Previewing the week that was and the week to come in college basketball:
 
Best game: Creighton 81, Long Beach State 79. These are two teams – and two players – that no power conference team is going to want to face in the NCAA tournament. The Bluejays won on a buzzer-beating jumper by Antoine Young, but it was Doug McDermott, their brilliant 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, who really shined. McDermott had 36 points and 11 rebounds to re-establish his credenitals as a potential first team All-American. Meanwhile, Long Beach State’s senior point guard Casper Ware was his usual self, scoring 21 points in the loss.
 
Biggest win: Kansas State 57, Baylor 56. When you’re sitting squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble and you have a chance to get a road win against a Top 10 team, you better take advantage. That’s exactly what the Wildcats did, getting 15 points and six assists from inconsistent freshman point guard Angel Rodriguez. That was Kansas State’s fourth win over a team ranked in the top 50 of the RPI, but it was the Wildcats’ first on the road against a team in the top 100. They have a tough finishing stretch, but as long as they don’t fall apart the next two weeks they should be in the tournament.
 
Player of the week: Drew Gordon, 6-9 senior forward, New Mexico. In the biggest week of the season for the Lobos’, their big man loomed especially large. Gordon, who transferred from UCLA two years ago, followed up his 17-point, 17-rebound effort in a road win at San Diego State by going for 27 points and grabbing 20 rebounds in a 20-point rout of UNLV at the Pit. Most of the Mountain West season has shaped up as a battle between those two teams, but New Mexico is the one with a two-game advantage heading into the final two weeks.
 
Rising: Marquette. Buzz Williams might be the best-kept secret in all of college basketball. His Golden Eagles, who already lost their best center to a torn ACL in early December, have been playing the last two weeks without their remaining top forward, Davante Gardner, who is nursing a sprained knee. Yet, they outclassed UConn in Hartford to notch their tenth win in their last 11 games. Marquette has two of the smartest and toughest guards in the country in Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder. They are going to be one tough out in the NCAA tournament.
 
Falling: Illinois. It is painful to watch Bruce Weber unravel in what is clearly going to be his final season in Champaign. The Illini were obliterated by 23 points at Nebraska to suffer their fifth straight loss and their eighth in the last nine games. With Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin still to come, it will take a miracle for them to avoid missing out on the NCAA tournament for the third time in the last five years.

 
Games to watch this week:

North Carolina at North Carolina State, 8 p.m. Tuesday. The Wolfpack had a demoralizing week. They blew a 20-point lead at Duke and then lost at home to Florida State. They are running out of chances to clinch an NCAA tournament, but beating the Heels would do the trick.
 
Murray State at Tennessee State, 8 p.m. Thursday. This is the Racers’ chance to avenge their only loss of the season, but it won’t be easy. The Tigers have won nine games in a row and they have a talented, versatile power forward in Robert Covington, who had 17 points and eight rebounds in that game.
 
BYU at Gonzaga, 11 p.m. Thursday. Just as Gonzaga was in position to keep its streak of West Coast Conference championships alive, the Bulldogs lost by one point at San Francisco. The Zags looked very impressive two weeks ago when they routed Saint Mary’s by 14 points, but they were just as unimpressive back on Feb. 2 when they lost by 10 points at BYU. Gonzaga should have an easier time in Spokane, but this team needs more consistent play from its freshman backcourt tandem of Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell.
 
Missouri at Kansas, 4 p.m. Saturday. This rivalry sure is going out with a bang. These teams have been ranked in the top five for several weeks now, and they played a humdinger in Columbia back on Feb. 4. Missouri scored the game’s final 11 points to win by three, but the Jayhawks did not get a single point from their 7-foot junior center, Jeff Withey. Withey has been on an absolute tear ever since, and with the game being moved back to Allen Fieldhouse, you’ve got to believe the Jayhawks will prevail.
 
Wisconsin at Ohio State, 4 p.m. Sunday. The bloom is off the Buckeyes’ rose now that they have lost two of their last three games. If they’re going to have a chance at getting a No. 1 seed, this game is a must. Wisconsin has had an even harder time than usual scoring points this year (Jordan Taylor has had a disappointing senior season), but the Buckeyes are also not getting enough perimeter shooting to take the heat off of Jared Sullinger inside. The guy who really needs to get hot is William Buford, the lone senior who shot a combined 4 for 24 in recent losses to Michigan State and Michigan.

Reviewing the week that was and previewing the week to come in college basketball:

Best game: Duke 85, North Carolina 84. Was there even a question? The Tar Heels led by 10 points with two-and-a-half minutes remaining before squandering things away. Austin Rivers’ dramatic three-point game-winner masked the glaring deficiencies that Duke evinced for the first 37-and-a-half minutes. If the Blue Devils don’t shore up their defense, they’re going to have a hard time advancing deep into the NCAA tournament.

Biggest win: Michigan State over Ohio State. The Spartans were not ranked in the preseason in either national poll, but they moved into a tie with Ohio State for first place in the Big Ten with that impressive 58-48 win that ended the Buckeyes’ 39-game home win streak. The Spartans flustered and frustrated Jared Sullinger into an unconventional triple double: 17 points, 16 rebounds, 10 turnovers.

Player of the week: Jeff Withey, 7-foot junior center, Kansas. Withey bounced back in dramatic fashion from his zero-point performance in the Jayhawks’ loss at Missouri last weekend. He scored a career-high 25 points in Wednesday night’s win at Baylor, and then he followed it up with 18 points, 20 rebounds and seven blocks in a 15-point win over Oklahoma. When Withey is that aggressive and engaged, the Jayhawks are nearly impossible to beat.

Rising: VCU. Is VCU this year’s VCU? Shaka Smart’s Rams won at Old Dominion on Saturday for their 11th straight victory. That allowed them to stay in a three-way tie for first in the CAA with Drexel and George Mason. VCU plays at George Mason on Tuesday night. That’s called appointment viewing.

Falling: Creighton. The Bluejays were embarrassed on their home court by 21 points in a loss to Wichita State. That was their third consecutive loss, which dropped them out of the rankings and left them two games behind the Shockers in the Missouri Valley Conference standings. Creighton knows how to put points on the board, but if it’s going to turn things around it needs to apply that same dedication to defense.

 
Games to watch this week:

Ohio State at Minnesota, 9 p.m., Tuesday night. Tubby Smith’s Golden Gophers are probably on the outside of the NCAA tournament bubble right now. A win over the Buckeyes would give them a huge jolt, but Ohio State is not going to be in a good mood coming off that loss to the Spartans.

North Carolina at Miami, 9 p.m., Wednesday. The Hurricanes, who knocked off Duke in overtime at Cameron last week, need another marquee win to bolster their at-large hopes. They have won five of their last seven games, and in senior center Reggie Johnson the Canes have one of the few big men in the ACC who can test the Tar Heels’ vaunted front line.

West Virginia at Pittsburgh, 9 p.m., Thursday. The Mountaineers have been on a perilous slide of late, dropping five of their last six games. They have to travel to Notre Dame to play their next game, so this is as close to a must-win as a team can have at this point in the season. That won’t come easy against a Panthers team that badly needs a win of its own after having lost its last two games to drop to 4-9 in the Big East.

UNLV at New Mexico, Saturday, 1 p.m. These are two of the three teams who are tied for first place atop the Mountain West Conference, but the home team has a lot less margin for error when it comes to making the NCAA tournament. Steve Alford’s Lobos are ranked 33rd in the RPI, but they only have two wins over teams ranked in the top 50. The Lobos also play at San Diego State on Wednesday, so if they go 0-2 this week that could put them on the outside looking in – for now, anyway.

Saint Mary’s at Murray State, Saturday, 6 p.m. This the marquee matchup in ESPN’s annual Bracket Buster series, which pits prominent midmajor schools against each other just three weeks before selection weekend. This game is going to feature two of the country’s most exciting scoring guards in Matthew Dellavadova of Saint Mary’s and Murray State’s junior point guard Isaiah Canaan.

On behalf of the college basketball world, I’d like to welcome all you NFL fans to our annual madness party. And you NBA folks whose bash doesn’t start for another two months, welcome to you as well. Please, everyone, pull up a chair. Grab some chips. Get a cold one out of the fridge.

And allow me to set the table.

The NCAA tournament is a great show, but the next four weeks will be filled with plenty of drama. That’s because lots of teams will be trying to play their way into the tournament or to the top of the seed line. So to get you familiar with what you might have missed, here’s a conference-by-conference breakdown of how things look – for now, anyway.

ACC

The best: North Carolina. The Tar Heels got blitzed by 33 points at Florida State, but they are still the most talented team in the conference, maybe the entire country. No team has ever lost a game during the season by that margin and gone on to win a title, so the Heels still have some work to do.

The bubble: Miami. The Hurricanes added two important pieces to their lineup in December. One of those pieces, senior center Reggie Johnson, scored 27 points in the Hurricanes’ win at Duke last Sunday. They’re not in yet, but the trajectory is good.

The sleeper: N.C. State. Mark Gottfried’s team is ranked 55th in the RPI, so it’s well-positioned to get a bid if it can pull off a surprising win or two.

BIG 12

The best: Missouri. I actually think Kansas may be the better team, but the Tigers earned the right to be called the class of this league. Besides their comeback win over the Jayhawks in Columbia, they also handled a very good Baylor team in Waco two weeks ago.

The bubble: Iowa State. The Cyclones are right in the thick of things thanks to their home upset of the Jayhawks.

The sleeper: Oklahoma. Lon Kruger has done a terrific job in year one. The Sooners lost eight of their first 11 games in the conference but they do have a sweep over Kansas State on their resume. They may not make the tournament, but they could spoil someone else’s chances.

BIG EAST

The best: Syracuse. This one’s a no-brainer. The Orange weathered the Bernie Fine scandal last fall and dodged a bullet when sophomore center Fab Melo was reinstated after sitting out for three games. This is a down year in the Big East, but it is a very up year for the Orange.

The bubble: UConn. Is it possible the national champs won’t even be back in the tournament? It’s not only possible, it’s looking ever more likely. With Jim Calhoun taking a leave of absence because of back problems, the Huskies were embarrassed at Louisville on Monday, losing for the fifth time in their last six outings. If they can’t get over .500 heading into the Big East tournament, they could be on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday.

The sleeper: Pittsburgh. It’s hard to believe the Panthers have a shot at the tournament after they lost their first seven conference games, but after getting junior point guard Tray Woodall back into the lineup, they have played themselves into the picture. The selection committee takes into account injuries and personnel issues, so Woodall’s return will doubly work in this team’s favor.

BIG TEN

The best: Ohio State. The Buckeyes have a player of the year candidate in Jared Sullinger, and arguably the best all-around point guard in America in Aaron Craft. Their ceiling might not be as high as Kentucky’s, but they are less likely to lose a game they shouldn’t in the NCAA tournament.

The bubble: Purdue. The Boilermakers are only ranked 64th in the RPI, and they’ve been hovering right on the .500 mark in conference play all season. Fortunately, two teams they beat in nonconference play, Temple and Miami, are playing pretty good basketball right now.

The sleeper: Northwestern. We’re all gonna feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick Lucy’s football again, but the Wildcats earned a spot on the bubble with their big win at Illinois. They are ranked 37th in the RPI and play in the nation’s best conference, so they have a very real chance to play in the school’s first-ever NCAA tournament.

PAC 12

The best: Washington. The Pac 12 is only considered a “power conference” because it is a member of football’s BCS. But it’s possible this league could only send one team to the NCAA tournament. The Huskies may be the best of a pretty poor crop, but their nonconference slate was so bad that even if they win the Pac 12’s regular season crown, they still might need to win the league tournament to be assured of a place in the tournament.

The bubble: California. The Bears actually have a better case for an at-large than Washington, partly because they beat the Huskies in Seattle last month. Cal is ranked 48th in the RPI, so if it can win the Pac 12 regular season title then I think it will get an at-large bid even if it loses in the league tournament.

The sleeper: Arizona. The Wildcats’ RPI ranking is second only to Cal’s among Pac 12 schools. Their win at Cal is a nice feather in their cap, but they will probably have to run the table the rest of the regular season to be in the at-large conversation.

SEC

The best: Kentucky. This is obviously an easy call. If you haven’t gotten a chance to see much of UK freshman Anthony Davis, be sure to check him out asap. He has already set a single-season school record for blocks, and he is on a very short list for national player of the year.

The bubble: Alabama. The Crimson Tide have had their stumbles, but they are sitting pretty at No. 31 in the RPI. If they can finish .500 in league play I think they’ll have a great chance for an at-large.

The sleeper: Ole Miss. The good news for Andy Kennedy’s crew is they are ranked 51st in the RPI, have a nonconference win over Miami, and in league play they have beaten Arkansas and Mississippi State at home. The bad news is they still have to play at Mississippi State, Kentucky and Tennessee, and they will face Vanderbilt at home. If the Rebels play their way into the NCAA tournament, they will certainly have earned it.