games, but they should win both.  In case you missed it, check out C.J. Fair’s dunk against Pitt.

Up Next: at Notre Dame (Sat), at Cincinnati (Mon)

2. Cincinnati: 15-4, 5-1 (LWR: 8)
I don’t think any team plays to the level of their competition like Cincy.  The Bearcats picked up gritty wins at Georgetown and UConn, and have now remarkably won seven straight conference road games, but narrowly escaped with wins against Villanova and Pitt.  Consider this though; had they not given up a tipped in putback at the buzzer in a loss to St. John’s, the Bearcats would be 6-0 in the Big East.  Their stretch this week will tell us just how seriously we should take Mick Cronin’s team.

Up Next: at West Virginia (Sat), vs. Syracuse (Mon)

3. Georgetown: 15-3, 5-2 (LWR: 4)
After back-to-back hiccups, the Hoyas responded with a pair of road wins at St. John’s and DePaul.  Besides Syracuse’s Dion Waiters, is there a more valuable sixth man in the conference than Otto Porter?  He leads Georgetown in rebounding and his length as served as a huge asset in their 2-3 zone.

Up Next: vs. Rutgers (Sat)

4. Marquette: 14-4, 4-2 (LWR: 5)
The past couple of weeks, the Golden Eagles are simply incapable of getting off to quick starts.  They got into a 14-5 hole versus Pitt but rallied to win and trailed Louisville 18-2 before out-scoring the Cardinals 72-45 the final 34 minutes.  They’ve won three in a row and the streak could stretch to seven by the end of the month as they close out Januray with a fairly soft schedule .

Up Next: at Providence (Sat), vs. South Florida (Tues)

5. West Virginia: 14-5, 4-2 (LWR: 6)
A 16-point win at in-state rival Marshall should not be overlooked as the Thundering Herd are in the midst of a NCAA Tournament-caliber season.  Kevin Jones and Truck Bryant continue to carry the Mountaineers.  They combine to average 38.5 points per game which makes them the second highest scoring tandem in college basketball behind Weber State’s Damien Lillard and Scott Bamforth (41.3 ppg.)

Up Next: vs. Cincinnati (Sat), at St. John’s (Wed)

6. UConn: 14-4, 4-3 (LWR: 3)
Who knew the Huskies would miss Ryan Boatright as much as they do?  Boatright has once again been suspended as the NCAA is again looking into his eligibility regarding  activities that took place back in his AAU days.  With Boatright out of the line-up, UConn relies too heavily on Shabazz Napier and Jeremy Lamb especially when Andre Drummond is a non-factor like he was in the loss to Cincy.

Up Next: at Tennessee (Sat)

7. Seton Hall: 15-4, 4-3 (LWR: 2)
I must have been drunk last week when I put the Pirates second in my power rankings.  The Hall has come back to reality a little bit after road losses at South Florida and Villanova.  Their big three of Jordan Theodore, Herb Pope, and Fuquan Edwin were a combined 11-41 from the field against ‘Nova.  Kevin Willard just does not have the scoring depth to win when their big three is struggling like that.

Up Next: vs. Notre Dame (Wed)

8. Louisville: 14-5, 2-4 (LWR: 7)
The Cardinals need to get Kyle Kuric healthy because besides the Smith’s, (Russ and Chris) Louisville can’t shoot the basketball.  The injury bug continues to bite Rick Pitino’s team with Rakeem Buckles suffering a torn knee ligament that will cost him the remainder of this season and likely all of the 2012-13 season as well.

Up Next: at Pitt (Sat), vs. Villanova (Mon)

9. Notre Dame: 11-8, 3-3 (LWR: 9)
After dropping two straight, the Irish really need to go on a run here if they have any shot of making the tourney especially since their best non-conference win came against Detroit.  Ish.  Unfortunately for Mike Brey’s squad, they face a tough five-game stretch that could already burst their bubble.

Up Next: vs. Syracuse (Sat), at Seton Hall (Wed)

10. South Florida: 11-8, 4-2 (LWR: 12)
From the “Fire Stan Heath” bandwagon to the “Stan Heath: Coach of the Year” bandwagon? Not quite.  USF is off to a surprising start in conference play thanks to their defense as they have only allowed more than sixty points in one of their six Big East games.  Quite frankly, they need that type of defensive effort since they are 307th in the nation averaging slightly over 61 points per game.

Up Next: at DePaul (Sun), at Marquette (Tues)

11. Rutgers: 11-8, 3-3 (LWR: 10)
The Scarlet Knights remain a Jekyll and Hyde team; they can beat anybody on any given night as witnessed by their wins against Florida and UConn, and blowout of Pitt.  However, they have also been blown out twice by West Virginia.  I suppose those are the type of issues Mike Rice must deal with in having such a young team, especially young guards.

Up Next: at Georgetown (Sat), vs. DePaul (Mon)

12. Villanova: 9-10, 2-5 (LWR: 13)
Maalik Wayns is trying to single-handedly will Nova during their struggles.  He dropped 39 in a loss to Cincy and scored 25 in the Wildcats’ victory against Seton Hall.  Villanova shot 41 free throws in that win against the Hall and needs more of that since they have struggled shooting the ball from deep this season.

Up Next: at St. John’s (Sat), at Louisville (Wed)

13. St. John’s 8-10, 2-5 (LWR: 11)
Since exploding for 91 points in their Big East opener against Providence, the Red Storm has had issues scoring the basketball, specifically from downtown.  The Johnnies are 6-39 from three during their current three-game skid and rank dead last in Division One college hoops, hitting just 24.3% of their three-point attempts.

Up Next: vs. Villanova (Sat), vs. West Virginia (Wed)

14. DePaul: 10-8, 1-5 (LWR: 14)
After an at-the-time shocking win against Pitt, the Blue Demons have morphed back into the DePaul team we are used to seeing as they have dropped four straight.  Defense remains an Achilles heel for Oliver Purnell’s club.  It was also announced this week that junior forward Tony Freeland who is out for the season with a shoulder injury, has decided to transfer out of the program.

Up Next: vs. South Florida (Sat), at Rutgers (Wed)

15. Providence: 12-7, 1-5 (LWR: 15)
Starting point guard Vincent Council who is second in the Big East in assists was suspended for the Syracuse game due to an “accountability issue” but will be back in the line-up against Marquette this weekend.  The Friars turned the ball over 22 times against ‘Cuse so getting Council back gives them that much needed floor general.

Up Next: vs. Marquette (Sat), at Pitt (Wed)

16. Pittsburgh: 11-8, 0-6 (LWR: 16)
Taking the glass half-full approach with the struggling Panthers; at least they were competitive and showed some heart in single-digit losses at Marquette and Syracuse the past week.  Pitt transfer Khem Birch had some intriguing things to say about his former team during a radio interview this past week, pretty much claiming that there were too many selfish Panther players who were more concerned about individual stats than team success.

Up Next: vs. Louisville (Sat), vs. Providence (Wed)

PAST BIG EAST POWER RANKINGS:
WEEK 3 (1/13/12)
WEEK 2 (1/6/12)
WEEK 1 (12/30/11)

David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank.  He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities.  David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu.  He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.

You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.