Move over Jodie Meeks. Make room Stephen Curry. Ben Woodside, you have company.

Ryan Toolson officially joined the high-scorers club. The Utah Valley senior scored 63 points in a four-overtime win Thursday against Chicago State.

Yes, 63. Sure, he played 60 minutes, but … wow. Considering only 20 other D-I players have scored more than 60 points in a game, that's damn impressive.

The last guy who scored at least 63 was Bradley's Hersey Hawkins in 1988. The last time two different players scored at least 60 in the same season? 1977. Who knew a couple of small-school guards would be the guys making history? (Oddly enough, their teams played each other last week. Toolson had 27, while Woodside scored 26; his Bison won.)

Even better? Toolson's performance was clutch.

He hit the winning basket – points 62 and 63 – with 2.3 seconds remaining in the 4^th overtime to seal the 123-121 win. Same for the second quarter, when the Wolverines fell behind by 10 points. Toolson scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds to tighten things up, and carried the load the rest of the way. (Not an easy thing, either. Chicago State had two 40-point scorers of its own.)

"This was a wonderful game," coach Dick Hunsaker told the Deseret News. "I'm so happy for our players. I feel bad for Chicago State, and it's a shame both teams couldn't have won tonight. Ryan Toolson was incredible. It's a thrill and an honor to be a part of this game."

I guess we shouldn't be too surprised by Toolson. He's already turned in a 41-point performance this season and his uncle is Danny Ainge, a BYU hoops legend, former NBA star and President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics.

Also, Toolson's making a run at some NCAA history. He's among the best free-throw shooters to ever play.

Toolson's career free-throw percentage is just over 94 percent, which puts him in reach of Missouri State's Blake Ahern, who made 94.6 percent of his free throws. That's well ahead of the next best in Gonzaga's Derek Ravio (92.7), Villanova's Gary Buchanan (91.3) and Duke's J.J. Redick (91.2).

The catch in all of this is that Utah Valley isn't an official NCAA member yet. That starts next season. So even if Toolson passes Ahern, it won't be an official record.

It's much like NJIT's recent 51-game losing streak. The Highlanders are in the process of becoming a D-I team, which makes their streak an unofficial record. (Another odd note: Toolson gets to play NJIT twice in the next month.)

Regardless of Utah Valley's official standing, 63 points is 63 points. That's nice night, no matter who you are.

The Southeastern Conference is fed up with this basketball bashing. It's time for some new blood!

Mark Gottfried and Alabama parted ways Monday. Georgia and Dennis Felton did the same Thursday (an SEC tourney title bought Felton an extra half-season). At this rate, Auburn's Jeff Lebo may need to get his résumé ready. As expected, SEC coaches expressed concern about the moves.

With Felton and Gottfried gone, that leaves the SEC with two first-year coaches (LSU's Trent Johnson and South Carolina's Darrin Horn) and two second-year coaches (Kentucky's Billy Gillispie and Arkansas' John Pelphrey) patrolling the sidelines.

Yes, half the conference's schools have turned to new coaches in the last two years. That's some turnover. Sure, it still has some long-time coaches in Billy Donovan (now in his 13^th season), Rick Stansbury (11^th at Miss State) and Kevin Stallings (in his 10^th at Vandy), but that's it.

If it results in better basketball remains to be seen.

The Big 12 did the same thing recently, with Colorado, K-State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech all hiring coaches in the last two years. (For good measure, Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma all have coaches now in their third season.) Only the Wildcats got an instant boost, but that was because of Michael Beasley, not Frank Martin's coaching.

If Georgia and 'Bama are smart, they'll seek out a hungry young assistant who can recruit and surround himself with an experienced assistant or two to handle the in-game duties.

The Bulldogs are already eyeing VCU coach Anthony Grant, who was Donovan's top assistant at Florida for several years. 'Bama would be smart to do the same. (Especially since Tubby Smith says he's not a candidate.)

More news and notes from Thursday

• The fallout from last night's Wake Forest-Duke thriller is pretty simple, says our guy, Ken Davis: The Deacs are headed toward a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.
• Also, Jeff Teague is the league's best player.
• Houston's Tom Penders says ESPN doctored the footage of Aubrey Coleman stepping on Chase Budinger's face. He's more than a little miffed. "I feel it was intentionally done to harm Aubrey, to make him look like he is a real villain. In other words, he was tried and convicted without a jury, without a defense," he said.
• Oklahoma's Blake Griffin is pulling away as the Player of the Year favorite. At least according to this.
• You can't give Stephen Curry that shot.
• John Gasaway gives us 10 names to know (complete with a pithy graf on the guys you already do know).
• None of those names included freshmen. This year's class ain't much. Yeah. We've been spoiled by the recent classes.
• SI.com's Seth Davis details 12 teams and what's missing in their quest to be an NCAA champ.
• Great story from ESPN's Dana O'Neil (my fave college hoops feature writer) on Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair. Seems like everyone's been using Obama as a backdrop in stories right now, but this one works well.
• Finally, this story's a kick. Wake Forest forward James Johnson (hometown shout-out to Cheyenne East!) is not a man to mess with. Sure, he's 6-foot-8 and 235 pounds, but that's not as imposing as his seven world karate titles and nine national titles. Yeah, go read it, courtesy of Luke Winn.

Maryland coach Gary Williams has had better weeks.

His Terps are 13-7 and have lost five of their last seven games, including a 41-point thrashing by Duke over the weekend. Worse yet, he's at odds with a Maryland senior associate athletic director, which is adding fuel to the growing discord among some Terrapin fans who want Williams out.

Some background:

Williams, a Maryland grad, is 410-222 in 20 seasons at the school. He guided the Terps to their only national title in 2002 (along with their only other Final Four the year before). Only 14 D-I coaches have longer tenures than Williams. Only seven have more 20-win seasons. It's a résumé any coach would be proud to have.

But Williams' teams have had issues in recent seasons. Maryland has missed the NCAA tournament three of the last four years, usually a result of their ACC record, which was .500 or worse each of those seasons.

Perhaps the main factor has been recruiting, or lack thereof. Also, three of Williams' top assistants have left for head coaching jobs since 2004.

Late-season struggles haven't helped, either. The Terps lost six of their last eight games in 2007-08, eight of their last 13 in 2005-06 and five of their last six in 2004-05. That's not going to punch a ticket to the Big Dance.

After the Duke loss and a 76-67 defeat to Boston College on Tuesday, doom and gloom is being predicted again this year.

The question now is what will be done with Williams? Some – Tony Kornheiser's one of 'em – think Williams should be at Maryland as long as he wants. Others are restless for more postseason success and tired of seeing North Carolina and Duke atop the ACC.

He's been there long enough to earn a fair shake, but in today's "What have you done for me lately" sports world, how long does that last?" How much time does a national title give a coach?

It's almost like Coach K knew this was coming.

A couple of weeks ago, Duke's coach was lamenting that his Blue Devils weren't being feted by the local media for being the nation's No. 2 team. They were 13-1, but behind Pitt. When Wake Forest upended UNC and Pitt lost, the Deacs went to the top spot.

And now? Duke is No. 1. For the 111^th week in school history. Only UCLA has been atop the polls more often.

"Any level of high success, even though it's not permanent with a No. 1 ranking, it's a good benchmark," Mike Krzyzewski said Monday.

Duke (18-1) hadn't been No. 1 since J.J. Redick's senior season, three long years ago. Seriously, when you're Duke and you haven't been No. 1 since the 2005-06 season, that's an eternity. The players have said as much. They want everyone to know just how good they are.

"For us, the last couple years, the one thing we've developed is a chip on our shoulder," Jon Scheyer told the Raleigh News & Observer. "Going into [the Maryland game], or going into any game, we just feel like we have something to prove."

Duke gets a chance to answer more questions Wednesday when it plays at No. 6 Wake Forest.

More news and notes from Monday:

• The Blue Devils, for tempo-free fans, also are atop kenpom.com's rankings and sports -- by far -- the best conference-only efficiency margin among BCS teams. Impressive indeed.
• Speaking of efficiency margins, SI.com's Luke Winn has targeted the sleeper team of the season that no one's talking about. Here's a hint: They're Tigers.
• Mark Gottfried, fired.
• Indiana charged $5 for balcony seats Sunday against Minnesota and actually made Assembly Hall a nasty place to play. It makes me sad that the Hoosiers can't fill the place.
• Houston's Aubrey Coleman is sorry for stepping on Chase Budinger's face.
• Brandon Jennings was going to attend Arizona, but opted for Europe instead. Turns out you don't have to go to college to learn about regrets.
• How to improve free-throw shooting and reach first place in the Pac-10, by the Washington Huskies.

• Lastly, a detailed look at NJIT, its 51-game losing streak and what happens next.

Leave it to Craig Robinson to help bring about some change in the Pac-10.

After partying it up in Washington D.C. Tuesday for his brother-in-law inauguration, Robinson flew into California and led Oregon State to a stunning 69-65 win at Cal.

The Bears had been tied for the Pac-10 lead, but only scored one basket in the final nine minutes. Remember, this was a Beavers squad that was 0-18 last season in the conference. Now, they're 2-5 after handing Cal its second-straight loss.

"I guess I can say this now, Tuesday was really something special," Robinson said afterward. "But for those guys in the locker room, to come and play the way they did on the week of distractions they had, that shows a heck of amount of maturity and it shows a heck of amount of confidence. I can't be more proud of those guys."

That sets up a huge game Saturday in Seattle between UCLA and Washington. The winner will be all alone atop the Pac-10.

If you didn't know, hoops on the West Coast is becoming quite the show.

Arizona State (16-3) and Gonzaga (13-4) are among the nation's most efficient teams. Both are Final Four contenders. The Zags' biggest WCC competition, Saint Mary's (18-1), hasn't lost since November. (That WCC showdown is Thursday.)

The Mountain West is becoming a tight race at the top, with Utah, BYU, San Diego State, TCU and UNLV all eyeing the conference crown.

But the most entertainment from top-to-bottom remains in the Pac-10.

You already know about the Beavers. They're trying to beat out in-state rivals Oregon (6-13) as the league's cellar-dweller.

After some boneheaded finishes, Arizona (11-8) isn't likely to make the NCAA tournament, but remains a talented spoiler for the teams at the top. Washington State (11-7) is probably headed the same way – no NCAAs, but a nasty team for anyone to play.

That leaves six squads with eyes on the Big dance.

Cal's lost two straight, but the Bears (15-4) have been a pleasant surprise under Mike Montgomery. Stanford (13-3) could be headed for 20 wins under first-year coach Johnny Dawkins. USC (12-6) may have the league's most athletic roster.

That leaves Saturday's marquee foes, UCLA (15-3) and Washington (14-4).

The Huskies have rebounded from a 16-17 campaign last season behind the consistent play of senior forward Jon Brockman and the explosiveness of freshman point guard Isaiah Thomas.

It's hard to state how much that means to this team, which is just four years removed from a 29-win season and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. After beating USC on Thursday, the Huskies were elated to see the Bruins coming to Hec-Ed with first place on the line.

"This feels great just to be in this position," senior Justin Dentmon told the Seattle Times. "We've just got to fight for it to stay in this position."

UCLA isn't as imposing as the last three seasons, all of which resulted in a Pac-10 title and a trip to the Final Four. But the Bruins have the nation's most efficient offense and still find ways to win. Only one player (Nikola Dragovic) reached double figures in Thursday's 61-59 victory against Washington State, but senior Darren Collison was the difference when it mattered. He scored six of his eight points in the final minutes.

"He's special late in the game," WSU coach Tony Bennett told the L.A. Times. "One of the best there is."

Such is life on the West Coast. We're seeing difference makers in action.

Trouble keeps finding the defending champs. The last time was an eligibility question.

This time, all it took was a greeting.

Kansas coach Bill Self was in Springfield, Mo. last week to watch highly touted prospect John Wall. Afterward, he reportedly went up to Wall and complimented him on his game.

"I'm not supposed to be talking to you, and you know that, but I just wanted to tell you it was a great win," according to a report in the Springfield News-Leader.

Self, to his credit, didn't deny the conversation took place, calling the report "accurate." He was candid about the incident after the Jayhawks beat Texas A&M on Monday.

"I don't know if the exact quote is accurate," Self said. "After the game was over, like I always do, like every coach always does, I had to catch a plane. So I went back to tell the coaches ' Congratulations, good win.' I was approached and shook a hand and said 'I can't talk to you, but you played really well.' "

Self said if the exchange was a problem, then Kansas' administration will "deal with it." Kansas is looking into the report.

The problem with the whole thing stems from the NCAA's rules surrounding when Self said hello.

Coaches are in a no-contact, evaluation-only period where the rules prohibit "any face-to-face encounter that is prearranged … at the site of organized competition or practice … regardless of whether any conversation occurs." Basically, no dialogue in excess of a greeting.

Is it a rule violation? Probably, though it's up to the NCAA. Is it nitpicking? Sure. But is it really cheating?

(This is just months after ex-Jayhawk Darrell Arthur and Kansas dealt with questions about Arthur's high-school eligibility. Officials investigated if Arthur's grades were improperly altered, which raised the question if Kansas' new national title would be forfeited. The issue was dropped, then re-opened in October.)

Keep in mind, Kansas already was on probation.

The school self-reported violations in 2006. The NCAA alleged the school demonstrated a lack of institutional control within its athletic department from 1997 to 2003. In October of 2006, the NCAA placed Kansas on three years' probation.

The school will likely report Self's exchange with Wall sometime later this year (probably after the season), but it's unclear when the NCAA will address the issue. I can't see anything being resolved before the 2009-10 season begins.

The tricky part will be how tough the NCAA wants to be on Kansas and Self. If it sticks with its usual "rules are rules" stance, more probation is likely to follow. How much the current probation weighs on the decision will be the bigger question. How long can a school stay on probation, anyway?

Tired of parity in sports? Wishing for a good 'ol dominant team to run roughshod over the opposition? Look no further than the Connecticut women's basketball team.

No, the Huskies aren't the defending champs (that's Tennessee). But this season is shaping up as a year in which the Huskies are taking everyone to the woodshed in record fashion.

Monday's 88-58 thrashing of No. 2 North Carolina was a pitch-perfect display of hoops. And it came in Chapel Hill, where the Tar Heels had won 31 consecutive games.

Yes, UConn took apart the nation's second-ranked team on the road. It wasn't the biggest blowout between a 1-2 showdown (that would be the Vols' dismantling of Stanford, 105-69, in 1994), but it's by far the biggest win by No. 1 on the road in women's NCAA hoops history.

"They came into our house and showed us how to play basketball," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said afterward. "I wish we could've given them a better game.

"They compete hard and they are extremely physical. This game was much, much more physical than any game we've played this year. And I think it bothered us, it got to us. We didn't go rebound with them. But this is the way a game is going to be when you get into the NCAA and play for a national championship."

Even more impressive? The Huskies did it without freshman guard Caroline Doty, who is out for the season. Doty merely started every game this season before tearing her ACL against Syracuse on Saturday.

How many teams can lose a starter and win their next game by 30 points, let alone a game against a 17-0 team? Yikes.

No matter what UConn coach Geno Auriemma says, it's evident his Huskies are head and shoulders above the rest of the women's hoops landscape.

"I told the players in the locker room that the only gap I'm interested in is the one that exists between when we're playing great and when we're playing poorly," the coach said afterward. "If that gap keeps narrowing, then I'll be happy."

This wasn't the first time UConn took apart another Top 5 team. It beat then No. 4 Oklahoma 106-78 on Nov. 30.

If this is how the Huskies treat their opponents, I'll be interested to see what kind of team eventually gives them a game. If it ever happens.

Determining how many people will attend Barack Obama's inauguration is an inexact science. A million? Two million? About the only certainties are that it'll be a star-studded event.

Oh, and at least one Beaver will be there. Guess that means Craig Robinson will skip Tuesday's Pac-10 coaches' conference call.

Robinson's first few months as coach have been a nice surprise for Oregon State hoops. After a winless 2007-08 conference campaign, the Beavers needed just two games to claim a W this season. Yes, they're nowhere near an NCAA tournament-caliber team, but Robinson's already done a great job without much to use.

They play host to Washington State and Washington this week, will likely practice on Sunday, then Robinson turns into a jet-setter.

He's gotta get to D.C. in time for the ball. Also, his sister would ring his neck if he didn't get out there.

If you haven't read much about Robinson and his hoops background, check out this excellent story from the Seattle Times' Bud Withers. It covers his time as a player, an assistant and how he went from the coach at Brown and made it across the country to Corvallis.

I'll be interested to see if Robinson's life calms down a little bit after Tuesday's inauguration. His press conferences right now sound a little bit like the week before the Super Bowl when media from all over the world descend sports figures and ask all sorts of random questions. Instead of basketball topics, everything's about the inauguration. It must get old for Robinson and for the beat reporters.

After Tuesday, will less focus on his brother-in-law mean more time for his hoops program? Couldn't hurt.

UPDATE: Timing is everything. Posted this on Thursday, then promptly had two magazines arrive in the mail that prominently featured Robinson, Oregon State and more on Obama. I highly recommend both.

The first, "The Audacity of Hoops," Sports Illustrated's Alexander Wolff, is a engaging look at basketball and how it's helped shape the country's new president. Basketball's been important in Obama's life. A look at his cabinet and political advisors reveal people who also place a great deal of important on basketball.

Reggie Love, Obama's personal aide who played college ball at Duke, gets most of the attention when it comes to talking about the first hoopster, but I had no idea the sheer number of dedicated ballers close to him. Fun stuff, but I'd expect nothing less from a guy who played pick-up ball with UNC last spring.

Anyway, Robinson is quoted throughout in the story, but the second item focuses far more on the Oregon State coach. It's also a more fun read.

Esquire's Chuck Klosterman -- a hoops fan of the first degree and one of my personal faves -- watched a Beavers practice in the fall, then spent some time with Robinson afterward. The result is a funny, insightful look at Robinson's persona, his views on Obama and what's in store for the Oregon State program. Read it right now. (And if you haven't already, go grab any one of Klosterman's books. You won't regret it.)

Scoring more than 40 points in a college basketball game is no small thing. A point a minute? That's some work.

When someone hits 50, the accolades start pouring in.

And when someone scores 54 points on just 22 shots against the reigning SEC champs on national TV and breaks a 39-year-old scoring record at the NCAA's premier basketball program, well, there's just one word for it. Ridonkulous.

AP/Wade Payne

Jodie Meeks

Kentucky's Jodie Meeks absolutely torched Tennessee on Tuesday night. He hit 3s, he hit jumpers, he hit free throws, he hit … everything. Guy missed just seven shots all night – and scored 60 percent of the Wildcats' 90 points.

It was amazing to watch. (Go ahead, check out the highlights again.) But don't just take my word for it. Like I said, accolades poured in.

Is it a coincidence Meeks wears No. 23? The Knoxville News' Mike Strange says no way. The 6-4 junior was positively "Jordanesque."

Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie told the Lexington Herald-Leader that it was a remarkable performance. "Till he gets 60, it'll probably be at the top of the list. One of the most unbelievable individual achievements I've ever seen."

Of course, Gillispie wants to try and keep Meeks grounded. Gillispie will tell Meeks he isn't perfect yet. "But he had an almost perfect night."

The thing that amazed people the most was how effortless Meeks made everything appear. His teammates would catch themselves watching Meeks drain another 3 or scoot past a Tennessee defender.

It seems the only people who weren't impressed by Meeks were the Volunteer "defenders." After all, he had 26 by halftime. You'd think someone would try to check him. Instead, they focused on trash talk.

Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson told ESPN's Pat Forde that the Vols never shut up.

"I wouldn't be talking at all," Patterson said. "My mouth would be shut. Especially when a guy's got 54 in your own gym. They can talk all they want. Jodie's shots speak for themselves."

Meeks isn't an unknown talent, either. He entered the game as the nation's fifth-leading scorer. He dropped 39 in Kentucky's season opener to VMI and dumped 46 on Appalachian State last month.

Still, he's not a household name like Stephen Curry or Tyler Hansbrough. Eric Crawford of the Louisville Courier-Journal says that should change ASAP. After all, if Meeks played in the ACC, "he'd have he'd have to have Dick Vitale surgically removed from him."

The best indication of Meeks' impact? He shot his way into the national player of the year discussion, an area previously reserved for guys like Tyler Hansbrough, Stephen Curry and Blake Griffin.

It's a no-brainer, really. Kentucky's 13-4, about to be ranked again and is now the SEC favorite. Why wouldn't their star scorer be in the discussion?

I just can't wait to see what Meeks does next. Kentucky plays Sunday at Georgia, which is the conference's worst team. After that, it's Auburn, Alabama and then Mississippi, which plays the worst defense in the SEC.

Is it wrong to root for a rout?

Jodie Meeks shot his way into Kentucky's record books and gave the SEC a much-needed boost Tuesday night. Scoring 54 points will do that.

We knew Meeks could score. The 6-4 junior opened the season with a 39-point effort in a loss to VMI, dumped 46 on Appalachian State in December and entered Tuesday night's game against No. 24 Tennessee as the nation's fifth-leading scorer (24.2).

But this was a thing of beauty.

And even though Meeks embarrassed the skidding Vols (the SEC preseason faves dropped to 10-5), the SEC must have been happy to see Meeks light it up. The conference's hoops résumé has seen better days (see here, here and here). Makes sense that Kentucky would be the one boost the league.

Meeks's monster night broke Dan Issel's 39-year-old record and was remarkable to watch. Unlike Ben Woodside's 60-point outing earlier this year, Meeks did most of his damage from the field.

He didn't press things, but just let his points come in the flow of Kentucky's offense. He hit threes, he drove the lane, he hit pull-up jumpers, he did it all. He took 22 shots -- a normal night for Meeks -- and scored 54 points.

Some players would be lucky to score 30 points on 22 attempts.

Meeks made 10-of-15 3-point attempts, made all 14 free throws and even dished four assists (to 1 turnover). He missed just seven shots total. For tempo-free nuts, that's a 1.885 PPWS and an eFG% of 90.9. When it comes to offense, you won't see a more efficient, remarkable night. Simple as that.

(Check A Sea of Blue on Wednesday for more on Meeks and his performance. Truzenzuzex is probably breaking it all down right now.)

The SEC may have the national champs in football, but the conference is hurtin' in hoops. It doesn't appear to have any Final Four contenders and barely half of its 12 teams appear to be NCAA tournament contenders (four seems more likely).

Whether one goes by the RPI or kenpom.com's rankings, the SEC is well behind the other five BCS conferences – and unlikely to rise anytime soon.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Bruce Pearl

Tennessee (10-4) should be the SEC's best team, but a brutal schedule has roughed up the Vols. They've beaten Georgetown and Marquette, but a road loss to Temple was a stunner.

Kentucky (12-4), Florida (14-2) and South Carolina (12-2) sport nice records and each have good wins on their résumés, but doubts remain about each. Same goes for Arkansas (12-2), which upended Top 10 teams in Oklahoma and Texas, then dropped its home SEC opener to Mississippi State.

Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Vandy and Ole Miss have winning records, but haven't beaten anyone of note. And Georgia (9-7) is just … bad. The Dawgs will be lucky to win four SEC games.

Right now, there just isn't any SEC team that scares you. That's not true of the Mountain West, which is doing its best to supplant the Missouri Valley as the best non-BCS conference.

Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer says the MWC is better than the SEC, which isn't a stretch. Especially at the top.

The Mountain West's best teams – BYU, Utah, UNLV and San Diego State – could play with any of the SEC's best. (The Cougars nearly knocked off Wake Forest on Jan. 3). The Rebels have the worst RPI among those four, but could end being the best, too. They've already beaten Louisville and Arizona.

But the MWC has the same problems as the SEC – the middle and bottom teams aren't very good. New Mexico's inconsistent, Wyoming can't play defense and Air Force and Colorado State are unbearable.

The Mountain West has an argument for being better than the SEC, but I'm also not sure that's something to brag about. In past seasons when the Missouri Valley was trying to sneak into the top 6 in conference power rankings, it featured a mix of teams that were just as good at the top and far better from top to bottom in the conference.

Check out the RPI and kenpom's ratings. The worst average RPI among BCS schools is usually .544. (True for 2008, 2006 and 2005; if the Mo Valley snuck in there, it was .550 or better.) On kenpom's list, the worst average rating among BCS conferences hasn't been lower than .81 since 2004. This season, the SEC is at .7988, while the MWC is at .7698 (the Big Ten is fifth best among BCS conferences with an average rating of .8513).

Is that boost for the Mountain West? Or is it simply a huge concern for the SEC?

Put it this way: How long until spring practices begin?

Wake Forest's 92-89 win against North Carolina Sunday night was an impressive display of athleticism and non-top offense. Not sure there's been a better basketball game this season.

The only downside? We may not see the two play again.

The ACC tournament is a possibility, as is the NCAA tourney. These are two of the NCAA's most talented teams. But nothing's certain. And after watching these two for 40 minutes, I'm hoping a rematch happens.

If nothing else, it'll give me another chance to watch Jeff Teague run up and down the court and score whenever he wants. His career-high 34 points (at 1.409 points per weighted shot) were a showcase of open-floor scoring, much the way Allen Iverson did at Georgetown. The run into the lane and finishing with a sweeping scoop. Driving across the lane, hanging in the air and waiting for the defender to land, then shooting on the way down.

Teague's making a run at ACC player of the year (he averages 20 ppg, grabs more than four rebounds and dishes more than four assists a game), but he's helped by deep, talented Wake roster.

Behind 6-foot-9, athletic wings like James Johnson and Al-Farouq Aminu, long post players like Chas McFarland and Tony Woods and glue guys like L.D. Williams, Harvey Hale and Ishmael Smith, the Deacons (14-0) have the depth to just throw wave after wave of players at opponents.

UNC found out as much on Sunday.

The Heels aren't used to having that happen to them, either. Usually, Roy Williams' teams wear out opponents with their relentless secondary break and seven-to-eight man rotation. But that plays into Wake's strengths. (Lucky for us viewers.)

That depth will come in handy during the next few weeks, too. Wake's schedule isn't getting any easier. It travels to B.C. on Wednesday, then 16-0 Clemson on Saturday. It closes the month with home games against Va. Tech, Duke and Georgia Tech. No easy task, to be sure, but a Final Four contender like Wake should be able to go out least 3-2 in that stretch.

Anything better and Wake should start checking out flight reservations to Detroit in April.

It's amazing what a good coach can do. Just look at the Pac-10.

UCLA (12-2) continues to thrive under Ben Howland. Herb Sendek's turned Arizona State (12-2) into a Final Four contender. Heck, Craig Robinson's even made Oregon State (6-6) into a decent team – still not great – and earned plaudits from his brother-in-law.

But Mike Montgomery at Cal has turned the most heads.

Jeff Chiu/AP file

Cal's Jerome Randle

The Bears are 13-2, feature one of the nation's best offenses and are poised to throw a big wrench into the Pac-10 race. What else would one expect from Monty? He won four regular-season titles and nabbed 12 NCAA tourney appearances in 18 seasons at Stanford.

(Kudes should go to Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy on this one. He's said for years that Montgomery was the best coach available and walked into a good situation at Cal.)

Still, some are waiting for the bottom to drop out. After all, Cal was 17-16 last season and lost its best player, Ryan Anderson, to the NBA. Just how good can the Bears really be?

That largely depends on their underrated point guard, Jerome Randle, how long they can maintain their stellar shooting and just how they fare away from home.

First, Randle.

Montgomery's been elated by Randle's play, and rightly so. He's a vastly improved player from last season in every aspect, notably in terms of minutes played and percentage of possessions used. Seems Monty wants the ball in Randle's hands.

After his 26-point, 10-assist performance during an 81-71 win against Arizona State on Jan. 4, Sendek said Randle was among the nation's best point guards, likening his play to UNC's Ty Lawson. That's pretty high praise, and a little overblown. But not by much.

Randle's an incredible offensive player (131.7 ORtg, 66.0 eFG% and hits nearly 56 percent of his 3-point attempts), but his ARate lags behind Lawson's (30.8 to 36.5) and his TORate is far higher (18.0 to 12.4). Still, Randle's played more than 80 percent of Cal's minutes this season, which would account for some of the TORate and makes his offensive performance even more impressive.

If the Bears are going to reach the Big Dance, Randle's going to be the driving force. He'll need help from back-court mate Patrick Christopher, but Randle's the guy.

The other factor behind Cal's start is their team shooting.

Behind Randle and Theo Robertson, the Bears' eFG% is 55.8, 14^th among D-I teams (and third in the Pac-10). That stems from leading the country in 3-point percentage (50.5), though Cal doesn't hoist a ton of 3s (less than 25 percent of their FG attempts).

Part of that's from playing 11 of their first 15 games at home, where the Bears have yet to record an eFG% less than 50 percent. That kind of shooting won't last throughout the season – especially as they face tougher defensive teams. UCLA, USC and this week's opponents, Washington and Washington State, are among the nation's top 30 defensive teams.

That leads into the third question mark around Cal: its schedule.

Nine of the Bears' final 16 games are on the road. Trips to L.A., Seattle and Tempe may be a little painful. After all, they already suffered a 27-point loss at Missouri this season. Will an outing in Pauley Pavilion be any better?

The trick will be to not let the losses steamroll, which is Montgomery's job. He'll undoubtedly turn Cal into a Pac-10 power soon enough, but if he can guide Cal to 23 or 24 wins, it may be tough to top his initial season in Berkeley.

It's amazing how time gets away from you. Vacation, other duties at work piling up, no Internet at home, etc. – and just like that, it's been nearly two weeks since my last post.

(Actually, that's not a bad thing for most teams. My friends and family have decided I'm worse than the SI cover jinx lately. They're only half kidding. Since blogging on Gonzaga on Dec. 11., the Bulldogs have lost four of their last five games, including a home loss to Portland State. Ouch. On Dec. 22, I said Oklahoma and UNC would be the last two teams to lose. Oops.)

So I'll open the new year with a first: Pitt reaching No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time.

The Panthers (14-0) ran away from Georgetown and took advantage of the Heels' loss to B.C. to snag all but two of the votes this week. Pitt had been No. 2 nine times since 1987-88 (most recently three times in the 2006-07 season; Ben Howland's Bruins were No. 1, oddly enough), but finally broke through.

"I think it means a lot to our fans and our city and it means a lot to our university, much more so than to me and our players," Panthers coach Jamie Dixon said. "But it is part of the reason why we play and work so hard so I am glad for them."

Pitt's first big test at No. 1 comes Jan. 17 against Louisville, which means it'll likely be No. 1 for two consecutive weeks. (Home games against St. John's and South Florida aren't likely to derail Pitt, but the jinx could kick in…and two other No. 1 newbies lost after reaching the top spot the last two seasons – Wisconsin and Tennessee. Those two did lose to ranked teams, but hey, you never know.)

Being No. 1 in January doesn't bring home a title, but it is a nice achievement for Dixon's squad, and a little surprising the Panthers had never been there before.

They're the 54^th team to reach the top spot since the rankings began in 1948 and the 9^th team to have one week under their belt. (Georgia Tech, Iowa, Oklahoma State, St. Joe's, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wichita State and Wisconsin are the others.)

Looking at the AP poll through the years, it's strange to see some of the teams that have been No. 1 ('Bama, 2003; Seton Hall, 1953) and some of the programs that reached the top but haven't been back for a while (Georgetown hasn't been No. 1 since 1985 and N.C. State since 1975).

But it's also odd to think of some of the best schools that haven't ever reached No. 1 during the regular season. To name a few champs:

• Louisville (No. 2 for nine weeks in 1966-67 and at least once in '72, '75, '80, '83, '86)
• Maryland (No. 2 for eight weeks in 1975-76, five weeks in 2001-02 and for at least one week in '72, '73, '75, '98)
• Utah (No. 2 in '54, '97, No. 3 in '55 and '98
• Villanova (No. 2 in '95 and '06).

The question is, what is the best school to never be ranked No. 1?