1. Dana O’Neil writes for ESPN.com that Steve Lavin and company are slowly but surely taking back New York at St. John’s, punctuated by Sunday’s dismantling of Duke.
2. Outside the power conferences, Xavier is on the rise, writes Yahoo Sports.com’s Jason King. Best quote I’ve read lately, from Musketeers coach Chris Mack, citing his mentor, the late Skip Prosser: “You don’t sharpen your teeth by eating oatmeal.”
3. New Mexico’s upset of BYU Saturday had the Pit shaking and rocking – and snapping in parts. The Associated Press reports that arena officials discovered that seven rows of benching that contained enthusiastic, frequently jumping Lobo fans had collapsed.
4. Jeff Goodman has a sense of déjà vu when watching the Ohio State Buckeyes, who remind him of a certain Florida team from the 2006-07 season.
5. If you missed Manhattan’s last-second win at Marist Sunday, here’s the highlight of Michael Alvarado’s buzzer beater from beyond half court, courtesy of ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nation” blog.

1/29
• Louisville 79, Connecticut 78 2OT
• Georgetown 69, Villanova 66
• Marquette 76, Syracuse 70
• New Mexico 86, BYU 77
• Penn State 56, Wisconsin 52
• Arkansas 89, Vanderbilt 78
• Texas 71, Missouri 58
• Nebraska 57, Texas A&M 48
• Purdue 73, Minnesota 61
• Kansas 90, Kansas State 66
• Kentucky 66, Georgia 60
• Portland 85, Saint Mary’s 70
• Mississippi State 71, Florida 64
• Xavier 85, Richmond 62
• Clemson 62, Florida State 44
• Valparaiso 85, Butler 79 OT
• Jackson State 83, Mississippi Valley State 73
• Montana 79, Montana State 58

1/30

• St. John’s 93, Duke 78
• Northern Iowa 60, Missouri State 59

Michael Protos takes a crack at figuring out why Syracuse is struggling so much in recent weeks and finds evidence that the Big East’s best forward, Rick Jackson, needs more work. Meanwhile. in the Pac-10, Isaiah Thomas is putting in plenty of work for Washington, which looks loaded with some of the conference’s best players.

Game day tweets and retweets from Phil Kasiecki’s season-long tour:

Ah yes. I’ve just been reminded that Harvard’s so-called “fans” don’t actually cheer their team on as they’re just ridiculing Cornell.

After Errick Peck opened with a three-pointer, Harvard has run off 12 straight by the first media timeout, 15:33 left in the half.

Chris Wroblewski hasn’t gotten a decent look all night, and I’m surprised he’s even taken four shots.

It’s not surprising that Cornell has stayed in this one, they’ve done that all season. Breaking through for wins has been the tough part.

The big news for Harvard isn’t going to 4-0 in Ivy League play. It’s that Kyle Casey is very much himself again.

Closing in on the tip of Rhode Island at UMass, a battle of 4-2 Atlantic 10 teams. Winner will be in a 3-way tie behind Xavier & Duquesne.

UMass is now up 15-2 as URI continues to struggle out of the gates at the offensive end. Timeout URI.

At times, Delroy James tries to do too much for URI, and it’s at those times that he’s not at his best. This game is one of those times.

URI could get the lead on perhaps the last possession of the half, as it’s tied at 22 with 39.1 left, timeout URI.

Couple of interesting stats: UMass is 10-0 when leading at the half, and 7-1 when Javorn Farrell scores in double figures (0 FGA in half)

UMass has had an edge in loose balls and 50-50 balls the latter part of the second half, and it’s been a big difference.

1/31
• Louisville at Georgetown
• Texas at Texas A&M

2/1

• Purdue at Wisconsin
• Penn State at Illinois
• Vanderbilt at Florida
• Wichita State at Indiana State
• North Carolina at Boston College

2/2

• Duke at Maryland
• Syracuse at Connecticut
• Marquette at Villanova
• Missouri at Oklahoma State
• Hofstra at George Mason

2/3

• IPFW at IUPUI
• Wofford at Charleston
• Valparaiso at Cleveland State
• Liberty at Coastal Carolina

Ignore the national rankings for a moment. The Red Storm, at 12-8 and 4-5 in the Big East, is a team stuck in the middle of the Big East pack. In comparison, Duke is 19-2 and 6-1 in the ACC. When St. John’s dismantled the Blue Devils, the Red Storm served notice that the middle teams of the Big East just might be good enough and seasoned enough to take out the top teams from any conference in the country. The depth of quality in the Big East and variety of styles that teams must prepare for force Big East teams to be ready for the rigors of the NCAA Tournament. The ACC definitely does not offer that for Duke?

OK, back to the Mountain West. On Friday, we praised the conference’s top two teams and hailed them as legitimate Final Four contenders. Thanks, BYU, for going out and losing to New Mexico in your next game. Way to back up our argument.

The Cougars got another 32 points from the ever-dominant Jimmer Fredette. But the team just didn’t play enough defense to follow up on their huge win against San Diego State. In a raucous Pit, the Lobos got good looks, shooting better than 50 percent from the field, and avoided turnovers. BYU didn’t dominate any phase of the game and didn’t shoot well enough to get out of a hole created by its lackluster defense.

That’s a flaw that coach Dave Rose will need to fix during the next month or else the Cougars will enter the NCAA Tournament as a team that could beat anyone or lose to anyone. According to Ken Pomeroy’s rankings, BYU’s defense ranks No. 36 while its offense ranks No. 5. With Fredette leading the charge, the Cougars’ offense figures to remain potent. But the team needs to spend a little more effort on defense in practice and during games.

On the other hand, San Diego State bounced back from the loss against BYU by destroying Wyoming 96-57. The Aztecs took out their frustration on the overmatched Cowboys. And that’s what you would expect from a veteran, balanced squad. San Diego State’s offense ranks No. 19 while its defense is No. 17. The Aztecs might not be exceptional in any one area, but they have the type of resiliency that will keep them in games against anyone, especially on a neutral court.
BYU won Battle No. 1 with the Aztecs, but San Diego State might be better suited to win the war in the NCAA Tournament.

1. The biggest game of the week likely has been BYU’s victory against San Diego State, re-emphasizing that the Cougars are kings of the Mountain West until the Aztecs find a way past Jimmer Fredette and company. And according to Fredette’s brother and his rap song, the Aztecs have their hands full with the Amazing One, who put up 43 points Wednesday night
2. Fox Sports Detroit.com’s Dave Dye observes the state of Sparta after Michigan State dismissed Korie Lucious for conduct detrimental to the team, the latest setback in a season full of adversity. As Dye points out, the troubles actually started before the season even started.
3. Think it’s frustrating to sit in traffic for three hours and move only two miles (see our retweets below)? In addition to Towson not making it from Prince George’s County, Md., to Fairfax Va., for a game against George Mason Wednesday, the Tigers received a public chastising from the CAA office for failing to plan ahead, according to the Associated Press.
4. At least the Tigers were simply stuck going nowhere on the ground. North Carolina and Massachusetts players can commiserate after the Tar Heels had a harrowing flight into Miami Tuesday and the Minutemen had to land in Albany, N.Y., on the same day after smoke filled the cockpit.
5. Missouri won’t have the services of highly regarded recruit Tony Mitchell, a power forward from Dallas whom the NCAA ruled academically ineligible, according to Matt Jones for CBSSports.com. Mitchell apparently didn’t log enough core classes to qualify for Division I basketball this season.
6. What was Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels doing Tuesday night around 9 p.m. Eastern time? Not watching the State of the Union address, SI.com reports. Can’t blame him with Purdue in a huge — and ultimately unfulfilling — match up with undefeated Ohio State.
7. Former UCLA Bruin Ed O’Bannon is trying to stick it to the NCAA for reaping the rewards of players’ likenesses in commercial products without repaying the players. And now, Yahoo Sports.com’s Dan Wetzel reports, O’Bannon has enlisted the support of the Big O: legendary Cincinnati Bearcat Oscar Robertson.

1/24 
• Notre Dame 56, Pittsburgh 51
• Mississippi Valley State 89, Texas Southern 76
• Furman 73, Wofford 68 OT

1/25

• Seton Hall 90, Syracuse 68
• Ohio State 87, Purdue 64
• Connecticut 76, Marquette 68
• Kansas 82, Colorado 78
• Richmond 70, Dayton 61
• Florida 104, Georgia 91 2OT

1/26

• BYU 71, San Diego State 58
• Providence 83, Villanova 68
• Texas 61, Oklahoma State 46
• Georgetown 77, St. John’s 52
• Louisville 55, West Virginia 54
• Memphis 77, Central Florida 61

1/27

• Michigan 61, Michigan State 57
• Duke 84, Boston College 68
• VCU 82, Hofstra 67

Game day tweets and retweets from Phil Kasiecki’s season-long tour:

Colgate has really shot the mid-range jumper well in the half. Question is, can they keep that up in the second?

Stats: Colgate 57.1% from the field, Holy Cross 48.1%. Each team 3 turnovers. Yaw Gwayu and Joe Hoban have 11 each for Colgate.

Watching them tonight, it’s hard to believe Colgate shoots 38 percent for the season coming into tonight and has topped 45 percent just once

TowsonTigerAD Mike Waddell
Towson @ George Mason men’s basketball for tonight has been postponed due to snow in Fairfax/DC area – Game will now be played Thursday 4 pm

TowsonTigerAD Mike Waddell
I was just on the phone with Coach Kennedy and their bus has only moved about 2 miles in the last 3 hours – Total Gridlock

Closing in on tip-off at The Dunk with Villanova-Providence. Considering it’s a snowy night and will get worse, a surprisingly good crowd.

Villanova isn’t trying to involve the big men enough, and PC is just keying on the guards by shutting off penetration.

Providence is going to win this one going away, as they just went up 74-56, giving fans a reward for coming out in the snow storm.

That’s exactly what I was thinking. @RIHawks #PC students about to rush the floor…Smh. Act like you’ve been there before. #2-6

1/29: 
• Louisville at Connecticut
• Georgetown at Villanova
• Syracuse at Marquette
• Missouri at Texas
• Kansas State at Kansas
• Minnesota at Purdue
• Wisconsin at Penn State
• Georgia at Kentucky
• Xavier at Richmond
• Butler at Valparaiso
• Mississippi Valley State at Jackson State
• Montana at Montana State

1/30:

• Duke at St. John’s
• Washington at Washington State
• Northern Iowa at Missouri State

The conference features BYU, the No. 1 team in RPI as of Jan. 27, and the No. 1 scorer in the country in Jimmer Fredette. But unless you get Versus as part of your cable sports allotment, you probably don’t get to see much of the Cougars and their Mountain West running mates.

And that’s too bad. The lack of exposure for the Mountain West, which ranks better than the SEC in Ken Pomeroy’s conference efficiency ratings, engenders an unhealthy amount of disrespect, especially from major conference aficionados. However, true hoops fans know the competition level among the Mountain West’s top teams is perennially on par with the major conference’s elite teams.

This season, San Diego State made it all the way to Provo with a 20-0 record before the Cougars ended the Aztecs’ perfect season. Fredette dumped 43 points on San Diego State, which is only 16 points off his average of 27.4 points per game. However, Fredette isn’t a selfish player jacking up bad shot after bad shot. No, Fredette dishes out 4.2 assists per game and shoots nearly 50 percent from the field. After you factor Fredette’s contribution to the Cougars’ points total through assists, he’s accounting for more than 40 percent of the team’s 85 points per game.

That level of offensive efficiency is unquestionably elite. Just ask the Aztecs, who have an excellent defense, ranked No. 21 as of Jan. 27, according to Pomeroy’s efficiency ratings. The Aztecs play a methodical game; the Cougars sprint up and down the court. The contrast of the Mountain West’s top teams serves to highlight the different paths to success that the conference’s teams can take.

Yet come March, the hoops pundits will still label BYU and San Diego State as dark horses candidate for the Final Four. Both these teams will be in the running for a No. 3 seed or better, which should pretty much end any conversation about them being a dark horse for the Final Four. They would become one of 12 favorites.

And that’s exactly what people should think about the Mountain West’s top teams: legitimate championship contenders.

1. Kansas’ biggest loss came before the Texas game this weekend, as sophomore Thomas Robinson’s mother, 37, died of an apparent heart attack Friday night, the Associated Press reports.
2. West Virginia reserve forward Dan Jennings decided that the middle of the game would be a good time to walk away from the team, as the sophomore left the bench during the Mountaineers’ game against South Florida, according to the Associated Press. Coach Bob Huggins was none too pleased.
3. Indiana might need to finish the season without Verdell Jones III, averaging 12.9 points per game, after the sophomore went down with inflammation in his right knee, the Associated Press reports.
4. CBSSports.com’s Gary Parrish heaps some praise on Pittsburgh’s Gary McGhee and Vanderbilt’s Festus Ezeli, who managed to evolve into legitimately dominant centers after receiving little attention as high school recruits.
5. If you can’t get enough of the crazy suits that TNT sideline reporter Craig Seder wears during NBA games, you’ll get to see more of them during this year’s NCAA Tournament. SI.com’s Richard Deitsch outlines other coverage details for the CBS/TNT/TBS/TruTV coverage of the NCAA Tournament.
6. And who knows which teams will be working through that conglomerate’s March/April coverage, writes ESPN.com blogger Eamonn Brennan, who points out that we lack a clear-cut favorite to cut down the nets this season.
7. With plenty of snark, SI.com’s Michael Rosenberg highlights some of the potential recruiting violations that could arise now that ESPN and Texas have an agreement to launch a Longhorns-only network — which will reportedly show high school football games.

1/21
• East Tennessee State 68, Lipscomb 67

1/22

• Texas 74, Kansas 63
• Ohio State 73, Illinois 68
• Purdue 86, Michigan State 76
• Villanova 83, Syracuse 72
• Providence 72, Louisville 67
• Cincinnati 53, St. John’s 51
• Notre Dame 80, Marquette 75
• Connecticut 72, Tennessee 61
• Vanderbilt 89, Saint Mary’s 70
• Texas A&M 64, Kansas State 56
• Baylor 76, Oklahoma State 57
• BYU 94, Colorado State 85
• Florida State 67, Boston College 51
• Memphis 76, UAB 73 OT
• VCU 59, Old Dominion 50
• George Mason 75, James Madison 73
• Xavier 88, Temple 77
• Richmond 84, Massachusetts 68
• Kentucky 67, South Carolina 58
• Wichita State 93, Indiana State 83 OT
• San Francisco 96, Gonzaga 91 OT

1/23

• Belmont 72, East Tennessee State 62

Michael Protos updates player ratings for the SEC and hints that Mississippi State might soon be ready for another late-season surge. Protos also releases the Big 12′s latest player ratings, with some curious observations in Lawrence.

1/24
• Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
• Furman at Wofford
• Texas Southern at Mississippi Valley State

1/25

• Purdue at Ohio State
• Connecticut at Marquette
• Florida at Georgia
• Richmond at Dayton

1/26

• San Diego State at BYU
• Texas at Oklahoma State
• West Virginia at Louisville
• St. John’s at Georgetown

1/27:

• Michigan at Michigan State
• Saint Mary’s at Gonzaga
• Boston College at Duke
• UCLA at Arizona
• Hofstra at VCU

No one had won on Kansas’ home court since Texas A&M snuck past the 2007 Jayhawks. That means Saturday’s loss is the first one that a four-year senior has witnessed while at Kansas. The Jayhawks’ run is a credit to the students, alumni and fans who make the field house one of the most imposing venues in the country. It’s also a testament of the stability and quality that coach Bill Self has forged in Lawrence.

With Kansas officially off the list, Duke now claims the longest active home winning streak. The Blue Devils have rattled off 30 straight victories at Cameron Indoor Stadium since North Carolina won there in February 2009. Many media personalities already believe that Duke has the best home court advantage in hoops.

However, a couple other teams on the short list of active home winning streaks highlight the rabid support that teams outside the power conferences receive. Utah State and its 26 straight home wins rank right behind Kentucky’s 28 wins. And VCU isn’t far behind, at No. 4 with 20 straight home wins. The Aggies and Rams have a formidable advantage in Logan and Richmond, respectively, and their success rightfully scares away major conference opponents when it comes time to build a schedule for the upcoming season.

From the smallest gym to the biggest arena, hundreds or thousands of screaming fans can boost their team. When paired with well-coached, talented players, a home court advantage becomes a very real phenomenon — requiring the type of relentless resolve and persistent execution that Texas showed for a road team to win.

1. North Carolina State doesn’t have much time left to build an NCAA Tournament-worthy résumé, ESPN’s Andy Katz writes. But the Wolfpack haven’t lost hope.
2. Greg Anthony and Jason King discuss other teams, with even higher expectations than the Wolfpack had, that are struggling for one reason or another in a four-minute video on Yahoo.com.
3. From unexpected struggles to unexpected success, we have Hofstra — and CBSSports.com’s Matt Norlander reports how the unlikely rise of Mo Cassara to head coach has helped one Pride player, Charles Jenkins, emerge as a superstar.
4. How big a deal is Syracuse’s clash with Villanova Saturday? The Orange are looking to break last year’s record for an on-campus crowd by exceeding 34,616 fans in the Carrier Dome, the Associated Press reports.
5. Speaking of records, the V Foundation, named in honor of Jim Valvano, brought in a record $1.2 million in donations for cancer research during Jimmy V Week in December, according to the Associated Press.
6. A CBSSports.com wire report indicates that USC freshman Bryce Jones will leave the Trojans. He’s averaging 7.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game. Check out the comments on this story, which contain a lively debate about the strength of the Pac-10 vs. the Mountain West.
7. If you’re so worked up about your favorite players or team that you decide it’s a good idea to threaten NCAA president Mark Emmert, as ESPN.com blogger Eamonn Brennan indicates some fans have done, you really need to re-evaluate your priorities in life.

1/17
• Pittsburgh 74, Syracuse 66
• Connecticut 61, Villanova 59
• Missouri 75, Kansas State 59
• Chattanooga 91, Charleston 88

1/18

• Alabama 68, Kentucky 66
• Illinois 71, Michigan State 62
• Tennessee 59, Georgia 57
• Nebraska 79, Colorado 67
• Maine 72, Vermont 58

1/19

• Texas 81, Texas A&M 60
• Louisville 88, St. John’s 63
• Purdue 63, Penn State 62
• Notre Dame 66, Cincinnati 58
• Old Dominion 64, James Madison 58
• Memphis 76, Southern Miss 75
• Indiana State 70, Missouri State 69
• Northern Iowa 77, Wichita State 74
• Oklahoma State 96, Iowa State 87 OT
• Marshall 75, West Virginia 71

1/20

• Washington 85, Arizona 68
• Wofford 88, Chattanooga 56
• Virginia Tech 74, Maryland 57
• Santa Clara 85, Gonzaga 71

Michael Protos explains that although Denis Clemente’s absence can’t help Kansas State, the source of the Wildcats’ struggles lies primarily at the free throw line.

Phil Kasiecki wraps up his coverage from the 2011 Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., with highlights from Monday’s action and his list of the best players from the weekend — a list of some of the best future college players in the country.

Game day tweets from Phil Kasiecki’s season-long tour:

• Traffic on the Mass. Pike was so bad, Virginia got to Conte Forum less than an hour before tip.
• Tony Bennett has a legitimate beef about the prior trip, as Josh Southern hauled down Assane Sene. In football he’d get flagged for holding.
• Chris Martin can flat-out shoot, and early on it looks like that’s true for Bishop Gorman’s Roscoe Allen as he has two treys.
• St. Patrick’s leads 24-22 with 3:32 left in the half in a well-played game, for the most part. Officials are generally letting them play.
• Things just got contentious on the court after Chris Martin got fouled hard on a breakaway. Martin is still down.

1/21
• Green Bay at Butler
• Lipscomb at East Tennessee State

1/22

• Ohio State at Illinois
• Michigan State at Purdue
• Texas at Kansas
• Kansas State at Texas A&M
• Villanova at Syracuse
• Marquette at Notre Dame
• Tennessee at Connecticut
• Saint Mary’s at Vanderbilt
• Kentucky at South Carolina
• Boston College at Florida State
• Temple at Xavier
• BYU at Colorado State
• George Mason at James Madison
• VCU at Old Dominion
• Indiana State at Wichita State
• Richmond at Massachusetts
• Memphis at UAB
• Morgan State at Delaware State
• New Mexico State at Utah State

1/23

• Belmont at East Tennessee State

According to Ken Pomeroy’s team efficiency ratings, the top conference thus far is the Big Ten. The Big East and Big 12 are within sniffing distance, but the bottom feeders of those two hurt the overall power rating of their conferences. However, there’s little doubt that those three conferences appear to be the best from top to bottom in the country.

Among the power conferences, the second tier is led by the ACC, with the Pac-10 and SEC right behind. It’s worth noting that the Mountain West Conference has a nearly identical rating to the SEC, which means that the conferences could end up with a similar number of NCAA Tournament bids. That might not happen because the SEC has a little more balance at the top while the teams at the bottom — Mississippi State, LSU and Auburn — really drag down the conference. The Mountain West is more balanced, but only San Diego State and BYU look like locks for the NCAA Tournament.

After those top seven conferences, Conference USA, the Atlantic 10, the Missouri Valley Conference and the West Coast Conference appear in line to place their regular-season winners into the NCAA Tournament regardless of whether those teams win their conference’s tournament and automatic bid. The conferences with the haziest outlook for earning multiple bids are the Horizon League, Colonial Athletic Association and Western Athletic Conference. All three are strong, though their top teams have gaudy records but few quality wins. Butler might be the exception, cashing in on its run to the NCAA championship game with a brutal non-conference schedule that will boost the Bulldogs’ RPI.

For everyone else, it’s a familiar situation: Win your tournament or risk missing the Big Dance.