Get out the tissues … it’s the last Big Monday for 2010 … but that does mean Championship week is right around the corner.

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4pm – #19 Georgetown @ #10 West Virginia

A #2 seed could be on the line in Morgantown for the Mountaineers.  With Purdue and Villanova both losing over the weekend, there is a chance WVU could steal a top seed in the big dance by selection Sunday.  Bob Huggins will have to beat a tough Hoya squad tonight, followed by Nova on Saturday.  Meanwhile, Georgetown is now hoping to hold onto a #5 seed after dropping three of their last four games.

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6pm – Oklahoma @ Texas

Longhorns have dropped off the Top 25 chart completely.  Once ranked the #1 team in the land, Texas has been the team everyone overrated in November.  And with two games left, dropping one or both would certainly mean no dancing in the tournament.  It’s all about survival for Rick Barnes crew.  Sitting at 13-15, the Sooners are merely spoilers at this juncture.  Okla’s Jeff Capel will have his boys ready to ruin the hopes of his Red River rival.

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4pm PST – West Virginia @ UCONN

After taking a horrific, most-likely-tournament-busting-ride, on the L train … the Huskies slapped the Wildcats in PA and showed some serious potential.  UCONN, with coach Calhoun back, now looks like a tournament team.  But, another loss will give the committee no choice other than to leave them on the sidelines in mid-March.  So the Huskies must run the table to punch their dance ticket.  Who are you UCONN?  Are you the erratic, turnover-prone, struggle-to-score team?  Or this new-and-improved feisty Calhoun led team that many experts expected from day 1?

The Mountaineers, on the other hand, have the luxury of improving their tourney seed by beating UCONN on the road.  A Huggins led-squad will not back down to this rejuvenated and hungry Connecticut team.  An intense game is sure to be had, no shocker there.

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6pm PST – Oklahoma @ Kansas

What was always a game to circle on the calendar, does not seem so much this season.  Oklahoma is average.  And right now, they won’t be dancing.  A win in Kansas would be a huge feather in the cap of the Sooners.  Jeff Capel better have his boys ready to play in Phog Allen Fieldhouse because the Jayhawks will be ready to throw-down and thrash the kids in crimson.  Kansas has not lost since 1/10 on the road against a scrappy Volunteers squad and are now the experts’ favorite to win it all.  Though it’s likley Okla will take the L tonight, it is important that they, at worst, have a good showing to keep their postseason hopes alive.

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Nova can thank Louisville for knocking off Syracuse on Saturday, giving the Wildcats sole possession of Top Cat atop the BIG East. While Kansas can simply thank themselves for being awesome, because they have yet to drop a game in the BIG 12.

4pm — UCONN @ #3 Villanova
Coach Calhoun is back for the Huskies. But his presence might be too late to help UCONN get into the tourney. At 14-11, the Huskies really need to run-the-table, or at least beat Nova & WVU to improve upon a shaky resume. After tip off, it should be exciting watching the guard play in this game with Nova’s Scottie Reynolds & Corey Fisher, along with UCONN’s Kemba Walker. All three can push the tempo and give their squads lots of transition bucket opps. But, if Walker gets in trouble early trying to keep Reynolds or Fisher in check, then this one could get ugly quickly.

6pm — #1 Kansas @ Texas A&M
It is good to be the king. Kansas can click the cruise control button if they get the win tonight against the Aggies. Texas A&M is the last squad on the KU schedule that has a shot (very slim one at best) at taking the top spot from them before the regular season comes to a close. The Jayhawks are in a comfortable position being that they can actually absorb a loss, maybe even two, and still get a #1 seed in the big tourney. Aggies on the other hand need to keep winning so they can secure an at-large bid when selection Sunday comes around.

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AP Top 25

1. Kansas (62) 24-1 1,622
2. Kentucky (3) 24-1 1,557
3. Villanova 22-2 1,482
4. Purdue 21-3 1,403
5. Syracuse 24-2 1,389
6. Duke 21-4 1,278
7. Kansas State 20-4 1,239
8. West Virginia 19-5 1,101
9. Ohio State 20-6 1,068
10. Georgetown 18-6 966
11. Michigan State 20-6 906
12. New Mexico 23-3 888
13. Gonzaga 21-4 830
14. Wisconsin 19-6 697
15. Texas 20-5 674
16. Brigham Young 23-3 669
17. Vanderbilt 19-5 529
18. Butler 23-4 527
19. Pittsburgh 19-6 398
20. Tennessee 18-6 381
21. Temple 20-5 347
22. Baylor 19-5 316
23. Wake Forest 18-5 286
24. Texas A&M 18-6 231
25. Richmond 20-6 101

Others Receiving Votes
Northern Iowa 74, Virginia Tech 59, UTEP 46, Illinois 29, Marquette 12, Mississippi State 5, UNLV 5, Old Dominion 4, Cornell 2, Georgia Tech 1, Maryland 1, San Diego State 1, Xavier 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Northern Iowa 19, Georgia Tech 20, UNLV 23.

Football season is officially over.  Those of you that don’t get into hoops until after the Super Bowl, well, jump in feet first right now.  Time to quickly shift gears and embrace the 2 months that give you the most bang for your buck –> the final 60 days of the NCAA hoops season.  This Big Monday is the best yet … with 4 teams in the top 14 squaring off against each other.

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4pm PST – #5 Villanova @ #4 West Virginia

After getting snowed under a flurry of Hoya 3-pointers on Saturday, the Wildcats have to follow that tough loss up with a road game in Morgantown.  This game will be no picnic for either squad today.  I expect a physical bruiser, most likely with Nova driving the lane all night long followed by some no-blood-no-foul hacks via the Mountaineer interior to deny the easy baskets.  Let’s hope the rough-potential of this game doesn’t turn vicious like how it did Wedneday night when a few idiot WVU fans tossed some objects onto the court in dispute of some calls.  I like Nova to bounce back and harass the Mountaineer guards into numerous turnover-to-transition-points.

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6pm PST – #1 Kansas @ #14 Texas

The Jayhawks have a comfortable 2 1/2 game cushion between them and the 2nd place KSU Wildcats.  So a loss in Texas would not be so bad.  On the other hand, the Longhorns are dropping fast.  A Saturday loss to their Red River rivals Oklahoma designates this home game against Kansas as a very much needed win to a team that was highly ranked just a couple weeks ago.  No doubt the Erwin Center will be rocking tonight when this game tips off, even if many of the students have a Super Bowl hangover.  Texas really needs this self-esteem boost because back-to-back losses right now will be brutal on the ego.  I believe the Longhorns will rally behind their raucous fans, play inspired ball, and pluck off the Jayhawks who are due for an L.

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