For the moment, NCAA ball is still playing second fiddle to the NFL and the Super Bowl-hype machine. 

But if yesterday was any indication of what we can expect this season, then we are all in for a treat.  Saturday has its share of top teams losing, conference upsets, and tight games.  I mean some of these games were tight like gnat booty (Outkast, “Hootie Hoo” off of Southernplayalisticadillacmusic). 

As we reach the thick of conference play, the pretenders will soon be separated from the contenders.  Who will be the major players?  No one truly knows…but for now, these teams look to have the inside track based on their combinations of talent, performance and coaching:

10.  Texas Longhorns (18-3, 4-2 Big 12):  Texas has had some notable struggles of late.  They started out the season 17-0 and climbed the the #1 ranking.  But their loss to Kansas State opened the floodgates to more losses (at UConn, vs. Baylor).  The Longhorns are a very physical team, so they should be able to pick themselves up and make a strong run to finish their Big 12 campaign.  Damion James’ ferocity on the boards (11.3 per game) is unrivaled for a 6’7″ swingman.

9.  Kansas State Wildcats (17-4, 4-3 Big 12):  The Wildcats have come up short on three of their last seven.  But with a huge win over the Longhorns and an OT thriller loss to the Jayhawks, they have solidified their status as one of the top three teams in the Big 12.  The major question with K-State is consistency.  Losing to Oklahoma State after beating Texas is not going to impress the NCAA committee on Selection Sunday.

Greg Monroe dropped 21 and 11 in G'Town's win over Duke.

8.  Georgetown Hoyas (16-4, 6-3 Big East):  With four losses, their recent win against Duke got them into my top ten.  They’ve now beaten Pitt, Temple, UConn and Duke.  The Hoyas have lost to Villanova and Syracuse, pretty handily.  We’ll see if their ups and downs will prove to refine their ruggedness.

7.  Purdue Boilermakers (18-3, 6-3 Big Ten):  This team really has a lot to prove after its three-game lapse in early January.  On a positive note, their defense looks very strong of late yielding only 54 points per contest in their last 3 outings.  In an offensively challenged Big Ten Conference, we’ll have to see if that really makes them a frontrunner. 

6.  Duke Blue Devils (17-4, 5-2 ACC):  Like Michigan State, their losses were respectable (the NC State loss was admittedly suspect).  But the Blue Devils have made a few good teams – Connecticut, Gonzaga, Clemson (twice) - look really bad.  Duke still has two dates with their arch-nemesis Maryland.  And regardless of how down UNC is, their two meetings will still be played with their usual high level of intensity.

5.  Michigan State Spartans (19-3, 9-0 Big Ten):  The Spartans are the best team out of a host of three-loss teams – simply because none of their losses have come against subpar opponents (the Florida loss was close, and their loss to UNC was before everyone knew how troubled they really were).  They’ve got a three-game stretch up next that will tell us a lot about them – at Wisconsin, at Illinois, and vs. Purdue.

4.  Villnaova Wildcats (19-1, 8-0 Big East):  Mid-to-late February will hold most of the challenges for Villanova.  Those challenges include dates at Georgetown, vs. Connecticut, at Syracuse and home-and-home dates against West Virginia.  Holding on for a #1 tourney seed will be quite a test for this team mired in a tough Big East Conference.  The Wildcats are obviously led by guard Scottie Reynolds, but offensive balance has been their strong suit.  Villanova’s roster currently has 7 players who score 8 or more points per game.    

Syracuse is fortunate to have the multi-talented Wes Johnson on its roster.

3.  Syracuse Orangemen (21-1, 8-1 Big East):  The Orangemen are just on a roll now.  With their nip and tuck win over DePaul, Jimmy Boeheim’s group have now won eight in a row.  They have toughness, shooting – and they have Wes Johnson.  The sure-fire lottery (probably top three) pick is ding it all for the ‘Cuse.  On top of his 17 points ad 9 rebounds a game, he is shooting 55% from the field…including 43.5% (30-69) from 3-point land.  That sort of efficiency is rare from a guy who’s leading his team in so many offensive categories. 

2.  Kentucky Wildcats (20-1, 5-1 SEC):  Yes, I know the South Carolina game is fresh on everyone’s mind – but that’s bound to happen at some point in the season.  The important thing is that they bounced back (unlike, say, Texas) and put up an impressive display against a Vanderbilt squad that had just knocked off Tennessee.  Kentucky is the team with the biggest upside because the have four players that cause match-up problems for the defense – freshman center DeMarcus Cousins, junior forward Patrick Patterson, freshman guard Eric Bledsoe, and of course freshman super-stud John Wall.

1.  Kansas Jayhawks (20-1, 6-0 Big 12):  Right now, I think that Collins’ leadership and Aldrich’s tenacity and hustle give this team the slight edge over Kentucky and Syracuse.  The team is deep, athletic and will be very hard to beat come tourney time.  I don’t think they’ll be my number one team by the start of the NCAA tournament, but they’ll probably grab a #1 seed in one of the regions.