It was a week of blowouts and letdowns for the ACC setting the stage for this week’s showdowns as the elite jockey for crucial conference standings position. Let’s get right into it.

With UConn staying undefeated and remaining atop the nation’s polls, this week is just the fourth this season in which an ACC is not ranked #1 in the country. Despite that 4 of the nation’s top 11 teams are still ACC squads and 5 of the top 25. Based on that, one could assume that the ACC is in peak form and boasts the best of the best. But is the fact that ACC teams have been ranked #1 in nine out of thirteen weeks proof of the conference’s strength or its fickleness? Three different teams have held the top spot, and all three have been knocked off the perch. So is the conference so good that there are legitimately four teams capable of playing the best basketball in America and, inevitably, they will beat each other? Or is it that these four teams are good enough to get to the top but not stay there, losing focus, and falling to teams that a top contender would wallop? After last week, it would seem to be the latter.

Duke entered last week in first place in the ACC with a single loss, while UNC, Wake Forest, and Clemson all had just two conference losses – favorable position for any team confident in its ability to win the games it needs to win, and step up in the games that separate contenders from pretenders. North Carolina, likely the conference’s true cream of the crop, held steady by beating two God-awful teams in Maryland and Virginia. The other three contenders, eh, they didn’t fair so well.

Duke put serious questions into their validity as a Final Four team by getting blown out in Clemson, while Wake was given the business by Miami. Both teams lost by 27 points on the road. Ouch. It was the perfect situation for Clemson, knocking off the first place team and setting up a winner-take-all match-up for first between Duke and UNC this week that could only work in Clemson’s favor as they sat back and watched their biggest competition beat each other up. That was, until Clemson fell just three days later to Florida State. In three days, three Top-10-ranked ACC teams fell by an average of 19.3 points to teams with a combined 14-12 conference record.

Clemson and Wake now find themselves in a four-way tie for third when if either of them could have won both of last week’s games, they’d be sitting pretty and waiting to leapfrog whoever lost this Wednesday night’s showdown between Duke and UNC. The situation couldn’t have worked out any better for UNC, who need only beat Duke to take sole control of the conference with a little added breathing space. It was a classic choke job when all three teams needed it least.

Which brings us back to our original questions: Is the ACC so good that any team is capable of winning on any night, or are the ACC’s elite not as good as advertised to the point that they can lose on any night?

Either way, it all worked out perfectly as this week’s Duke-UNC game will actually mean something! Winner takes first place and loser moves to the Atlantic-10. Just kidding! No one deserves such a fate.

All that said, you really should be paying attention to the ACC’s mid-level. Florida State checks in at #25 after the Clemson victory followed a win over hapless Georgia Tech, and Miami’s senior guard Jack McClinton was on an absolute mission as he garnered Player Of The Week honors for his 33.0 points per game efforts.

If I were you, I’d really make sure I tune in to #8 Wake Forest vs. #25 Florida State on Saturday. If both teams win earlier in the week, they’ll stand tied for second at 6-3. It’s another winner-take-all game in the ACC that could well determine Tourney seeding. In fact, I’d dare say that Wake vs. FSU on Saturday is the Game of the Week!

Yeah right, the Game of the Week is Duke-UNC this Wednesday. It’s cliché, it’s predictable, and it’s damn-near boring. But it’s still the best rivalry in the sport and Wednesday night could give us a very clear insight into which team will be ready for Madness and which is headed for the Madhouse.

Click here for the RTC Live blog of Clemson at Boston College.

Check out some first half pics below.

The opening tip

First of two free throws

And #2. . .

Booker getting ready

Booker and Oglesby were not happy at half

Neither was Oliver Purnell

More pics to come after the game.

Could it really be that, as of this coming weekend, we are only five weeks from Selection Sunday? That means we’re only four weeks from putting crowns on the heads of conference tournament champions and even closer than that to anointing some regular season champs. It doesn’t seem possible, but here we are. I think this also means the Ivy League announces its tournament representative, like, what, tomorrow?!? OK, maybe not that quickly. But it’ll all be here pretty darn soon.

After much cunning, good timing, and top-flite negotiation, the boys and I have made the Vegas hotel reservations (deals abound like you wouldn’t believe) and locked in our flights (deals aren’t as great as ya might be hearing) for the annual Vegas excursion for the first two rounds. The Vegas-related e-mail chatter has increased. Ah, how I love it. And since I’m here in the RTC Midwestern Compound, all this Vegas talk provides a wonderful antidote, a perfect bridge from now to the first tip in March, over what we hope are the last strains of what’s been one hell of a winter.

That said, let’s take another peek inside the collective head of the Vegas oddsmakers and see what they’re thinking. Most of you probably know, but for the untrained, the way the money line works is that if you see a team with, say, +1000 beside them then that means if you bet $100 on them, you get $1000 back, plus your bet. The lower the x is in +(x), the bigger the favorite. If you should ever see a team with a negative (-1000) that means you have to bet $1000 on them to win $100. That doesn’t apply to this list, though.

The last time we checked this was early January…here’s the latest from The Greek:

Yep, it’s still Carolina. They’ve given up another $30 since the last time we checked, going from +220 to +250. But it looks like someone in Sin City has found something to like about the oft-bewildering Connecticut Huskies, since their value has been cut in half from +1000 to +500. Odd that Vegas would basically feel twice as good about UConn, seeing as how the Huskies seem to lose focus so easily at times. It can’t just be about the #1 ranking, because the last time we looked at this, UNC had just taken their first loss and actually extended their lead as favorite over the next-closest contender. Connecticut is a fine team and undoubtedly a title contender, but that’s a big move. I wonder what else it’s based on?

Call me crazy, but I still think Louisville is an attractive option at +1800 even though they’ve been “demoted” a couple hundred bucks since last time and they have the occasional problem staying focused, as well. The chance to win 18x your money isn’t a bad value for the current #5 team in the country, eh? I also think UCLA is playing better recently than the mere $200 bump Vegas has allotted them (+2000 to +1800). Heck, even Memphis (+2000 from +3000), a very athletic bunch playing very well of late, can’t be ignored; come on, like you wouldn’t plop down a little dough for the chance to win twenty times your cash on that team. But as far as I’m concerned, along with Rick Pitino’s Cardinals, I think the best bet on the board comes in the form of the Oklahoma Sooners (+1500), a current #2-ranked team that Vegas will give you fifteen times your money for if they take it all. Not a bad deal for a team that has who I consider the national POY (in spite of, uh, THIS) surrounded by an incredibly athletic and hungry surrounding cast. The only thing in the college basketball world bigger than the value you can get for the Sooners and Cardinals is perhaps Andy Kennedy’s head.

Another interesting matter is the continued presence of Gonzaga and an unranked Georgetown team high on the list. I was all about Gonzaga earlier this year — and why not? They have a good coach, exceptional guard play, solid inside game, what we thought was a budding star in Austin Daye…and yet they can barely stay afloat in the Top 25. Everyone thought this was going to be the year Gonzaga, as a program, took that next step into adulthood…what happened? True, the season’s far from over but all the evidence we have up to now has to make you wonder why they’re ranked 19th in the AP poll but still sit as the 9th favorite according to Vegas. And for some reason here sits Georgetown, careening downward like an Acula class submarine, GONE from the Top 25 but still perched here as Vegas’ 12th choice. These oddsmakers usually know their stuff — I wonder what they still see in the Zags and Hoyas?

One final thing I definitely have to mention…even with all of the lines up there that it seems strange that they’d even mention (Georgia at +50000? Texas Tech at +17500?), maaaaan…to just throw more dirt on Indiana like that, actually bothering to list them at +99999?!? That’s got to be classified as cruel and unusual!! Haven’t they endured enough for one year?

The next time we check this will probably be in a month, as we take a final look right before the tournament starts. My hombres and I have our suite waiting and our sportsbook seats reserved, and we’ll be touching down the night of the play-in game…so hey, if you see something on the odds board you like, feel free to send us some dough, and we’ll put it in play for you, ya know? Come on…you can trust us!

#9 Michigan State at Michigan at 7 PM on ESPN and ESPN360.com: Ok. So maybe we do have an intra-state rivalry tonight although the Wolverines have lowered this game’s profile with their failure to live up to their early season expectations. John Beilein and the Wolverines are coming back from a close game at UConn and I’m sure that everyone associated with the team is suffering from some sort of Hasheem Thabeet-related PTSD. Fortunately for the Wolverines, the Spartans don’t have anything resembling Thabeet. Actually nobody does. Unfortunately, they will be facing the highest ranked team in the Big Ten when Tom Izzo‘s Spartans come into Crisler Arena. The Spartans appear to have recovered from losing back-to-back home games and have blown out Indiana (get in line) and Minnesota (a little more impressive) in their past 2 games by nearly identical scores (75-47 and 76-47, respectively). The key to this game will likely be Kalin Lucas, who will need to continue to lead the team with Raymar Morgan, who is expected to miss tonight’s game. If Lucas can hold his own against Manny Harris, the Spartans should have a good shot at stealing one in Ann Arbor. A Wolverine win would be huge for their NCAA tournament chances.

#12 Marquette at #13 Villanova at 7:30 PM on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com: The Golden Eagles get their chance at redemption and can earn back some national respect after Friday night’s debacle down at USF. The Wildcats will be looking to avenge their loss earlier this season at Marquette. Watch the Jerel McNeal–Scottie Reynolds match-up, which pits the potential Big East POY in McNeal (according to Jay Bilas and others) against Reynolds who is the catalyst for Jay Wright‘s squad. The other interesting match-up will be on the inside with Dante Cunningham battling Lazar Hayward. If Villanova can win here, they might be in position for a 2 or 3 seed thanks to an easy closing schedule where they only tough game is a trip to Syracuse.

Oklahoma State at Texas at 8 PM on ESPN Full Court and ESPN360.com: The Longhorns really need a win after losing three straight (two at home) by a combined margin of 11 points. Rick Barnes and his team must be frustrated after having lost so many close games, but they get a reprieve tonight when they face the Cowboys who have lost 5 of 7. Expect a high-scoring game in Austin as the Cowboys come in averaging 83.2 PPG and allowing 75.3 PPG. A.J. Abrams and Damion James should have big games against the porous Cowboy defense. If the Longhorns are able to contain the Cowboys explosive offense (James Anderson, Obi Muonelo, Bryon Eaton, and Terrel Harris average between 14.3 and 16.5 PPG), they should be able to pull away for a nice bounceback win.

#11 Clemson at Boston College at 9 PM on NESN and Fox Sports: Like I said earlier I’ll be at this game so there will be a ton of coverage on it tonight, but it still merits some coverage beforehand. The key to this game will be whetehr BC can handle Clemson’s press and contain Trevor Booker. For all of Tyrese Rice‘s scoring ability, he isn’t a great point guard, which could create major problems (see Duke-Clemson last week). K.C. Rivers should be able to match Rice’s production unless Rice thinks he is playing against UNC again. On paper, Clemson should win this game realtively easily particularly with their match-up edge, but this is the same Clemson team that blew a huge 2nd half lead against FSU at home a few days after crushing Duke by 27.

Florida at Kentucky at 9 PM on ESPN and ESPN360.com: A match-up of two potential SEC champs. These two traditional powers (Kentucky since the beginning of basketball and Florida since 2000) have struggled with consistency this year, but the Gators have the edge in momentum coming into this game as the Wildcats have lost 3 straight (including the last 2 at home). The amazing thing is that the SEC is so weak this year that the Gators may be in line for a #2 seed according to ESPN (Insider access required) if they can continue to win their league games. Tonight should be a challenge for the Gators though as I don’t think Nick Calathes can guard Jodie Meeks and the Gators interior players (Alex Tyus and Chandler Parsons) shouldn’t be able to slow down Patrick Patterson. I’m going with the Wildcats here to snap out of their funk and get back into the SEC race.

Some News & Notes.

• John Gasaway believes (as we do) that UCLA is better than everyone thinks.  He just argues a better case.
• Doug Gottlieb gives some pointers to Alabama and Georgia’s brass when considering whom to hire for their programs this spring.

Your Gigantic Monday.

• Pittsburgh 70, West Virginia 59. As soon as Pitt beast DeJuan Blair picked up his second foul with fifteen minutes remaining in the first half, we immediately went into “upset” mode at the RTC compound.  In the Panthers’ two previous games where Blair’s effectiveness was limited by the whistles, Pitt lost both games (@ Villanova; @ Louisville).  Granted, both of those losses were road games, so maybe the key to beating Pitt is to get Blair in foul trouble away from the Steel City.  Sam Young (20/7) and Levance Fields (13/7 assts) picked up the slack while Blair was on the pine, and WVU never had enough offensive firepower or rebounding of their own to make a serious push at the Panthers.  What to make of Bob Huggins’ Mountaineer squad?  They’ve lost four of six, and they’ve pretty much beaten everyone and lost to everyone they were supposed to in the conference this year.  The computers love them, but their best win of the year was the destruction of Ohio St. in December; other than that, what?  At Ole Miss?  At Georgetown?  They play teams tough, but to date, they haven’t won many of these games.
• Missouri 62, Kansas 60. Mizzou rode its rabid home crowd and pressure defense to a 19-6 closeout run capped off by Zaire Taylor’s 10-footer + the roll to knock rival KU from the ranks of the Big 12 unbeatens.  This is a classic example of a game where you can’t believe that the same team you watched for the first 3/4 of the game is the one you’re seeing down the stretch.  Kansas looked poised and in control throughout, whereas Missouri was the team that consistently had trouble putting two good plays together (case in point – watch the end of the first half).  But the bottom line was that Kansas went cold at the wrong time and that, combined with the TOs Mizzou was forcing all game long, led to the devastating run at the end of the game that gave Missouri the program-inspiring win.  The kind of win that can turn a so-so season into a superb one.  DeMarre Carroll led Mizzou with 22/7, but Bill Self’s club should really be kicking themselves after letting this one get away.  The Jayhawks looked like the better team.  Nevertheless, Missouri got the huge win in tonight’s Border War (RTC – justified or not?), and Zaire Taylor “can’t hear nothin’ you’re sayin,” Holly Rowe.  Looked like fun.

On Tap Tuesday (all times EST).

• Florida St. v. Virginia (ESPN FC) – 7pm.  FSU has gotten itself into a good spot (5-3) in the ACC race, but they can’t afford a letdown at home.
• Providence @ S. Florida (ESPN360) – 7pm.   PC can’t allow another Marquette-style upset to happen here.
• Michigan v. Michigan St. (ESPN) – 7pm.  This is a dangerous game for MSU and a necessary one for the Maize and Blue.  UM has won the last two in AA.
• Marquette @ Villanova (ESPN2) – 7:30pm.  It’s Jerel McNeal vs. Dante Cunningham in the race between hottest players in the Big East.  Nova has won 25 in a row at home.
• Texas v. Oklahoma St. (ESPN360) – 8pm.  UT cannot drop this one at home if the Horns expect to be playing in March Madness.
• Florida @ Kentucky (ESPN2) – 9pm. This game used to be a battle for a #1 seed; now it’s a battle to stay off the bubble.
• Clemson @ Boston College (ESPN FC) – 9pm. This is a key game for positioning in the top-middle of the ACC.  RTC Live will be there.

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

1. Oklahoma (23-1)(9-0) (1)
2. Kansas (19-4)(8-0) (2)
3. Missouri (20-4) (7-2) (3)
4. Nebraska (15-7) (5-4) (7)
5. Kansas St. (16-7) (5-4)(8)
6. Texas (15-7) (4-4) (4)
7. Texas A&M (17-7) (3-6) (5)
8. Baylor (15-8) (3-6) (6)
9. Oklahoma St. (14-8) (3-5) (9)
10. Texas Tech (12-11) (2-6)(11)
11. Iowa St. (12-11) (1-7) (10)
12. Colorado (8-12) (1-7) (12)

A lot of teams have separated themselves this week. A few teams are on life support and the Big 12 south is eating each other alive.

GAME OF THE WEEK
Nebraska 58, Texas 55—Nebraska took advantage of a down Texas team grinding their way to a win against Texas on Saturday. Nebraska was down by as many as 10 in the second half, but inched their way back into the game, took the lead, and held on for the last 4 minutes of the game. Despite being the shortest team in the Big 12 (probably the nation) going against Texas, who has several 6-10 players, the Huskers were able to overcome the adversity to pull out a big win. Now they are a surprisingly tied for 4th in the Big 12 standings.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DeMarre Carroll, Missouri—Carroll was a monster in the win against Iowa St. this week getting 31 pts, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Then he was also a crucial contributor in the Texas game helping Missouri get the win. The Big 12 North is looking pretty good right now with several players starting to show up and Carroll is one of those players.

TEAMS PLAYING WELL
Nebraska (2-0 this week)—Don’t look now, but Nebraska is in the top half of the Big 12 as they are in a 3-game winning streak including a win over a struggling Texas team. A big match-up at Missouri this week will help shed some light on whether the Huskers can keep this momentum going. There is no harm for the Huskers to “dream big”.

Oklahoma (2-0 this week)—Oklahoma continues to win. Texas A&M and Colorado kept things close and created a scare, but the Sooners keep finding ways to win. The bad news for Oklahoma is the DUI arrest of guard Roy Willis . Baylor and Texas Tech are on the agenda this week as they try to run the table.

Kansas (2-0 this week)—Kansas is very quietly putting themselves in a great situation still sitting undefeated in conference play. Cole Aldrich (facemask and all) is dominating the boards including a career-high 18 rebounds against Oklahoma St. this weekend. However, some questions will be answered as Kansas takes on surging Missouri and Kansas St. this week. After the Jayhawk Musical video displayed for everyone over the last few weeks, Conner Teahan doesn’t mind the attention.

Kansas St. (2-0 this week)—The Wildcats have now won 5 in a row and could easily stretch that streak to 6 when they play Texas Tech before a showdown with Kansas this weekend. Jacob Pullen expects the Wildcats to finish in the top 3 of the conference. It is a real possibility at this point. They are really playing well right now.

Missouri (2-0 this week)—Missouri is probably one of the bigger surprises this season as they have won 7 of their last 8 conference games. Their full court pressure has helped create turnovers and is something that teams are having trouble preparing for. With Texas and Kansas book-ending the Iowa St. game, Missouri did not get distracted.

TEAMS UP AND DOWN
Oklahoma St. (1-1 this week)—No real surprises here as the Cowboys are playing inconsistently which has led to them being 2-5 in the conference. Bad shooting like the 26.5% in the first half against Kansas isn’t going to win games. They have a tall order playing at Texas this week as Texas should be fired up after losing their last 2 home games.

Texas Tech (1-1 this week)—Pat Knight sort of flew under the radar this week. Sad when the coach makes more news than the actual team’s performances. A win against Baylor stops the bleeding temporarily.

TOUGH WEEK
Texas (0-2 this week)—Texas is in a lot of trouble right now. They have now lost 3 with all three against the Big 12 North teams. Hopefully they can bounce back by playing Oklahoma St. and Colorado this week. Texas is putting themselves in a bad situation right now with all of these losses in the North and they still have to face the South teams again. However with fewer “big dogs” in college basketball this season, Texas may still be ok unless they totally melt down.

Baylor (0-2 this week) and Texas A&M (0-2 this week)—These two teams are lumped together this week because they are both on the verge of playing themselves out of NCAA tournament consideration. Baylor has lost 5 straight and A&M has lost 5 of 7. Both teams are looking for good conference wins and neither have gotten any yet. One team will separate itself this week as these two play each other this week. At least one of these teams will be the odd team out when it comes to Selection Sunday. Mark Turgeon has a small window left to win with Billy Gillespie’s recruits so the time is now for the Aggies to step it up.

Colorado (0-2 this week) – The only real news at Colorado this week is the story of walk-on Andrew Zehnder , who was arrested this week on suspicion of breaking into containers filled with CU merchandise. I guess he broke the lock and was about to steal things when he “realized what he was doing was wrong”.

Iowa St. (0-2 this week)—Iowa St. is just in shambles right now as they are now 1-7 in the conference and get to play cellar dweller partner Colorado this week. This one should be an ugly game. The bench players may be starting before we know it.

WEEK AHEAD AND GAMES TO WATCH
Some key match-ups this week which will shake up the standings.

• 2/9, (Big Monday) Kansas @ Missouri—This should be a great game with both teams really on a roll.
• 2/10, Oklahoma St. @ Texas—Can Texas break their 3-game losing streak including their last two home games?
• 2/11, Oklahoma @ Baylor—Baylor is on life support right now and winning this game will do something to help them save some face.
• 2/14, Nebraska @ Missouri—Nebraska gets a week off to prepare for this big game.
• 2/14, Kansas @ Kansas St.—Rivals continue their battle in the Big 12 North.
• 2/14, Texas A&M @ Baylor—These two teams are trying to separate themselves from the pack. Both heading the wrong direction.

Obsessed With Sports will be providing coverage to RTC throughout the season.

Monday, February 9th

West Virginia at Pittsburgh(5)

Behind The Line: Pitt is 14-0 at home so far this season and have covered in their building against ‘Cuse and Notre Dame recently.

Kansas(24) at Missouri

Behind The Line: Kansas has covered 7 of their last 8 while Missouri has covered 3 straight and is also an impressive 14-0 at home.

Tuesday, February 10th

Marquette(8) at Villanova(16)

Behind The Line: Nova has covered in 7 straight games.

Oklahoma St. at Texas(17)

Behind The Line: Both teams have only had the fortune to cover in 1 of their last 5 contests.

Wednesday, February 11th

Syracuse(20) at Connecticut(1)

Behind The Line: Against the spread ‘Cuse is 1-4 in their last five while on the other hand Uconn is 4-1.

Xavier(9) at Dayton

Behind The Line: After covering in 7 straight games earlier this season, in their last 3 games, Xavier has failed to do so.

North Carolina(4) at Duke(3)

Behind The Line: Duke is undefeated in Cameron indoor this year but have failed to cover in 3 of their last 4.

Thursday, February 12th

Louisville(7) at Notre Dame

Behind The Line: Louisville has only played 4 road games this entire season but are 4-0 in those contests.

UCLA(12) at Arizona St.(23)

Behind The Line: The Bruins have covered in 4 Pac-10 games in a row.

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

1. Northern Iowa (17-7) (11-2)(1)
2. Creighton (19-6)(9-4) (2)
3. Illinois St. (19-5) (8-5)(3)
4. Bradley (13-11) (7-6) (4)
5. Evansville (15-8) (7-6) (5)
6. Drake (15-10) (6-7) (6)
7. Southern Illinois (11-13) (6-7) (7)
8. Wichita St. (11-13) (5-8) (8)
9. Missouri St. (10-14) (3-10) (9)
10. Indiana St. (5-19) (3-10) (10)

The Missouri Valley Conference is part of the ESPNU Bracketbusters event (February 21st) once again this season and received 4 games on one of the ESPN family of networks:

• Illinois State at Niagara (2/20)
• Miami (OH) at Evansville
• Northern Iowa at Siena
• George Mason at Creighton

The play in the wild and wacky Missouri Valley Conference continues.

GAME OF THE WEEK
Creighton 77, Northern Iowa 71—Creighton was team to break the Valley leader Northern Iowa’s 11-game winning streak in a wild and wacky game. Creighton was out-rebounded by 45-26 and Creighton’s leading scorers P’Allen Stinnett and Booker Woodfox were limited to single digits. However, Northern Iowa shot only 29% for the game and their 30-of-32 from the free throw line was not enough. The Bluejays want to make the Valley race a little interesting as they now hold 2nd place in the Valley by themselves.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Justin Carter, Creighton—For the second week in a row, Mr. Carter gets player of the week honors. He has carried the Creighton basketball team on his shoulders over the past couple of weeks and had a 17 point, 6 rebound and 4 assist performance to lead the Bluejays in knocking off league-leading Northern Iowa. With Booker Woodfox and P’Allen Stinnett struggling, Carter has picked up his production in scoring and rebounding to become that third option for the Bluejays, which will make them tough to beat down the stretch.

TEAMS PLAYING WELL
Creighton (2-0 this week)—Creighton was the only Valley team to go undefeated this week in the Valley. In fact they are currently on a 4-game winning streak after winning two road games against the Iowa teams (Drake and Northern Iowa). Also, Creighton has won in Cedar Falls 5 straight years now marking the first time the Jays have beaten the same opponent on the road in five straight seasons since topping Washington University five years in a row from 1936-40. Practices have been a total 180 for this team and it is starting to show up in games.

UP AND DOWN

Northern Iowa (1-1 this week)—Northern Iowa opened the week on the road against Bradley with a tough win. However, they ran into the Creighton Bluejays who were looking for retribution for the loss in Omaha earlier in the season. The 3-guard attack of Johnny Moran, Ali Farokhmanesh, and Kwadzo Ahelegbe was working well until the Creighton game where they shot 4-for-17 from three against Creighton on Sunday.

Illinois St (1-1 this week)—Illinois St. tried to keep pace with Northern Iowa and had their opportunity to jump into the race for the top after winning at Southern Illinois earlier in the week, but they followed that up with a loss in overtime to the last place team in the conference, Indiana St. on a last second shot by Harry Marshall.

Southern Illinois (1-1 this week)—Southern Illinois is looking at the prospects of missing postseason play for the first time in several seasons. Losing to Illinois St. at home makes it 3 losses at home for the Salukis this season. This is unheard of for SIU over the past few seasons. But then like this team being its inconsistent self, they went on the road and won at Missouri St. Justin Bocot doesn’t take warm-ups lightly) and the rest of the team can learn something as he scored a career high 28 against Missouri St. The Salukis took a blow this week and are down to 8 players left after what looks to be a season-ending injury to team leader Bryan Mullins.

Evansville (1-1 this week)—Evansville couldn’t hang with Missouri St. at JQH Arena, but was able to run Wichita St. out of the gym at home this week behind a 32-6 run that started at the end of the first half and extended into the second half. The leading active scorer in the Valley Jason Holsinger was 5-of-6 from three and led them with 21 points.

Drake (1-1 this week)—Drake lost to Creighton earlier in the week to extend their losing streak to 3, but then were able to break it by beating Bradley. The Joshes (Josh Young and Josh Parker) had 18 and 16 points respectively in an ugly game with 37 turnovers and 38 fouls. Drake would like Young to get to the line a little more often.

Missouri St. (1-1 this week)—Missouri St. is one of several teams in the Valley playing a spoiler role. They beat Evansville, but then lost at home to Southern Illinois. It is really too bad that the MSU/SIU game was on ESPN2 to showcase the Valley this week.

Indiana St. (1-1 this week)—Indiana St. can put feathers in their cap that they beat both Northern Iowa and Illinois St. at their home courts this season. The win against the Redbirds is maybe that turning point that they are looking for.

Wichita St. (1-1 this week)—The battle of the bottom against Indiana St. came with the Shockers coming out on top in that one, but they ran out of gas against Evansville. Wichita St. is one of those teams that none of the top of the Valley want to see in the MVC tourney as they could realistically cause an upset. When Gregg Marshall and the Shockers found out their opponent for Bracketbusters, Marshall was not too happy with the assignment.

TOUGH WEEK

Bradley (0-2 this week)—Bradley was tied for 2nd with Creighton and Illinois St. to start the week, but lost both of their games this week. The blown game at home against UNI carried over to the road game at Drake. This is a bad time for Bradley to take a step back. Bradley was a little upset that they were left off TV for the Bracketbusters, but maybe that was a good thing after these performances.

GAMES OF INTEREST THIS WEEK

• 2/11, Bradley @ Creighton (Fox Sports Net)—Bradley is trying a last ditch effort to get a good seed for the MVC tournament while Creighton still has a slim chance to chase Northern Iowa.
• 2/11, Illinois St. @ Evansville—Illinois St. working for seeding here and trying for an opportunity to catch Northern Iowa.
• 2/11, Southern Illinois @ Northern Iowa—SIU is working on being a spoiler for the conference leaders
• 2/14, Creighton @ Southern Illinois (ESPN2)—As much as Southern Illinois has struggled this year, this rivalry is always a tough game.

• As you’ll notice, I included a comment about each and every team in the bracket. I’ll be doing this in each of my final four brackets (2/16, 2/23, 3/2 and 3/7) as we head towards Selection Sunday.
• Expect a Bubble Watch post from me on Thursday updating the current bubble picture, a feature that will run very similar to ESPN’s weekly bubble watch.
• As always, any questions/comments/complaints about this week’s bracket, feel free to comment.

Automatic Bids: Boston University, Xavier, North Carolina, East Tennessee State, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Weber State, VMI, Michigan State, Long Beach State, Northeastern, Memphis, Butler, Princeton, Siena, Buffalo, Morgan State, Northern Iowa, San Diego State, Robert Morris, Morehead State, UCLA, Holy Cross, LSU, Davidson, Sam Houston State, Alabama State, North Dakota State, Western Kentucky, Gonzaga, Utah State

Last Four In: Arizona, Miami, Nebraska, Michigan
Last Four Out: Wisconsin, BYU, UNLV, Kansas State
Next Four Out: Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Providence, Penn State
Also Considered: Georgetown, Texas A&M, Baylor, Creighton, Maryland, Saint Mary’s, Northwestern, Tulsa

1 Seeds

• Connecticut- The #1 overall seed and #1 team in the polls, Connecticut boasts 6 wins against the top 50 and still has two contests against Pittsburgh remaining on the schedule.
• Oklahoma– The Sooners have the most wins vs. the top 100 (15) of any team, but only 1 of those victories has come vs. the top 25. They’re the #2 overall seed.
• North Carolina– The projected ACC champion has continued to win while Duke and Wake Forest slipped up multiple times. The showdown with Duke on Wednesday is for a #1 seed.
• Pittsburgh– Despite two conference losses, Pitt garners the final #1 seed due to their #2 RPI, 4 wins vs. the top 25 and a much stronger non-conference resume than Louisville.

2 Seeds

• Duke– Despite the throttling by Clemson, Duke still owns the top overall RPI and have 7 wins against the RPI top 50. They can reclaim the ACC automatic bid this week.
• Louisville– A sexy 9-1 Big East record and 4 wins vs. the RPI top 25 keep Louisville a comfortable 2. They should watch out for pesky Notre Dame this week.
• Michigan State– The projected Big Ten champion has stayed the same all season- Michigan State. A 7 RPI, 6 SOS and comfortable lead over Ohio State and Illinois means they should stay there.
• Marquette– The final #2 seed goes to the fourth Big East team in the field already- Marquette. They slipped in Tampa but still 9-1 and 20 wins overall is enough to grab the honor.

3 Seeds

• Memphis– Can’t stress how big that win at Gonzaga is for seeding. Memphis could run the table the rest of the way, but still may not be able to move up from a #3 seed.
• Wake Forest– A 5-3 record in the ACC with letdowns to Miami, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech is disappointing. Luckily they’ve topped North Carolina and Duke.
• Kansas– A 8-0 record in the Big 12 vaults Kansas to their highest point yet in the bracket. They also have a 15 RPI and 6 wins vs. the top 50. Bill Self has done a commendable job.
• UCLA– The Bruins are really coming on strong recently to put a stronghold on the Pac-10 automatic bid. The Arizona road trip is one UCLA should not take lightly.

4 Seeds

• Clemson– The collapse at home to Florida State dropped Clemson from a potential #2 seed down to a #4. Their 8 RPI and 6-2 record vs. the RPI top 50 are good signs heading to Selection Sunday.
• Xavier– The Musketeers drop down one seed with their loss at Duquesne on Saturday, ending a perfect Atlantic 10 bid. The 6 RPI and 19 SOS keep them in very good shape.
• Villanova– The surging Wildcats embarrassed Syracuse on Saturday and set up a huge game vs. Marquette on Tuesday. They’re looking formidable with a 7-3 Big East record and excellent computer numbers.
• Missouri– Yes, the Tigers claim the final 4 seed. They now have 20 wins overall and are 7-2 in the Big 12, avoiding a letdown game in Ames on Saturday. They have 4 wins vs. the RPI top 50.

5 Seeds

• Illinois– The Illini have hit some recent offensive rough patches on the road, but picked up a vital win at home vs. Purdue Sunday. A 17 RPI and 6 wins vs. the Top 50 is enough for a 5 seed.
• Ohio State– The Buckeyes did exactly what they needed to do this week- sweep Purdue and Minnesota at home. Could they be the second best team in the Big Ten?
• Florida State– The biggest win of the weekend occurred when Florida State pulled off a miraculous comeback at Clemson. Just think if they had beaten Pitt and North Carolina.
• Washington– The Huskies continue to have an impressive season, holding a 8-3 conference record with a 24 RPI and 17 SOS.

6 Seeds

• Purdue– Rough week for the Boilermakers as they try to get back to 100%. The schedule gets a tad easier and they’re still in contention for second place in the Big 10.
• LSU– The Tigers are slightly overseeded in this bracket at 6 because I have them as the projected SEC champion- the fifth different SEC champ we’ve had so far in Bracketology.
• Butler– Like Xavier, Butler drops one seed due to their loss at the hands of Green Bay on Monday. A 21-2 record and 10 RPI is still very solid.
• California– Cal has rebounded nicely from their hiccup in Pac-10 play and are setting themselves up nicely for a top-6/7 seed in the tournament. 3 wins over the RPI top 25 helps dearly.

7 Seeds

• Florida– The Gators are dragged down a bit by their #105 SOS and only 2 wins vs. the RPI top 50. A 6-2 SEC record isn’t as strong as in the past (just ask Mississippi State).
• Gonzaga– What happened on Saturday? This team simply lacks defense and toughness. They’ll likely go undefeated in the WCC, but shouldn’t be rewarded much higher than a 7 seed because of their average non-conference performance.
• Minnesota– A 25 RPI looks good, but a 6-5 Big Ten record isn’t causing folks in Minneapolis to do cartwheels considering their non-conference work. They need to pick up some quality road victories.
• Syracuse- The Orange are slumping at now 6-5 in the conference, but they have great wins over Florida, Memphis and Kansas with a 23 RPI and 25 SOS. Don’t panic, Syracuse fans.

8 Seeds

• Utah– The Utes are not even the projected Mountain West winner and yet they have a higher seed than projected winner San Diego State. Why? An 11 RPI, 11 SOS and 7 wins over the RPI top 100.
• Texas– What happened to Texas? Three straight losses to Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska drop the Longhorns from a #2 seed to a #8 seed over the course of 3 weeks.
• Arizona State– The Sun Devils have the perfect 8-seed resume: 18-5 (7-4), 41 RPI, 3 wins vs. the RPI top 50.
• Utah State– The Aggies continue to win and lead the nation in FG%. It’ll be interesting to see where the committee seeds them should they run the table with their #203 SOS.

9 Seeds

• Tennessee– The Volunteers are being saved by their #20 RPI and #1 SOS.
• San Diego State– The Mountain West auto bid is in jeopardy with their game in Salt Lake this week.
• Boston College– BC needs to split these two games at home vs. Duke and Clemson to avoid bubble city.
• West Virginia– Only 5-5 in the Big East, but a 14 RPI and 10 SOS aids the Mountaineers.

10 Seeds

• Virginia Tech– The Hokies huge comeback vs. NC State helped them avoid bubble city and a bad loss.
• Southern Cal– USC is quietly 6-4 in the Pac-10 and hold a 40 RPI and 20 SOS.
• Davidson– The Southern Conference streak finally ended at home to Charleston.
• South Carolina– The Gamecocks RPI is slowly climbing, now at 42.

11 Seeds

• Dayton– A regrettable loss to Charlotte on Sunday brings Dayton back to the bubble, even with their gaudy and somewhat misleading record.
• Cincinnati– The Bearcats won at Georgetown to improve to 6-5 in the Big East. If you have a winning record in that conference, you should be in.
• Kentucky– The Wildcats need to start winning, and quickly. Their computer numbers are porous and only boast 4 wins vs. the RPI top 100.
• Siena– My predicted flawless year in the MAAC came to an end Saturday, but they still sit pretty.

12 Seeds

• Nebraska– Kansas State and Nebraska have eerily identical resumes at this point, meaning I had to go to the head-to-head matchup and give the small edge to the Huskers.
• Michigan– The Wolverines are under .500 in the Big 10, but no bubble team can match the 2 wins over the RPI top 25 (Duke, UCLA) and 7 wins vs. the RPI top 100 (other than Wisconsin).
• Miami– The second last team in the field with a 4-6 ACC record but a 39 RPI and 12 SOS.
• Arizona– The last team in the field is resurrected Arizona with a 6-5 Pac-10 record and quality wins over Gonzaga, San Diego State, Kansas and Washington.

13 Seeds

• Western Kentucky- The Hilltoppers hold a ½ game lead over Arkansas-Little Rock, whom they defeated earlier in the season, for first place in the Sun Belt.
• Buffalo– Normally the MAC winner would be in contention for a higher seed, but the conference is experiencing a down year.
• Northeastern– I was all ready to give Northeastern a 12 seed until their bad loss at William and Mary.
• Northern Iowa– Same with the Panthers had they taken care of Creighton at home.

14 Seeds

• North Dakota State– The Bison hold a comfortable lead in the Summit and should win the tournament.
• Sam Houston State– The Bearkats are tied with Texas A&M-CC in the standings, but won the head-to-head matchup earlier in the year.
• Robert Morris– Morris holds a 2.5 game lead in the Northeast with an impressive 11-1 conference record.
• Weber State– Weber State leads Portland State and Montana by 1.5 games in the Big Sky.

15 Seeds

• VMI– The Keydets are tied with Radford in the standings but won the head-to-head.
• Long Beach State– Long Beach has hit a slide of late and only holds a ½ game lead in the Big West.
• Boston University– The Terriers hold a 1 game lead over Vermont and Binghamton in America East.
• East Tennessee State– A one game lead over Belmont and Jacksonville for the Buccaneers.

16 Seeds

• Holy Cross–  The Crusaders are tied with American in the Patriot but won the head-to-head meeting.
• Morehead State– The Eagles hold a ½ game lead over UT-Martin and a 1 game lead over Austin Peay.
• Morgan State– The MEAC leader holds a 1 game advantage over Bethune-Cookman.
• Alabama State– The Hornets of Alabama State have a 1 game lead over Jackson State and would participate in the Play-In Game.
• Princeton– The Tigers toppled powerhouse Cornell in the Ivy and earn the bid. They would participate in the Play-In Game, as well.

Last Four Out

• Wisconsin– They have a golden opportunity to get to 8-6 in the Big Ten and earn a seed in the upcoming brackets. They barely missed out on the field behind Miami and Arizona.
• BYU– The second to last team left out of the field is BYU. They have just 5 wins against the RPI top 100 while fellow bubble squads boast 6 or 7. A 5-3 record in conference is also unspectacular.
• UNLV– What happened to the Rebels? A 5-4 record and 56 RPI just isn’t going to make the tournament this season, even with the victory at Louisville.
• Kansas State–  The Wildcats missed out on the field due to their head-to-head loss to Nebraska. The rest of the numbers were stunningly even.

Key Bubble Games (February 9-15)

• Michigan State at Michigan, 2/10– Cannot stress how important this game is to Michigan enough. They sit squarely on the bubble and beating the conference leader would surely vault the Wolverines into the field barring a later slipup.
• Oklahoma State at Texas, 2/10– As we’ve seen recently, this reeling Texas team is vulnerable and could lose at home. Oklahoma State has nice computer numbers, but lacks the necessary Big 12 record and quality wins. Here’s a chance to knock Texas to (gasp) the bubble.
• Florida at Kentucky, 2/10– They lost to South Carolina at Rupp. They lost to Mississippi State at Rupp. A falter at the hands of Florida would knock Kentucky out of the field.
• Clemson and Duke at Boston College, 2/10 and 2/15– The Eagles have a favorable ACC record, but have fattened up beating teams near the bottom of the conference. These two games are in the middle of a brutal stretch and just one win would help BC out dearly if they wish to stay in the field.
• Xavier at Dayton, 2/11– An opportunity for Dayton to rebound from their devastating loss to Charlotte and take down the conference leader.
• Boston University at Vermont, 2/11– A battle for the top spot in the America East with Vermont trailing BU by one game in the standings, but holding an impressive comeback win in Boston earlier this year.
• Tulsa at Memphis, 2/11– This is a stretch to think Tulsa can win this game, but they made an appearance on my spreadsheet this week and could be lurking for a bid if they can win in Memphis.
• Oklahoma at Baylor, 2/11– What an opportunity for Baylor. They’re slipping terribly to 3-6 in the Big 12, but are blessed with Oklahoma coming to Waco. That’s right, it’s a good thing. They need quality wins and this could be the one that vaults the Bears back to contention.
• San Diego State at Utah, 2/11– Seems like every week there’s a battle for the top spot in the Mountain West. This week’s edition takes place in Salt Lake where the Utes look to avenge a previous loss to the Aztecs.
• Louisville at Notre Dame, 2/12– This is essentially the season for Notre Dame. They’re not even close to a bid at this point, but a win over Louisville is the first of many steps towards reclaiming one. If they lose, they essentially need to win the Big East Tournament.
• Illinois at Northwestern, 2/12– The loss at Iowa stings for Northwestern’s chance to make their first tournament, but a win at home against NCAA-bound Illinois would help seal the wound and give the Wildcats some momentum.
• USC at Arizona, 2/12– The most important bubble game of the week takes place out west late Thursday night. Arizona has somehow crawled back into contention while Southern Cal has been making residence in bubble city for quite awhile now.
• Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s, 2/12– The Gaels have completely fallen apart after their team leader and point guard Patrick Mills broke his wrist. They lack any real quality non-conference wins and have recently slipped up at the hands of Portland and Santa Clara. They need to win this like Notre Dame needs to beat Louisville.
• Pittsburgh and Villanova at West Virginia, 2/9 and 2/13– What will Bob Huggins squad do this week? Pick up two outstanding wins at home against top-5 seed teams and cement WVU into lock status? Or falter in both games and make an appearance in bubble city? Probably a split.
• Northeastern at George Mason, 2/14– Northeastern essentially wraps up the Colonial regular season title, barring an unexpected collapse, if they can beat Mason in DC. Recently all three top CAA teams have gone down on the road to average or below average teams, making it a one-bid league.
• Georgetown at Syracuse, 2/14– The Orange make their weekly appearance at Noon ET on ESPN. Let’s see if they show up this time. With the game in the Carrier Dome, I fully expect they will. Georgetown has to be super desperate, though, and JTIII could have them playing for their lives.
• UCLA at Arizona, 2/14– Big week for Arizona. Those two games at home will make or break their season.
• Minnesota at Penn State, 2/14– The Gophers trending towards the bubble? Not quite, but Penn State is right there and it’s vital they protect their home court against a poor road team.
• Nebraska at Missouri, 2/14– The Cornhuskers in the NCAA Tournament? Weird, right? It could happen, and a win against red-hot Missouri in Columbia would help greatly. This would be a huge upset.
• Kansas at Kansas State, 2/14– Where did the Kansas State Wildcats come from? Coach Frank Martin has done a commendable job this season. We all know this is KSU’s Super Bowl every season and this year it holds equal importance to previous campaigns. Remember, Kansas still hasn’t lost in the Big 12.
• Virginia Tech at Maryland, 2/14– It’s going to take a miracle for Maryland to make the NCAA, but Virginia Tech still has serious hopes. They should be fearful of this road contest.
• Creighton at Southern Illinois, 2/14– The Bluejays of Creighton are hoping to make the Missouri Valley a 2-bid league, or maybe knock off Northern Iowa in the conference tournament. As average as Southern Illinois is this season, Carbondale is never an easy place to win.
• Mississippi State at Auburn, 2/14– With Tennessee losing to Auburn, the Bulldogs shouldn’t expect to cruise here.
• Texas A&M at Baylor, 2/14– Two Big 12 schools that have poor conference records and desperately need a win.
• BYU at TCU, 2/14– Normally a football school (well, they still are) the TCU basketball team is making some noise this season. While they won’t make the NCAA, they can surely knock off BYU and send the Cougars to the wrong side of the bubble.
• Michigan at Northwestern, 2/15– Bubble city!
• Illinois State at Drake, 2/15– Illinois State’s disgraceful non-conference schedule is hurting their hopes in climbing back into bubble contention. A loss to Drake would be elimination city barring an MVC tournament run.
• North Carolina at Miami (FL), 2/15– That’s the beauty of the ACC (or the Big East). Miami went on that brutal stretch where they were left completely out of one of my brackets, but right away have a chance to keep their season alive with Wake, Duke, Carolina and Florida State. They’ve impressed thus far in that stretch.

• The Mess in the Middle of the ACC. The Noles’ comeback win at Clemson put them at 5-3 in the conference, tied with Wake, Clemson and Virginia Tech at the halfway point.  Throw in Miami (4-6), who lost a heartbreaker at Duke but proved itself as more than capable in its previous outing against Wake last week, and you’ve got five ACC teams (Maryland too) fighting for anywhere from 2-4 more bids to the NCAA Tournament.  All but Maryland already have a marquee win and everyone but the Terps also have a top 50 RPI rating.  BC, with only two road games remaining, and Miami, with only one game left against the top four of UNC, Duke, Wake, and Clemson, appear most well positioned to take advantage down the stretch.
• Marquette is a good, not great, team. The Golden Eagles benefited from a fortuitous Big East slate of opponents that averages #85 in KenPom’s ratings to date, with their best wins coming against Villanova and WVU at home.   Regardless of South Florida’s upset win on Friday night, their fortunes were poised to change, as six of their final eight games are against the KenPom top 35, four of which are on the road.  We love how Jerel McNeal is playing, and Buzz Williams should be commended for their 20-3 (9-1) record, but we’re afraid that their marginally effective defense will catch up with them in the last few weeks of the season.
• Short of a miracle run, Georgetown and Notre Dame are officially DOA. ND’s best win all season is a one-point win over Texas in Maui, and it’s second-best win?  Probably fellow Big East swooner Georgetown.  The Irish have dropped seven Big East games in a row in all shapes and sizes, its RPI is at 81, and they just got humiliated on national tv by UCLA (including a putrid 5/1 effort from their usually consistent dub-dub machine, Luke Harangody).  So what’s wrong?  Put simply, they don’t play defense: the Irish are currently ranked #276 in the nation.  At 3-7 in the Big East, ND has eight more games to turn this wreck around, and they probably need to win a minimum of six of those to just get back on the bubble.  Highly unlikely.  In our mind, the Georgetown collapse is even more confounding because of the pieces they have on that team with Wright, Summers and Monroe.  Still, the Hoyas have dropped six of seven after their OT loss vs. Cincy on Saturday, and sit barely above ND in the conference standings (4-7).  There are seven games remaining on their schedule, and JT3’s team must win all three against the bottom-dwellers and split the remainder to get to 9-9.  With a strongish RPI (36), Georgetown is in better shape than its Catholic friends to the west, but the Hoyas simply cannot afford another slip-up (and in fact, they need a couple of upsets down the stretch to feel safe).
• UCLA is showing signs of making another run. Behind Alfred Aboya’s rise (15/8 over his last four games), the Bruins suddenly have the look of a team where things are starting to click for Ben Howland.  The upcoming road trip to the Arizona schools may tell the tale, but UCLA’s last four opponents were beaten down with highly efficient offense.  You can always count on UCLA to defend, so what might stand in the way of a fourth straight trip to the Final Four for UCLA?  Probably only the lack of a go-to scorer who they can count on for instant points.  Regardless, those who wrote off UCLA around midseason will likely regret that decision.
• Memphis shouldn’t be forgotten.  It was easy to write off John Calipari’s Tigers after losing all the players they lost from last year’s national runner-up team, but much like Bill Self’s Kansas team, there were plenty of pieces on that bench to make another run.  We don’t expect this version of Memphis to make it back to the F4, but they could definitely play into the regional round.  Their dismantling of Gonzaga in Spokane Saturday night was nothing short of masterful.  Gonzaga hadn’t seen defense like that all year long (incl. Connecticut), and they’re getting just enough offense from the troika of Tyreke Evans, Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier to keep teams honest.  Watch out for this Memphis team next month.

Some News & Notes.

• Oklahoma’s backcourt depth took a hit with freshman guard Roy Willis’ DUI arrest over the weekend.  He was suspended indefinitely by Jeff Capel for the transgression.
• Indiana suspended their best player Devan Dumes for his elbow-happiness during Saturday’s game with Michigan St.  On video review, he was spotted Chris Pauling Goran Suton on their way upcourt (see below).

On Tap Monday (all times EST). Just a couple of Big Monday game border wars.

• West Virginia @ Pittsburgh (ESPN) – 7pm.  In the last matchup, a 12-pt win by Pitt on 1/25, the Panthers hit 55% behind Sam Young’s 22 and Dejuan Blair’s 16/11.  As long as DB is on the floor, the Panthers should be ok in this one.
• Kansas @ Missouri (ESPN) – 9pm.  KU brings its 8-0 Big 12 record to Columbia, where Mizzou if 14-0 and it’s clear that Mike Anderson has finally turned the corner with his style of play there.  While we know that Kansas isn’t anywhere near as good as last year’s team, they’re playing very well and Mizzou will have to bring its best tomorrow night to get this win.

Shameless Plug.

• Keep an eye out for RTC Live returning on Tuesday night of this week, as Clemson visits Boston College at 9pm EST.  Rush the Court will be courtside live-blogging the game, and you will have a chance to submit questions so that we can ask coaches and players whatever you like.  Yes, you will even be able to ask Oliver Purnell to explain his reaction to this atrocity.