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1. Being on the NCAA tournament selection committee has become a bad omen for athletic directors or commissioners keeping their jobs, with a third member losing his day job while on the committee. Last year, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe was fired and had to step away from the committee; he was ultimately replaced by Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione. Then, UConn athletic director and chair Jeff Hathaway was forced to “retire.” He had to take a faux consultant job with the Big East to stay on the committee. Hathaway is now the athletic director at Hofstra. The latest to lose his job is SMU AD Steve Orsini, abruptly fired Thursday. Chair Mike Bobinski of Xavier and new NCAA vice president Mark Lewis will now have to huddle to find a replacement for Orsini on the committee. If they stay in the Big East/Conference USA area, they should look at USF AD Doug Woolard, Big East associate commissioner Dan Gavitt or East Carolina AD Terry Holland.

2. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Kentucky’s Anthony Davis -- the consensus No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft -- brings shot-blocking, something the U.S. Olympic team may need this summer in London. Davis’ chances have risen due to the injury to Orlando’s Dwight Howard. Krzyzewski said Davis isn’t “trying out” for the team; rather, Davis is now in the pool of players who may be selected. Krzyzewski said it would be good to get Davis indoctrinated right away into USA Basketball. “He’s a great talent and a good kid," Krzyzewski said. “Hopefully we don’t get any more guys hurt."

3. Organizers for the Battle 4 Atlantis -- the top non-conference tournament -- won’t decide on the bracket until August for the November event. The event, at the Atlantis Hotel on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, could put all eight teams in the NCAA tournament. They are: Louisville, Duke, Stanford, Missouri, Minnesota, Memphis, VCU and Northern Iowa.

The Big 12 tournament is in Kansas City this week. Here’s hoping for a rubber match between Kansas and Missouri in Saturday's championship game at the Sprint Center. Of course, getting to the title game won’t be easy for either team. Here are this season’s final Big 12 Power Rankings.

1. Kansas - The Jayhawks have now won eight straight league titles, which is the most by a team from a power conference since UCLA won 13 in a row from 1967-79.
2. Missouri - Frank Haith appears to have been an excellent hire for the Tigers, who are hoping to become the first team in school history to reach the Final Four. It’s certainly doable with this group.
3. Iowa State - Saturday’s victory over Baylor at Hilton Coliseum forced a tie between the Cyclones and Bears for third place in the Big 12 standings. The Cyclones will be the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 tournament. Baylor will be No. 4
4. Baylor - Scott Drew’s squad will face Kansas State in the quarterfinals of this week’s Big 12 tournament. The teams split the season series, with the games being decided by a combined two points. Pierre Jackson had 35 points at Iowa State Wednesday.
5. Kansas State - The Wildcats have won four of their last five games and are a lock to make the NCAA tournament. They could greatly improve their seed, however, by defeating Baylor in Thursday’s semifinals.
6. Texas - With a 19-12 overall record and a 9-9 mark in the Big 12, the Longhorns are still on the NCAA tournament bubble. A victory over Iowa State in Thursday’s semifinals would certainly enhance their résumé. Two wins this week would secure a bid.
7. Oklahoma State - The Cowboys have lost six of their last eight games, but they open Big 12 tournament play Wednesday night against Texas Tech, the Big 12’s worst team. Keiton Page is averaging 27 points in his last five games.
8. Oklahoma - Wednesday’s game against Texas A&M will mark the second time these teams have played in less than a week. The Sooners defeated the Aggies 65-62 in the regular-season finale Saturday in Norman, Okla.
9. Texas A&M - The Aggies have lost nine of their last 10 games, and six of those defeats have come by single digits. Khris Middleton has scored in double figures in four of his last five games.
10. Texas Tech - The Red Raiders’ only Big 12 win came on Feb. 11 against Oklahoma. Billy Gillispie’s squad is improving, though, and could threaten to upset an Oklahoma State team that will be without star freshman Le'Bryan Nash.

If I believed in ties, I’d rank Missouri alongside Kansas in this week’s Big 12 Power Rankings. But I don’t, so Kansas gets the nod after clinching at least a share of its eighth straight conference title in Saturday’s 87-86 overtime victory against the Tigers.

1. Kansas: Thomas Robinson (national player of the year) and Bill Self (national coach of the year) both enhanced their chances of some lofty postseason honors in Saturday’s win over Missouri. Robinson finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Self coached his team back from a 19-point deficit in the second half.
2. Missouri: It was hard not to be equally impressed with the Tigers on Saturday. Their performance in what was easily the loudest environment they’ll ever encounter was stunning. I don't care that they ended up on the losing end. This is a Final Four candidate. Period.
3. Baylor: Monday is senior night at the Ferrell Center for Quincy Acy and Anthony Jones. But could it also be the final home game for sophomore Perry Jones III and freshman Quincy Miller, both of whom are projected as lottery picks in this summer’s NBA draft?
4. Iowa State: Assuming they lose at Missouri on Wednesday, a victory over Baylor on Saturday would place the Cyclones in a tie with the Bears for third place in the Big 12 standings. That’d be quite a feat for a team that finished just 3-13 in league play a season ago.
5. Kansas State: The Wildcats are one of the toughest teams in the country to figure out. Seriously, how do you beat Missouri on the road one night then lose at home to Iowa State three days later? Frank Martin’s team needs to beat either Texas A&M (Tuesday in College Station) or Oklahoma State (Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.) to feel rock-solid about its NCAA tournament hopes.
6. Texas: The Longhorns needed overtime to defeat Texas Tech in Lubbock Saturday. That’s a reason for concern. Wednesday’s home game against Oklahoma is huge in terms of earning an NCAA tournament bid. A victory would ensure at least a .500 record in Big 12 play.
7. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys would be ranked ahead of Texas -- a team they beat -- if not for a recent hand injury to LeBryan Nash that will likely sideline the freshman for the remainder of the season. Monday’s home game against Kansas will be tough with Nash out. And winning in Manhattan on Saturday won’t be easy, either.
8. Texas A&M: The Aggies played Kansas tough on Wednesday before getting drilled by 18 points at Oklahoma State over the weekend. It’s unfortunate that injuries and off-court distractions ruined Billy Kennedy’s first season in College Station. He’s done the best he could with the hand he was dealt.
9. Oklahoma: The Sooners certainly aren’t giving in. They snapped a six-game losing streak by defeating Oklahoma State on Wednesday before giving Baylor all it could handle in a 70-60 defeat in Waco on Saturday. Oklahoma led that game at intermission.
10. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders end their miserable regular season against a pair of ranked teams in Baylor and Missouri. Don’t be surprised if Texas Tech is the Big 12’s most improved team next season, although Texas will certainly be in the mix for that accolade as well.

Saturday’s game between Kansas and Missouri will go a long way toward deciding this year's Big 12 regular-season champion. Both teams have identical 12-2 conference records, but Missouri gets the nod in this week’s Conference Power Rankings because of its victory over the Jayhawks on Feb. 4 in Columbia.

1. Missouri: Frank Haith’s squad eked out another hard-fought road victory Saturday when it defeated Texas A&M 71-62 in College Station. The win was the seventh straight for the Tigers, who will try to avenge a Jan. 7 loss to Kansas State on Tuesday.

2. Kansas: The Jayhawks had an easy time with last-place Texas Tech in Saturday’s 33-point win. Forward Thomas Robinson continues to make a case for national player of the year honors. The junior is averaging 17.7 points and 11.8 rebounds.

3. Kansas State: Angel Rodriguez scored 15 points to lead the Wildcats to their best win of the season against Baylor on Saturday. The 57-56 victory upped Kansas State’s Big 12 record to 7-7 and will greatly enhance its resume on Selection Sunday. Two more tough tests await this week. The Wildcats visit Missouri on Tuesday and host Iowa State on Sunday.

4. Baylor: The Bears are in a downward spiral with losses in three of their past four games. Scott Drew’s team failed to score in the final two minutes of Saturday’s home defeat against Kansas State and looked completely disorganized and lost on its final two possessions. Getting healthy at Texas on Monday won’t be easy.

5. Iowa State: Scott Christopherson scored 25 points and Chris Allen added 16 in Saturday’s 80-69 victory over Oklahoma. At 9-5, the Cyclones are now tied with Baylor for third place in the Big 12 standings. Standout Royce White has had three single-digit scoring outputs in his past five games.

6. Texas: Saturday’s 90-78 loss to Oklahoma State in Stillwater snapped the Longhorns’ four-game winning streak. Texas was outscored from the free throw line 43-14. At 7-7 in league play, Rick Barnes’ team desperately needs a home win against Baylor on Monday to enhance its NCAA tournament hopes. Texas lost to the Bears 76-71 on Jan. 28 in Waco.

7. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys are the Big 12’s most improved team; especially when they play at home. Oklahoma State has now defeated Missouri, Texas, Iowa State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma in Stillwater. They still have home games remaining against Texas A&M and Kansas. Keiton Page had 40 points in Saturday’s win over Texas, when he was 20-for-20 from the foul stripe.

8. Texas A&M: The Aggies have lost five of their past six games, and with Kansas coming to town Wednesday, things may get worse before they get better. Point guard Dash Harris hasn’t played since Jan. 23 because of a foot injury. Elston Turner averages a team-high 14 points.

9. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders didn’t do much to capitalize on their Feb. 11 victory over Oklahoma. They turned in a dismal offensive performance in a 47-38 setback against Texas A&M on Tuesday before getting stomped by 33 points at Kansas on Saturday.

10. Oklahoma: The Sooners have lost six games in a row and eight of past last nine. Wednesday’s home game against Oklahoma State looks like a possible victory, as the Cowboys have been terrible on the road. Still, it’s been quite a collapse for a team that opened the season with wins in nine of its first 10 games.

The race for the Big 12 title appears to be a two-team affair between Missouri and Kansas. The rest of the league, however, is in a state of flux. Here are this week’s power rankings:

1. Missouri: Aided by Oklahoma's porous free throw shooting, the Tigers escaped Norman with a three-point victory last week before dismantling Baylor at home Saturday. On Wednesday they get to avenge last month’s loss to Oklahoma State when they take on the Cowboys in Columbia. Marcus Denmon has made 14 of his previous 26 attempts from 3-point range.

2. Kansas: The Jayhawks looked like a totally different team last week thanks to the emergence of Jeff Withey. The 7-foot center scored a career-high 25 points in Wednesday’s win at Baylor before erupting for 18 points, 20 rebounds and seven blocks Saturday against Oklahoma State. Kansas travels to Manhattan to play Kansas State on Big Monday. Bill Self’s squad defeated the Wildcats by 18 points on Jan. 4. Expect a closer game on the road.

3. Baylor: Not many teams in the country had a worse week than the Bears, who were humiliated in blowout losses to Kansas and Missouri. Baylor looked ill-prepared in both games and cowered under the national spotlight. Leading scorer Perry Jones III accounted for just nine points on 3-of-20 shooting in the two losses. It’ll be gut-check time for Scott Drew’s team when it hosts Iowa State on Monday.

4. Iowa State: If they beat Baylor, the Cyclones will be able to make a case for being the Big 12’s third-best team. They’ve already defeated Kansas, Kansas State and Texas. On Saturday, Fred Hoiberg’s squad defeated Texas A&M by 23 points. Leading scorer Royce White is averaging just 7.7 points in his last three games, but ISU is still hanging in.

5. Texas: The Longhorns -- who count six freshmen among their top nine players -- are beginning to mature. Texas has won four of its last six games, and the two losses were by a combined six points. Freshman guard Sheldon McClellan has taken some of the pressure off of leading scorer J'Covan Brown by scoring in double figures in his last three games.

6. Kansas State: Saturday’s 75-64 loss to Texas may have been the most frustrating of the season for the Wildcats, who blew a 13-point halftime lead en route to their third defeat in five games. Texas attempted 48 free throws compared to 12 by Kansas State. Once a Top 25 team, the Wildcats will fall to 6-7 in the Big 12 if they don't defeat Kansas at home Monday.

7. Oklahoma State: You won’t see the Cowboys in the NCAA tournament this season, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope for the future. Travis Ford’s squad has shown loads of improvement during the last month. Oklahoma State defeated Iowa State on Tuesday and cut a 29-point deficit to 12 at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday before eventually falling to Kansas 81-66. Guard Markel Brown is averaging 20 points in his past two games.

8. Texas A&M: Saturday’s 23-point loss at Iowa State was the fourth in a row for the Aggies, who are even in danger of falling at Texas Tech on Tuesday. Khris Middleton (knee) returned to the court Saturday but contributed just five points on 2-of-9 shooting. Point guard Dash Harris has missed five consecutive games with a foot injury.

9. Texas Tech: The team that nobody thought would win a Big 12 game finally pulled off a victory Saturday. Billy Gillispie couldn’t help but get emotional when talking about the Red Raiders’ 18-point win over Oklahoma in Lubbock. The victory was the first for Texas Tech since Dec. 30. Javarez Willis scored 21 points.

10. Oklahoma: The Sooners went 10-2 in nonconference play, but things have been going south for Lon Kruger’s squad ever since. Oklahoma is just 3-9 in Big 12 play -- with two of the wins coming against K-State -- and Saturday it was embarrassed by a Texas Tech squad that had yet to win a league game. The Sooners shot just 32.7 percent in the loss.

Missouri claimed first place in the Big 12 with a 71-68 win over Oklahoma.

Here are this week’s Big 12 power rankings:

1. Missouri: The Tigers have played the two toughest teams in the league (Kansas and Baylor) and defeated them both. Guard Marcus Denmon had made just five of his previous 31 attempts from 3-point range before going 6-for-9 from beyond the arc in Saturday’s win against Kansas.

2. Kansas: The Jayhawks blew an eight-point lead with just more than 2 minutes remaining in Saturday’s loss at Missouri, but with Baylor up next on Wednesday, there’s no time to mope about the loss. Kansas is 16-2 all-time against the Bears, who it defeated by 18 points last month at Allen Fieldhouse.

3. Baylor: The Bears’ Big 12 title hopes depend largely on what happens this week. Baylor hosts Kansas on Wednesday and travels to Missouri Saturday. Baylor’s only two losses are against those two teams. The Bears' offense looked sloppy and disorganized in last week’s victories over Texas A&M (63-60) and Oklahoma State (64-60).

4. Iowa State: The Cyclones won at Oklahoma Saturday despite getting just three points from leading scorer Royce White. Fred Hoiberg's squad has won five of its past six games overall and could continue that streak this week against Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

5. Kansas State: The Wildcats got back on the winning track by defeating Texas A&M Saturday at home. And the good times should continue when Kansas State hosts Texas Tech on Tuesday. Leading scorer Rodney McGruder has made just four of his previous 20 3-point attempts.

6. Texas: Rick Barnes’ squad hasn’t caught many breaks in conference play. Texas’ six league losses have come by an average of five points. The Longhorns had lost five of their previous six games before defeating Texas Tech on Saturday. Monday’s road game against a beat up Texas A&M squad is winnable.

7. Texas A&M: The Aggies almost defeated Baylor without Khris Middleton and Dash Harris on Wednesday, and they led Kansas State at halftime before falling 64-53 Saturday in Manhattan. Considering all of the injuries, Texas A&M deserves credit for competing as well as it has.

8. Oklahoma: The Sooners have dropped four of their previous five games heading into Monday’s contest against Missouri. All of a sudden the team that got off to a 9-1 start is 3-7 in league play. Steven Pledger and Andrew Fitzgerald are averaging a combined 31.1 points.

9. Oklahoma State: Three weeks after losing to them by 41 points, Oklahoma State nearly upset the Baylor Bears before falling 64-60 Saturday in Stillwater. Freshman Brian Williams had 23 points in the loss. On Tuesday, Oklahoma State hosts the same Iowa State squad that it lost to on a buzzer-beater Jan. 18 in Ames.

10. Texas Tech: Last week’s home game against Oklahoma State appeared to be the Red Raiders’ best chance of picking up a Big 12 win. Instead, Billy Gillispie’s team was throttled 80-63. Jordan Tolbert leads Texas Tech in scoring with 11.9 points per contest. But he’s averaging just 6.3 points in his past three games.

Now that's a Saturday of basketball. Take a deep breath, count to 10 and check out yours truly's observations from the evening's games, including the insane Kansas-Missouri finale.

For a recap of this afternoon's games, click here.

No. 4 Missouri 74, No. 8 Kansas 71: This game was easy to scout. Missouri is small and quick and offensively oriented, with four guards and one big man. Kansas is big and strong and built around forward Thomas Robinson, the national front-runner for player of the year. How would KU stop Mizzou's spread attack? How would Mizzou keep KU out of the lane? These countervailing dynamics seemed destined to determine the outcome of this game. And to some extent, they did.

But if we learned anything from this one, we learned this: Stylistic assessments tend to fly out the window when it's the final minute in a packed house and things are crazy and it's just a player, the ball, the game on the line and a single-possession deficit. It's hard to overthink this: You either execute or you don't. The Jayhawks didn't execute. That simple. And that's why they lost.

Of course, it's not quite that simple. Kansas was not helped by an iffy late charge call on Tyshawn Taylor that just as easily could have been a blocking foul on Michael Dixon. It resulted in two Missouri free throws and a three-point lead for KU to overcome. Even worse, that call wasn't nearly as egregious as the one against Robinson with 1:43 remaining; that easily could have been a block on Mizzou forward Steve Moore, an and-1 bucket for Robinson and a potential six-point swing, given Marcus Denmon's huge go-ahead 3 a few seconds later. Kansas fans are not at all happy about this turn of events, and they have every right to their anger.

That said, the Jayhawks would have been in better shape had Taylor made either of his two free throws with 42 seconds remaining. Despite all the late blunders and questionable calls, Kansas had a chance to take the game to overtime on the final possession. Had Elijah Johnson decided to shoot the ball when he got his first wide-open look as the clock ticked down, he might have gotten a clean shot. Instead, Johnson hesitated. He missed his chance. The clock expired. Game over.

As always, it's about execution, and in big-time rivalry games in heated buildings, the game is so often about execution in the final minutes. As Kansas was suffering shaky whistles, missed free throws, so-so shots and four turnovers in the final three minutes, Denmon was coolly canning two straight 3s, which turned a 71-65 Kansas lead into a 72-71 Mizzou lead in a matter of 30 seconds. Denmon was brilliant all game. He shot 10-of-16 from the field and was 6-of-9 from 3 en route to a 29-point outing. And that's the difference: Denmon was brilliant all 40 minutes. Taylor, Robinson and the Jayhawks were brilliant for about 37 minutes. When the game tightened and crunch time came around, one team consistently executed. The other did not.

For as much as we analyze (and overanalyze) these games, for as much as we talk about styles and matchups and X's and O's, for as much as we'll debate the Robinson charge calls for the next week, when you get to crunch time, that stuff fades away. The game shrinks. It simplifies. Be smart. Get good shots. Play defense. Take care of the ball. Rebound. Make your free throws.

Missouri scored the game's final 11 points. After leading 71-63, Kansas didn't score once.

In the end, the difference between those two sentences wasn't a matter of deep analysis. It wasn't stylistic or strategic. It was so much simpler than that.

Northern Iowa 65, No. 12 Creighton 62: It's not about what we learned in this game. We didn't learn all that much, save for the fact that Northern Iowa might be a bit better than its paltry Missouri Valley record (6-7) would indicate. But forget the new knowledge; this game was all about a reminder of the old.

That reminder: College hoops is an imperfect, frustrating enterprise. But when college hoops is good, it's better than anything else in the world.

Maybe that's hyperbole. Maybe I am the wrong person to levy such judgments, because I happen to love college basketball more than most. (I admit it.) Still, I defy you to find 60 more purely entertaining seconds than the final minute of Northern Iowa's win over 12th-ranked Creighton. College basketball seems to produce exchanges like this more frequently than other games; every week, it feels like something insane happens. But this ending -- which featured two 3s in the final 15 seconds, both of which came in open play, with no timeouts to stop the insanity -- registered an 11 on the 1-to-10 excitement scale.

I won't recap the entire closing exchange. You can see the highlights here, if you haven't seen them already. I've watched five or six times. The moment the shot goes in, well, it's almost perfect, you know? The rush up the floor, the crazy step-back, the swish, the crowd eruption -- this is the fabric of college basketball. Forget provincial rooting interests, alumni loyalty, wonky enthusiasm. The final 15 seconds of Creighton-UNI are why we love this damn game, imperfections and all.

No. 20 Indiana 78, Purdue 61: With 2:23 left and Indiana leading rival Purdue 65-61, IU point guard Jordan Hulls found himself trapped near half-court. Purdue was swarming -- it had been swarming and slapping and clawing at the Hoosiers all evening -- and, rather than risk a turnover, Hulls decided to play it safe. He and his teammates ran to the sideline, with their tenuous, shrinking lead still intact, and regrouped for what was sure to be an arduous finish in front of the Boilermakers' rabid crowd.

Then something strange happened: IU didn't fade away. It didn't suffer its typical frustrating late-game collapse on the road. It didn't bend under Purdue's relentless pressure. Instead, it blew the Mackey Arena doors right off.

Two minutes, 23 seconds later, the Hoosiers' 13-0 run had capped the first non-Penn State Big Ten road win of coach Tom Crean's 3 1/2-year tenure. In 143 seconds, the Hoosiers had gone from "well, here we go again" to their first win over the Boilermakers in their past six tries. For the first Big Ten road fixture this season, or in any of the Crean-era years that preceded it, Indiana looked self-assured and confident, not shaky and timid. The Hoosiers looked eager to go get the win, not anxious to avoid a loss. And so they did.

The game wasn't nearly as one-sided as that scoreline suggests, of course, and for most of the afternoon, even as Indiana built a 33-22 halftime lead, this thing was ugly on both sides. The Boilermakers were unusually scrappy, doing everything they could to make life difficult for Cody Zeller, Christian Watford and the rest, trapping and slapping and angling for jump ball calls from the official. (These attempts were often fouls, and when they were called as such, Purdue fans frequently flipped out. It was exactly what a home crowd should do. Even better, it often seemed to work.)

For most of the game, the Boilers' staunch defense held strong. The only problem: Purdue couldn't keep up with even a marginal offensive pace. The team committed just three turnovers all game, and its first didn't come until the 5:10 mark of the second half. With possession protection like that, you would have assumed the Boilermakers could have posted better than .90 points per trip. But Matt Painter's team couldn't break down Indiana's man or zone defenses with much regularity, and without a true post presence (an ongoing, irreconcilable issue for this team), Purdue was forced to hoist its typical diet of long 2s and 3s. Robbie Hummel & Co. made just five of their 21 3-point field goal attempts. They finished 21-of-71 -- or 29.6 percent -- from the field overall.

So what does it all mean -- that is, beyond the first batch of message-board/water-cooler bragging rights Indiana fans have had in years? It might mean this IU team is making progress in its understanding of how to win on the road. That's a difficult, indefinable quality, something even good teams struggle with each and every season. But if you're the Hoosiers, and you have your sights set on the heights reached in November and December, you have to beat inferior teams on the road in conference play. You have to hold on to those leads. Actually, forget holding on to your lead. Extend it. Sweep the leg. Finish.

The Hoosiers -- for the first time on the road in four Big Ten seasons (against a team not named Penn State, that is), for the first time in six tries against their hated rival -- unleashed their inner Cobra Kai. It wasn't a flawless victory, but it was a victory. For a team that lost so many of these games in 2010 and 2011 and even in 2012, that's a legitimate sign of progress.

One more IU-Purdue note: Guard Verdell Jones missed this game, but most of his minutes went to Victor Oladipo, and Oladipo responded with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. When Indiana needed buckets, Oladipo always seemed to step in, ready and willing to attack the rim. Impressive performance.

Some other observations from Saturday night's games:

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AP Photo/Mary Ann ChastainTerrence Jones delivers one of Kentucky's eight first-half dunks against South Carolina on Saturday.
• Kentucky absolutely rolled South Carolina on the road, and Basketball Prospectus writer Drew Cannon summed up my feelings on the Cats with his perfect postgame tweet: "Can you imagine how high people would be on Kentucky if Watford's three rimmed out?" He's dead on. If Christian Watford's shot misses (Kentucky lost to Indiana at the buzzer in December), Kentucky is undefeated, rolling through the SEC with remarkable ease, and we're all talking about whether the Wildcats can make it to the NCAA tournament without a loss. As it is, the Wildcats are still remarkable to watch. For much of their 86-52 victory, they appeared to be playing a different sport than the Gamecocks. UK had eight dunks in the first half, as Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones finished easy buckets at will. Darrin Horn's team never stood a chance. Even scarier: This team, in particular point guard Marquis Teague, is still developing into what it can be. Considering how good John Calipari's team already is -- 23-1, 9-0 in the SEC, No. 2 overall in Ken Pomeroy's rankings, etc. -- that's a frightening thought indeed.
• Colorado got a major home win over Oregon on Saturday night, but in questionable late circumstances. I didn't see the game -- there was the small matter of Kansas-Mizzou, after all -- but here's how the AP recap describes the final play in question: "Nate Tomlinson was fouled with one second remaining by E.J. Singler and sank the first free throw before deliberately missing the second to give Colorado a 72-71 win over Oregon Saturday night." Naturally, the AP isn't going to say whether the foul call -- which came with almost no time left on the clock -- was right or wrong. According to the response on Twitter, it might or might not have been a foul, but the referees should never have made such a marginal call in the final second of a tie game. Oregon coach Dana Altman was furious. Ducks fans are furious. Colorado will feel lucky to escape with the victory and move to 8-3 -- an unlikely 8-3, given this team's early prospectus -- in its first year in Pac-12 play. It sounds like we'll be talking about this call for a while. Should be fun!
• Middle Tennessee lost its lofty perch as the Sun Belt's only unbeaten team when it fell 75-60 at Denver on national TV. MTSU is a fringe bubble candidate, but the loss will make things much more difficult for the Blue Raiders to impress the committee. How much it will help Denver remains to be seen. Either way, the lesson here, as in Wyoming's win over UNLV on Saturday: Altitude kills. As does Denver forward Chris Udofia, who had 27 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in the win.
• Really solid road win for Iowa State, which topped Oklahoma 77-70 and kept its NCAA tournament momentum moving. The Cyclones have had a week to remember, which began with last Saturday's last-second win over Kansas and included this week's two-point home win over Kansas State. Oklahoma has given Big 12 teams legitimate issues this season, particularly at home, and Fred Hoiberg's fighting transfers have to be thrilled to escape Norman with a win.
• Speaking of solid road wins: Iona (19-5, 11-2 MAAC) invaded the turf of one of its fellow MAAC co-leaders, Manhattan, and left with an 85-73 victory. Gaels star point guard Scott Machado continued his hyper-efficient, ball-dominant ways, scoring 18 points on 5-of-7 from the field (and 6-of-8 from the line) to go along with nine assists and four rebounds. A few days after a major contract extension for coach Tim Cluess, his team got one of its biggest wins of the season.
• Murray State's latest extension to its undefeated record -- the Racers are now 23-0 and 11-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play -- came in what is rapidly becoming classic Murray style: It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't definitive, being but a 65-58 win over a team with a 3-21 record before Saturday. But it was a win all the same, another notch on the belt and another potential step toward a remarkable regular-season accomplishment. Stay tuned.
• Harvard didn't look great in its 57-52 home win over a bad Columbia team, but as in the above bullet point, a win is a win is a win. The victory moved the Crimson to 6-0 in the Ivy League and 20-2 overall. Still, if Harvard wants to ensure its first trip to the NCAA tournament in six decades, it will have to muster something more than the disjointed offense it displayed Saturday.
• And in CAA play, George Mason asserted its superiority -- and its position atop the conference standings -- with a 54-50 win over Old Dominion. Neither team is vintage for either program this season, and GMU's at-large case is a major work in progress, but wins like this are always steps in the right direction.

Thomas Robinson's double-double leads No. 8 Kansas' 84-62 charge past Oklahoma.

Here are this week’s Big 12 Power Rankings:

1. Kansas: Saturday’s 72-64 loss at Iowa State snapped a 10-game winning streak. The Jayhawks should beat Oklahoma at home Wednesday, but then face consecutive road games at Missouri on Feb. 4 and Baylor on Feb. 8. Thomas Robinson's numbers (15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds) have been down a bit in his past two games.

2. Missouri: The Tigers’ 79-72 loss on Jan. 25 at Oklahoma State was one of the more stunning results of the conference season. Two of Missouri’s past three opponents have shot 57 percent or better from the field. Saturday’s game against Kansas may mark the last time the Jayhawks and Tigers ever play at Mizzou Arena.

3. Baylor: The Bears bounced back from a tough 89-88 home loss to Missouri on Jan. 21 with back-to-back victories against Oklahoma and Texas. Perry Jones III, who has been battling an ankle injury, averaged 21.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in the two wins. The Bears’ next two games -- against Texas A&M and Oklahoma State -- are on the road.

4. Iowa State: The Cyclones still have some work to do before they can feel good about their chances of an NCAA tournament berth, but Saturday’s 72-64 victory over Kansas certainly enhances their résumé. Iowa State had lost 14 straight to the Jayhawks before Saturday and hadn’t defeated Kansas in Ames since 2004.

5. Texas: Their record may not show it, but the Longhorns are getting better. Rick Barnes’ squad gave Kansas all it could handle on Jan. 21 before beating Iowa State in Austin a few days later. Texas battled back Saturday from a double-digit deficit to tie Baylor late in the second half before the Bears pulled away for a 76-71 victory in Waco. J'Covan Brown (19.7 points) is one of the country’s most underrated players.

6. Oklahoma: Two of the Sooners’ three Big 12 victories are against Kansas State. Guard Steven Pledger scored 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting in Saturday’s 63-60 victory in Manhattan. Things will only get tougher from here, as Oklahoma’s next three games are against Kansas, Iowa State and Missouri.

7. Kansas State: Saturday’s home 63-60 loss to Oklahoma was a huge momentum-killer for a Wildcats squad that entered the game with three straight wins. The Big 12 championship appears to be falling out of Kansas State’s reach, but this is still a Top-25 caliber team when everything is clicking. A win at Iowa State on Tuesday would be huge.

8. Texas A&M: The Aggies are improving at a rapid pace. They lost by only 10 points (64-54) to Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse this past week, before defeating Oklahoma State by 15 points (76-61) at home Saturday. Khris Middleton (knee) didn’t play in either game. Elston Turner is averaging 23.3 points in his past three contests.

9. Oklahoma State: So much for capitalizing on momentum. Less than a week after upsetting then-No. 2 Missouri in Stillwater, the Cowboys reverted back to their old ways in Saturday’s lopsided defeat at Texas A&M. This team needs to prove it can win on the road.

10. Texas Tech: Don’t be surprised if Texas Tech doesn’t win a Big 12 game. There simply aren’t enough Division I-caliber players on the roster. Give the Red Raiders and first-year coach Billy Gillispie credit, however, for keeping things close in Saturday’s 13-point loss at Missouri. Tuesday’s home game against Oklahoma State may be Texas Tech’s best remaining opportunity for a league victory.

Andy Katz and Doug Gottlieb break down all of Saturday's action. Included in the conversation: What happens now with Kansas and Iowa State, controversial finishes in Syracuse and Minneapolis, impressive wins by the SEC elite, disappointing performances from Kansas State and Dayton and another victory by the best of the West, Saint Mary's.

Player of the Night - Perry Jones III
For all of the hype surrounding Jones in his two years in Waco, he'd never had a 20-point, 10-rebound game. Until last night. He helped Baylor snap a two-game losing streak with a 77-65 win at Oklahoma. Jones finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Baylor had been 3-18 in Norman going into this one.

Breakout Game - Will Davis II
UC-Irvine freshman Will Davis II had a career game in a 78-67 win over Seattle. He came off the bench for 21 points (on 9-10 shooting from the field), 10 rebounds and five blocks. That's after entering the game averaging 7.4 PPG and 5.5 RPG. Davis joins Kentucky's Anthony Davis as the only freshman with a 20-10-5 game this season. The last freshman not named Davis to do it was Iowa's Melsahn Basabe last season.

Dime Store - Jarod Oldham
Jarod Oldham is the Kendall Marshall of the MAC. On Tuesday, he handed out 10 assists while not connecting on a field goal of his own as Buffalo won its third straight with a 65-47 win over Eastern Michigan. Oldham now has 27 more assists than points this season. He even has seven more steals than field goals.

Ugly Stat Line of the Night - J'Covan Brown
The good news for Texas? The Longhorns beat Iowa State, 62-55. The bad news? J'Covan Brown went 3-for-16 from the field with five turnovers. Over the past three games, Brown has a 25.7 field goal percentage. That includes 22.0 percent from two-point range.

Filling Up the Stat Sheet – Royce White
On the other side of that matchup, Royce White had 15 points, 15 rebounds and five assists for Iowa State. The only other Big 12 players with a 15-15-5 game over the past four seasons? Alec Burks and Blake Griffin. Of course, White also went 1-for-7 from the free throw line. That was particularly costly in a game decided by seven points.

Saddle Up is our semi-daily preview of the night's best basketball action. It guesses it needs to see "The Artist," huh?

No. 22 Michigan at Purdue, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN: Purdue needs this one. Boy, does Purdue need this one.

January hasn't been kind to the Boilermakers, figuratively and literally. Before Saturday's blowout loss at Michigan State -- a game preceded by Purdue's hours-long flight delays amid a classic Midwestern winter storm (why do we live here, again?) -- the Boilermakers had gone 2-2 in Big Ten play. Those losses came in questionable fashion, the first a 20-point blowout at Penn State (yikes) and the second a missed opportunity to take down Wisconsin at home. (Plus, some jerk at Michigan State even said something about Robbie Hummel's knees. Not cool, dude. Not cool.)

Now the Boilermakers are back in the comfy, presumably warm, sure-to-be-rowdy confines of Mackey Arena. Now they have an opportunity to get a win against a ranked conference opponent. Fortunately for them, that opponent hasn't had the best luck on the road this season, either.

Michigan has yet to win a road game in Big Ten play. It is also yet to win a road game this month. This past Saturday, the Wolverines fell behind to a crazy-hot Arkansas team early, and despite an impressive late run on the road, they eventually fell in Fayetteville. In some ways, this game is every bit as important for John Beilein's team as it is for Matt Painter's, as the Wolverines seek to get that first big road win, the kind you have to get if you plan to compete for top honors in the Big Ten (and this team does). At the very least, the Wolverines can't afford another Iowa-esque performance (a 75-59 loss). Something has to give.

At the risk of simplifying a rather complex game, then, this one is likely to come down to shooting. Both teams rely heavily on perimeter players to do the bulk of their scoring. Michigan has Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. and its coterie of lethal spot shooters. Purdue has Lewis Jackson and Ryne Smith and, of course, Hummel. Neither team spends much time working through its post players. Both teams prefer to play almost entirely at the basket.

This is good news for Purdue, actually; dealing with bigs is not its specialty, and the home atmosphere probably lends an inherent marksmanship advantage. But it also makes this game -- at home, in the midst of a crucial portion of the Big Ten season, against a stylistically similar team that doesn't have a go-to post player or disruptive interior defender -- something of a must-win. We'll see.

No. 7 Baylor at Oklahoma, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN3: Monday night, Syracuse was on the road against a quality conference foe after its first loss of the season. It got a win, and a rather big one, considering the circumstances. A day later, Baylor's story is similar: The Bears, losers of two straight, are seeking redemption Tuesday. Like Syracuse, they'll have to find it on the road.

Of course, the Sooners aren't the Bearcats; Cincinnati is a much better team, and hotter to boot. But Oklahoma could present challenges for this Baylor team. Wait ... huh? Oklahoma is mediocre, right? (Right.) Baylor is really good, right? (Also right.) So why should Baylor fans be slightly worried heading into Tuesday's game? The Bears are just way too talented, aren't they?

The answer is simple: rebounding. Particularly offensive rebounding, and particularly offensive rebounding against Baylor. It's one of the statistics Missouri's one-man frontcourt of Ricardo Ratliffe (with apologies to Steve Moore, but come on) dominated in Waco in its win Saturday. Upon further review, we should have seen that coming. Baylor is, for all its success this season, one of the nation's worst defensive rebounding teams; it allows opponents to clean up 34.2 percent of their misses, the No. 243 rank in all of Division I basketball. First of all, this is baffling: Why does a team with a starting frontcourt of Quincy Acy (6-foot-7), Perry Jones III (6-foot-11) and Quincy Miller (6-foot-9) get outworked so routinely on the defensive end? Based on sheer physics, that shouldn't happen. (Based on sheer numbers, it definitely shouldn't happen against Missouri, but Ratliffe was just more active, more determined and more opportunistic. "Outworked" is the appropriate way to describe it. Ratliffe is a beast, but still.)

More bad news for Baylor: Oklahoma is better than average at exactly one thing this season. Yeah, you guessed it: offensive rebounding. The Sooners chase down 39.4 percent of their misses this season, which is the 14th-highest mark in the country.

In other words, it's not too difficult to imagine Baylor getting dragged into a tough road fixture here. Then again, the Bears have been great on the road this season. So, you know, maybe not. But whatever happens, the long-term questions about this Baylor team are likely to linger. Why doesn't it rebound its glass? Why isn't Jones keen to attack the rim? Why do last season's turnover problems persist?

More than ever before this season, Missouri exposed these issues. Now it's up to the Bears to rectify them. And soon.

Everywhere else: New No. 1 Kentucky, which has already handled road tests better than last year's Final Four team, travels to Georgia in the late ESPN game Tuesday night. ... San Diego State encountered major travel issues on the way to remote Laramie, Wyo., for Tuesday's rather huge Mountain West matchup; Wyoming coach Larry Shyatt has improved his first Cowboys squad immensely this season, and it's a real threat to knock off the Aztecs -- travel problems or no. ... Marquette hosts South Florida. ... Tennessee is at Vanderbilt. ... And in a sneaky-good game in the Big 12, Iowa State travels to Texas, where trigger-happy Texas guard J'Covan Brown will need get his points much more efficiently if the Longhorns plan on taking down Royce White and the rest of Fred Hoiberg's upstart transfer crew.

Here are this week’s Big 12 power rankings:

1. Kansas: Bill Self said Saturday’s 69-66 victory at Texas was his team’s best win of the season. Not because the Jayhawks played particularly well against the struggling Longhorns, but because they found a way to grind out a victory in a tough road environment. Kansas is 36-7 in Big 12 road games in the past five-plus seasons.

2. Missouri: Ricardo Ratliffe scored 27 points in Saturday’s 89-88 win at Baylor, but many of those came on easy baskets against the Bears’ soft interior defense. The bigger story was the performance of point guard Phil Pressey, who had 18 points, seven assists and six steals in the Tigers’ most impressive victory of the season.

3. Baylor: Saturday’s 89-88 loss to Missouri was more lopsided than the final score indicates. The Bears were outscored 14-0 on second-chance points in the first half, when they were out-toughed and out-hustled in the paint by the undersized Tigers. The Bears trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half. Perry Jones III has a nagging ankle injury that has limited his performance the past two games.

4. Iowa State: Success in its next three games (at Texas and at home against Kansas and K-State) would go a long way toward improving the NCAA tournament hopes of a Cyclones team that is 14-5 overall and 4-2 in league play. Juco transfer Tyrus McGee had six 3-pointers in a 20-point effort in Saturday’s win at Texas Tech.

5. Kansas State: The Wildcats have won their last two games (against Texas and Oklahoma State), but their free-throw shooting has been abysmal. Frank Martin’s squad has made just 44 of its last 79 attempts from the foul stripe (55.7 percent). Center Jordan Henriquez has been suspended indefinitely.

6. Texas: The Longhorns are improving, but it hasn’t shown up in the win column. Texas’ last two losses (to K-State and Kansas) have come by a combined seven points. Freshman guard Sheldon McClellan is averaging 15 points in his last two games.

7. Texas A&M: Billy Kennedy’s team got a huge confidence boost when it defeated Oklahoma in overtime Saturday in College Station. It may be short-lived. Three of the Aggies’ next four games are against Kansas, Baylor and Kansas State. Khris Middleton, who is regarded as Texas A&M’s top player, missed most of Saturday’s game after bumping knees with a teammate and is questionable for Monday’s game at Kansas.

8. Oklahoma: The Sooners have a huge chance to regain some momentum when they host Baylor on Tuesday. Forward Romero Osby is averaging 17.3 points in his last three games, but he may have trouble against the Bears’ size and length. Upcoming road games at Kansas State (Saturday) and Kansas (Feb. 1) won’t be easy.

9. Oklahoma State: The undermanned Cowboys turned in an impressive performance before losing at Iowa State on a buzzer-beater last week. Saturday they fell at home to Kansas State for their third straight loss. Missouri visits Stillwater on Wednesday. The Cowboys are 9-10 overall.

10. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are 0-6 in Big 12 play, and their losses have come by an average of 17 points. Billy Gillispie’s squad averages just 63.1 points per game. The biggest question the rest of the way will be whether Texas Tech can get a conference win. Its best chance may be at home against Oklahoma State on Jan. 31.

It didn't look like a great slate of games coming in, but Saturday turned out to be full of upsets and last-second thrillers. Here are some things we learned from all the action ...

The Top Three

Florida State 90, No. 3 North Carolina 57
What we learned: Wow. A true beatdown. Perhaps we don’t have an elite team in college basketball this season. North Carolina has as much potential as any team in the country to warrant that title, but Saturday’s meltdown -- the most lopsided of the Roy Williams era -- contradicted much of what we thought we knew about the Tar Heels. The Seminoles are always feisty against Carolina and Duke and tend to be giant-killers, but this was just silly. The Noles were 12-for-27 from the 3-point line in this victory. Deividas Dulkys was 8-for-10 from beyond the arc and scored a career-high 32 points. He had scored a combined 32 points in his previous nine games. The Tar Heels lost their fire once the barrage began. The Seminoles saw a vulnerable team and pounced. For the third time this season, the Heels lost a game outside of Chapel Hill. But in this loss, they were bullied and lethargic. How will UNC recover, and what on earth is the ACC about right now?

No. 2 Kentucky 65, Tennessee 62
What we learned: Cuonzo Martin’s Volunteers haven’t looked like an 8-9 squad over the past week. In their past three games, they’ve defeated Florida, nearly knocked off Mississippi State on the road and battled Kentucky for all 40 minutes. Freshman Jarnell Stokes, the highly touted prep player who joined the team Monday, recorded nine points and grabbed four rebounds in his debut. Once Stokes gets into shape, he’s going to have a major effect on a Tennessee squad that led Kentucky by eight in the second half and stuck with the Wildcats until the end. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (17 points, 12 rebounds) and Anthony Davis (18 points, 4 blocks) are two of America’s best, but their squad is going to get caught in league play soon if it continues to show up only after halftime.

No. 1 Syracuse 78, Providence 55
What we learned: This game was over when Ed Cooley announced stud point guard Vincent Council would not play. The Friars’ leading scorer might not have affected the final outcome, but he could have helped his squad’s deplorable offense (3-for-14 from beyond the arc, 22 turnovers) against Cuse's press. Council was a beast in PC's 31-point destruction of Louisville earlier this week. But Syracuse proved, again, that it’s the undisputed No. 1 team in the country. SU has separated itself from one of the most competitive leagues in the country. The Orange’s 19-0 start matches the best in school history. With North Carolina losing to Florida State and Kentucky struggling against Tennessee, it’s about time that Syracuse gets more credit for its strong start. Best team. In the country. No debate.

The Midwest Upsets

Northwestern 81, No. 7 Michigan State 74
What we learned: Oh, Big Ten. How you always find a way to amaze us. Within the past week, the league’s top three teams all have fallen in upsets. At home in Evanston, the Wildcats (losers of four of their previous five entering the game) snapped Michigan State’s 15-game winning streak as John Shurna led four double-figure scorers with 22 points. This game meant a few things: (1) There’s far less separation between the top and bottom of the Big Ten than there appeared to be two weeks ago. (2) Much like Michigan and Wisconsin, the Spartans are looking for a consistent No. 3. Draymond Green and Keith Appling were the team’s only two scorers in double figures. (3) Northwestern needs to prove it can put together a string of games that resemble Saturday’s outing. The Wildcats have pieces, but they tend to showcase their potential in spurts. Wonder whether this season will be different.

Iowa 75, No. 13 Michigan 59
What we learned: I can’t figure out Iowa or the Big Ten right now. The Hawkeyes knocked off their second nationally ranked opponent in two weeks. And in a Big Ten that’s as hard to peg as any league in the country right now, the Hawkeyes look like a factor. I didn’t say contender. But the Hawkeyes prove the Big Ten doesn’t offer any easy victories. No pushovers in this conference (see Minnesota-Indiana, Northwestern-Michigan for further proof). For Michigan, this game just confirmed how much the Wolverines rely on Tim Hardaway Jr. He is 17-for-55 in the team’s four losses. The only way the Wolverines -- now 1-3 on the road -- will make a push toward the top of the Big Ten standings is if Hardaway is more consistent.

Oklahoma 82, No. 18 Kansas State 73
What we learned: Frank Martin was enraged after his team lost to an undefeated Baylor squad Tuesday at home. He preached defense in his postgame interviews. That was a major challenge for the Wildcats on Saturday, too. The Big 12’s eighth-ranked scoring defense allowed a Sooners team that lost its first three Big 12 games to shoot 55 percent from the field. K-State's performances against Mizzou and Baylor suggested the Wildcats deserve a spot among the Big 12’s elite. That’s not necessarily the case anymore, with the Wildcats having dropped three of their past four games. Their conference slate gets easier from here over the next few weeks, but the Cats will find themselves in vulnerable spots, especially on the road, if their defensive woes continue. That's now 3-8 in its past 11 Big 12 road games for KSU. After a strong debut, Lon Kruger’s squad fell hard (the Sooners had lost four of five entering Saturday’s game). But the Kansas State victory should be a major confidence booster for OU. The Sooners snapped a 14-game losing skid against ranked opponents.

The Mountain West Thriller

No. 22 San Diego State 69, No. 12 UNLV 67
What we learned: The Mountain West is going to make noise in March. The league’s top two squads, both nationally ranked, battled for 40 minutes in San Diego. This wasn’t a basketball game. It was a title fight. I wasn’t there, but it felt like a tournament game from my couch. This game had some of the best back-and-forth action I’ve seen all season. Neither team could pull away. Jamaal Franklin (team-high 24 points) tumbled over a photographer in the final seconds and hurt his ankle. But he returned to the floor moments later and scored the game-winning bucket. Steve Fisher continues to exceed expectations after losing Kawhi Leonard to the NBA draft and three other starters. The Rebels won’t beat the top squads in their league or the NCAA tournament if their two leading scorers, Chace Stanback (7 points, 3-of-9 shooting) and Mike Moser (9 points, 3-of-11), struggle in big games. But San Diego State is headed to Las Vegas on Feb. 11 for the rematch. Can’t wait to see that. This matchup wasn’t just a boost for the two teams on floor; it was a boost for the entire league. The Mountain West is tough. And don't forget about New Mexico, which won its 13th straight with a victory at Wyoming. The Aztecs and Lobos go at it Wednesday night.

Taking Care Of Business

No. 9 Missouri 84, Texas 73
What we learned: The Tigers aren’t conventional. They’re undersized in a league with a multitude of skilled bigs and they’re not very deep. But Frank Haith used seven players in his second consecutive victory since last week’s lopsided loss at Kansas State. Ricardo Ratliffe led the Tigers with 21 points (10-of-12). Marcus Denmon, who had six in a win at Iowa State on Wednesday, scored 18 against the Longhorns. Phil Pressey (18 points, 10 assists, 0 turnovers) continued his impressive play. Few teams possess the perimeter depth and skill to challenge Missouri’s talented backcourt for 40 minutes. J’Covan Brown scored 34 points for the Horns, matching the combined scoring tally for the team’s other four starters. But they couldn’t defend a Mizzou team that held a 43-30 edge at halftime and finished with four scorers in double figures. A week ago, folks questioned the Tigers' legitimacy. But they clearly have regained their mojo since the KSU loss and should pose a threat to any top-tier Big 12 team.

No. 20 Mississippi State 56, Alabama 52
What we learned: Alabama entered this game on a five-game winning streak. But Bama won’t beat most teams in the SEC by scoring 52 points. JaMychal Green (14 points) was the Crimson Tide's only double-digit scorer. The Bulldogs weren’t much better. However, Arnett Moultrie’s 25-point, 13-rebound output was the difference. The two teams combined to shoot 4-for-26 from the 3-point line, but Dee Bost was 3-for-3 from long range in the closing minutes and that was that. Man, the SEC is confusing. Kentucky is obviously the league’s best, but who are Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5? This was an opportunity for these squads to make a definitive statement about their places in the league. Didn’t really happen. I expected more from this one, but hey, Mississippi State will take the win.

Some more observations from Saturday

• Baylor looked like a national champ in its 106-65 victory over Oklahoma State. No, the Cowboys aren’t an elite team. But the Bears shot 52 percent on 3-pointers (15-of-29) and had almost twice as many rebounds as OSU (48-25). Nine players scored for the Bears. Their depth is underrated, and it’s going to be a huge asset in March.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Al BehrmanMaalik Wayns, left, dropped 39 for Villanova in a loss at Cincinnati.
• Iowa State blew a 12-point second-half lead and lost its second consecutive matchup against a ranked opponent in its 82-73 defeat at Kansas. But with Royce White (18 points, 17 rebounds), the Cyclones can win nine or more in the Big 12. By the way, a career-high 28 points out of Tyshawn Taylor should quiet a few of his critics.
• Connecticut is such a different team when Alex Oriakhi and Andre Drummond are fully engaged. Drummond (10 points, 13 rebounds) and Oriakhi (12 points, 7 rebounds) were impressive in the Huskies’ 67-53 win at Notre Dame, ending the Irish's 29-game home win streak. The Huskies didn’t have Ryan Boatright, but they played like a complete team with their bigs being so active.
• Pittsburgh played better Saturday but still lost at Marquette 62-57. The Panthers, the models of consistency over the past decade, have lost six straight and are 0-5 in the Big East. Holy cow. Let that one sink in.
• His team lost once again in a close game at Cincinnati, but it's worth mentioning the effort by Villanova's Maalik Wayns, who had a line of 39 points (6-of-13 from 3), 13 rebounds and six assists, and put his struggling Wildcats in a position to win on the road.
• Xavier has won three in a row, after topping St. Bonaventure 77-64. Mark Lyons and Tu Holloway combined to score 33 points in the victory. The Musketeers didn’t secure any signature wins during this mini-revival, but that doesn’t matter. X needed to get back to winning as it prepares for the Atlantic 10's toughest squads. Until someone in the conference knocks off the Musketeers at the Cintas Center (where they've beaten 42 consecutive A-10 opponents), this team is still the league favorite in my opinion.
• Conference USA should be fun this season. Like Xavier, Memphis -- a decisive winner at Houston on Saturday night -- should still be considered the favorite until someone proves they can beat the Tigers on the road. But Marshall and UCF played a classic in a 65-64 Thundering Herd victory, and both could give Memphis trouble. Southern Miss is right in the mix as well.
• Meanwhile, in the Mid-American Conference, Akron now has to be considered the favorite after a 68-63 victory over Ohio, which looked so solid in nonconfernece play but has faltered of late. The Zips have wins at Mississippi State and Marshall. If they make the NCAA tournament, look out.
• Have to be impressed with the way Oregon swept the Arizona schools. Winning in Tempe is nothing to be overjoyed about, but winning in Tucson -- no matter how mediocre the Wildcats have been for most of the season -- is still special for any Pac-12 school. The Ducks are as good a bet as any to win this crazy league.
• You know who won't win the Pac-12? The Ducks' rival, Oregon State. The Beavers have played great at times this season, but the bottom line is 1-5 in a down conference after a horrendous double-digit loss at Arizona State on Saturday.
• You know who just might win the Pac-12? Stanford. The Cardinal now are 5-1 in the conference after a 20-point beatdown of Colorado, which began 3-0 (all at home) but got a rude awakening in the Bay Area by Cal and Stanford.
• Gonzaga was shaky early Saturday night, but the Zags have to be happy with their 62-58 win at Loyola Marymount, a team that has knocked off UCLA and Saint Louis this season. Mark Few's team was absolutely humiliated at Saint Mary's on Thursday. A bounce-back victory was a must, and the Zags got it done.