College Sports Hotline

Had planned to get this posted earlier in the week but got slammed with stuff to write for the Merc — not only the regular college hoop columns but also some newsy items:

Trent Johnson getting a contract extension and Dick Tomey saying no to Hawaii.

Anyhow, what I had intended to write about was the Memphis-Tennessee game. It was exciting and frenetic and an awesome display of athleticism on both sides.

And if you like traditional halfcourt basketball, with cuts and screens, etc. … well, then, it was crap: It wild and ragged and basically devoid of fundamentals.

But that’s how those teams play. Tennessee executes a bit better than Memphis, which, as I’ve said before, isn’t so much poorly coached as it is uncoached.

Me, I don’t mind watching a game like that every now and then, but I prefer halfcourt basketball with a dabble of chaos mixed in.

(Records thru Monday … or maybe it’s Tuesday.)

1. Tennessee (25-3): Loss to Vandy hardly a surprise given the post-Memphis letdown.

2. North Carolina (26-2): Heels are 5-1 without point guard Ty Lawson (the loss: Duke).

3. UCLA (24-3): Speaking of injuries: Tough to see Michael Roll (foot) making any kind of contribution either down the stretch or in the NCAAs.

4. Texas (24-4): No. 5 in the AP poll but a clear-cut No. 1 seed at this point, ahead of Big 12 rival Kansas.

5. Memphis (26-1): Dropped the Tigers four spots after the loss to Tennessee (more convinced than ever that they won’t make the Final Four).

6. Louisville (22-6): Cardinal have lost three times in ‘08, by a combined 13 points (to Cincy, UConn and Seton Hall).

7. Wisconsin (23-4): Been waiting two months for Badgers to face Michigan State, and it’s finally here: Thursday in Madison.

8. Kansas (24-3): Jayhawks don’t have a signature non-conference win (Arizona’s slide hasn’t help matters).

9. Stanford (22-4): Updating the Pac-10 Coach of the Year race: 1. Trent Johnson, 2. Tim Floyd, 3. Herb Sendek.

10. Indiana (24-4): Not sure Mike Montgomery would be willing to live in Bloomington, but it’s interesting …

11. Duke (23-3): Would have been better off losing two in a row in mid-January. Everything counts double this time of year.

12. Connecticut (22-6): Hammered Rutgers on Tuesday despite Thabeet and Price going a combined 3 of 13.

13. Georgetown (22-4): Hoyas haven’t beaten one of the Big East elite since Jan. 19, so that’s a somewhat fraudulent 22-4.

14. Purdue (21-6): Boilermakers will be fine in the NCAAs as long as they avoid interim coaches who played for Bob Knight.

15. Xavier (24-4): Has joined the Stanfords and Georgetowns in the scramble for a No. 2 seed.

16. Michigan State (22-5): The story in the Big Ten is Ohio State’s slide onto, and perhaps off of, the bubble.

17. Butler (25-3): Loss to Drake could cost Butler one or two lines on the S-curve when seeding time comes around.

18. Notre Dame (21-5): Kyle McAlarney’s nine three-ponters was big news, but it wasn’t worth a spot on the Yahoo! homepage.

19. Drake (24-4): Would have moved the Bulldogs into the top-15, but they lost to Bradley four days before beating Butler.

20. Marquette (21-6): After that multi-week skid, Eagles have climbed within two games of first in the Big East.

21. Kent State (23-5): BracketBuster win at St. Mary’s was huge for KSU and for the MAC, which has had better years.

22. Washington State (21-6): Brutally tough week to find 25 worthy teams, which is why I continued ranking a few, including WSU, that in other weeks would have dropped out.

23. Vanderbilt (24-4): Three words: Tennessee State champs.

24. Gonzaga (22-6): Austin Daye will be the best player in the WCC in two years (maybe even next year).

25. Davidson (21-6): 18-0 in conference play is 18-0 in conference play, even when it’s the Southern Conference.