THE HOT LIST

 

It's almost Tournament time and there are only a few games left in the regular season for college basketball. However with all the upsets going on, you must be really nervous about filling out those Tournament brackets. But remember, its all about who is hot at the end of February. So MRM has developed the Hot List.

1. TEXAS

Ok... forget about getting beat by Nebraska. Texas is still the only team to beat Kansas in Lawrence this season and that earns them major respect. The Longhorns were on an 11 game winning streak before getting upset by the Cornhuskers.

2. DUKE
Say hello to the nation's new #1 team (for now). The Blue Devils have acted like losing to St. John's never happened and are now on a six-game winning streak. Nolan Smith has put the team on his back averaging 26.6 ppg. over the last ten games. We'll see how tournament ready they are when they step out of conference to play #24 Temple on February 23.

3. ST. JOHN'S

It's the return of the Red Storm. St. John's showed they are for real by beating #4 Pitt, their fifth win over a Top 25 team. The Red Storm is also on a four-game winning streak and 6-1 since beating Duke on January 3. Saturday's win over Pitt also earned St. John's a spot in the Top 25 for the first time in more than a decade.

4. UNC

The Heels bounced back from the Duke loss with wins over Clemson, Wake Forest, and Boston College. UNC is one of the hottest teams in the country, but too bad their shooting isn't, just .45% from the field. Freshman point guard Kendall Marshall should be a lock for ACC Rookie of the Year. He's averaging 5 apg. but he'd probably average 10 assists if UNC could shoot.

5. PURDUE

The Boilermakers are on a four-game winning streak highlighted by their victory over Ohio State. They're now in position to win the Big Ten if they can finish strong. It won't be easy though, as three of their last four games are on the road at Indiana, at Michigan St., and at Iowa.

6. GEORGETOWN
The Hoyas took a little hit with a loss to a desperate UConn team, but Georgetown is 9-1 in their last ten games. The Hoyas are basically getting it done with good shooting. They're second in the nation in field goal percentage.

7. NOTRE DAME
My vote for surprise team of the year (next to St. John's). We knew Ben Hansbrough had a little game, but who would've thought he's a beast. Saturday's loss to West Virginia snapped a seven-game winning streak for ND. However, nobody figured the Irish would be in second place in the Big East and in position to win the regular season.  

8. TEMPLE

Has anyone noticed the Owls are on an eight-game winning streak and have wins over Georgetown, Maryland, and only lost by four to Villanova?  If that didn't grab any one's attention, they'll get plenty of recognition if beat Duke on February 23.

9. ARIZONA
Arizona was flying stealth but they've popped up on radar with a big win over Washington to push their winning streak to eight games. It's good to see the Wildcats back too. A bad Arizona team is about as depressing in the PAC-10, as the ACC is with a bad Wake Forest.

10. UTAH ST.
The win over St. Mary's should've put the Aggies on everyone's bracket radar. The Aggies are now 20-1 since December 7.

11. FLORIDA

The Gators have been through some tough ones lately. An overtime win against Vanderbilt, followed by a two-point win over Kentucky, and a one-point win against Tennessee. This is a tough, battle-tested team on a five-game winning streak.

12. UCLA

The Bruins are on a six-game winning streak and 9-1 in their last ten games. The Bruins haven't made much noise nationally, but this is a team that lost by only one point to Kansas, and has wins over BYU and St. John's (which actually means something now).