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Trailing by just one point (25-24) at the half but mostly stifled offensively (21.2% FG) the Washington Huskies needed someone to step up and change the flow of the game. Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning struggled to find clean looks, which is to be expected given how prominently they figure in the Husky attack. Enter freshman CJ Wilcox, overlooked by some who chose to focus on the loss of Terrence Jones and the anticipated impact of Terrence Ross.

Just two games remain for teams in the middle of the Big East pack to separate themselves and earn a first round bye, a fact that makes the game between Connecticut (21-7, 9-7) and West Virginia (18-10, 9-7) all the more important to both. Kemba Walker's been the player whose received the lion's share of the attention for the Huskies and rightfully so as he's one of the top candidates for Big East Player of the Year.

The college basketball fan's favorite month of the year is finally upon us, as 346 teams are narrowed down to 68 before the process of determining a national champion begins. The first week is primarily a time for leagues that traditionally get just one bid to the NCAA Tournament to sort themselves out, with some of the most indelible images of "Championship Week" coming during this time. Below are the schedules for the tournaments that begin this weekend (the Big Sky still has games to play and the Sun Belt has yet to release their bracket) with some notes and predictions.

Before Thursday night's game between Richmond and Temple the Atlantic 10 may have been in some trouble with regards to getting three teams into the NCAA Tournament. Both the Owls and Xavier are seen to essentially be locks to get into the NCAA Tournament, and after Thursday night they may be the only two teams that get in come Selection Sunday.

If you were upset that the game between Florida and Georgia wouldn't end in time for the tip between Purdue and Ohio State that's understandable. Because by the time ESPN switched its coverage from Athens to Columbus the Buckeyes had just about ended the game, going on a 17-1 run following a Purdue basket to make the score 6-4 with 17:27 remaining.

No mistaking what the biggest game of the night is, especially when considering the conference title implications involved. Top-ranked Ohio State (20-0, 7-0) host #12 Purdue (17-3, 6-1) in a matchup of the top two teams in the Big Ten and a win over the Boilermakers would put Thad Matta's team on the fast track towards another conference championship. But this game also provides one of the best individual matchups of the season to date, one that will have the attention of both NBA scouts and college fans.

In this era of the BCS and multi-million dollar television contracts it takes quite a bit to receive proper respect (and attention) if your conference flies under the radar. It's safe to say that Rick Byrd's Belmont Bruins, 8-0 in Atlantic Sun play and 16-3 overall, have served notice this season that they've got the ability to not only get to the NCAA Tournament but also take someone out once in the field.

Minnesota went into Thursday night's game against #8 Purdue in need of a victory and thanks to Blake Hoffarber and some solid late-game defense the mission was accomplished. Hoffarber's 26 points led the way offensively and the Golden Gophers managed to hold the Boilermakers without a field goal for the last nine minutes in a 70-67 victory in Minneapolis. JaJaun Johnson led all scorers with 29 points to go with 11 rebounds while Lewis Jackson added 15, but Purdue was unable to overcome the rough shooting night of E'Twaun Moore.

With the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game between Auburn and Oregon taking center stage (the pick here is Oregon) there isn't a whole lot to keep tabs on in college basketball. But there is an important resume-boosting opportunity for arguably America's favorite cardiac program as Marquette (11-5, 2-1) looks to rebound from their loss at Pitt on Saturday. And the return to Milwaukee won't come without a challenge as Mike Brey's Fighting Irish are the visitors, and they're looking to build on a productive 2-0 week (wins over Connecticut and St. John's).

There should be little doubt as to what the game of the day is on Thursday with a Big 5 battle on the docket. Temple (9-2, 0-0 Big 5) makes the short trip to Villanova (10-1, 3-0 Big 5) with hopes of picking up their second win over a ranked Big East team this season, and they've got the horses to do so.