In the most recent USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll, the Blue Devils received all 30 first place votes - they remain the nation's top team. It was a good week for the squad from Durham, North Carolina, which scored convincing victories over in-state rival North Carolina and ACC opponent Clemson. Kansas and Maryland remained the nation's second and third ranked programs respectively, each tallying two victories last week.
The Jay Hawks' offense had a stellar week, blowing out Colorado and 24th-ranked Missouri by a combined score of 205-146. Drew Gooden, a sure-fire All-American, continued his torrid season, scoring 26 points and recording 11 rebounds against Missouri, and 20 points and 11 boards against Colorado.
Led by star guard Juan Dixon, Maryland erased a nine-point deficit with only 3:22 left to beat ACC rival Virginia. Success from the charity stripe is a must for teams hoping to reach the final four, and Maryland converted 25-26 free throws in the game. The Terps had an easier time with North Carolina State, defeating the Wolfpack 89-73.
The game of the week: tenth ranked Kentucky Wildcats traveled to Gainseville, FL, to take on fifth-ranked Florida. With time winding down, Kentucky's star Teyshawn Prince hit on a floating jumper from the baseline to give the Wildcats the lead.
As time expired, Florida's Brett Nelson missed a jumper that would have tied the game, and Kentucky secured a 70-68 victory. Leading Kentucky to win, Prince recorded a double-double with 19 points and ten rebounds, and Keith Bogans scored 20 off the bench. Freshman Chuck Hayes also made significant contributions in the win in his first start of the season, scoring ten points and pulling down seven boards.
The teams that made the most progress last week were Gonzaga and Marquette. Gonzaga improved its overall mark to 20-13, defeating Portland twice, 102-67 and 94-80. The Zags, with their two convincing victories, jumped from 14 to ten in the rankings. Marquette, which stands at 19-3 overall and 8-1 in conference USA, seized the #23 rank, after not holding a ranking all season. Led by Dwayne Wayne and his 18.5 points per game, Marquette defeated Tulane 68-66 and overpowered the fourth ranked Cincinnati Bearcats 74-60.
Virginia and Illinois were the week's big losers. The Cavaliers fell from five to eight in the polls after dropping two tough games to Maryland and out-of-conference opponent Missouri. They will look to regain their winning ways in two tough ACC games this week against Clemson and North Carolina State.
The Fighting Illini continued what has surely been the most disappointing season in college hoops this year. Pre-season expectations dubbed Illinois as one of the nation's five best squads, and many regarded the Illini's reaching the final four as a foregone conclusion. Yet it has been a rocky road. Illinois, after two bad defeats at the hands of Ohio State and Michigan State, fell to 15-7 overall and an inflated #14 ranking.
A huge setback occurred during the loss to Michigan State when the team's second leading rebounder, senior Damir Krupalija, was lost for the season after re-injuring his left foot. While he only averaged 18 minutes per game, Krupalija was averaging eight points and six boards - production that will undoubtedly be sorely missed for the remainder of Illinois' schedule. Though its reputation won it a stellar ranking, Illinois owns a meager 4-5 conference mark and must start to play better all around basketball to realize any of its vast potential.
