UCONN

We've already had a matchup between Top 10 teams this season (Ohio State at Florida), but Tuesday brings about the first matchup between Top 5 teams as Duke and Kansas State meet in the finals of the CBE Classic. The Wildcats, playing in front of a partisan crowd in Kansas City, scored 49 points in the first half and knocked down 12 three pointers in beating Gonzaga 81-64 in the nightcap of Monday's doubleheader.

Thanksgiving week is here and with that more in-season tournaments either tip off or move to the semifinal stage. Monday features four games in Maui, with a lot of eyes focused on Wichita State/Connecticut in the first game of the day. Of course there's expected national title contender Michigan State along with two other good teams in Kentucky and Washington (given the meetings on the recruiting trail many hope that the Wildcats and Huskies advance to Tuesday's semifinals).

Overall Rank: #65

This time of the year brings out all kinds of strategies in regards to how one will fill out their bracket. Opinions, uniform colors and mascots are just three of the dozens of ideas that people throughout the nation (and in some cases outside of the US) have in regards to turning in that winning bracket. But what about the statistics of recent champions? Those numbers can go a long way in showing which teams have the best shot at cutting down the nets on April 5^th.

Connecticut Huskies

Big East Conference (17-14, 7-11)

 

It's been a couple of years since the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament had this much attention. Charlotte, Dayton and Rhode Island all hosted games and needed to move on to Atlantic City in order to maintain their hopes of getting into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large. But while the Rams took care of business by beating Saint Joseph's 87-76 and Dayton beating George Washington 70-60, the 49ers weren't as fortunate, falling to an opponent you have to beat if you're to make a solid case to the selection committee. 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – For the third straight year, Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, the league announced. The conference’s head coaches choose the all-conference teams. The coaches are not permitted to vote for their own players.

Yes (50th in RPI, 3 Top 25 Wins, 10 Top 100 Wins)

No (8-10 in Big East, only 3 road wins, 13 losses)

While the best game of the night is the Top 5 battle between rivals Kansas State and Kansas, in regards to a conference title Duke visits Maryland with the winner either winning the ACC outright (Duke) or taking a step towards earing the top seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament (Maryland). Duke dominated the first meeting with Brian Zoubek playing an excellent game against a team that lacks the size required to deal with a seven-footer. Jordan Williams, the reigning ACC Rookie of the Week, will need to play arguably his best game of the season in the paint for the Terrapins.

RPI #'s updated as of 2/24/10, 2:00 pm.