Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

Maryland was able to rise above No. 1 UNC.

Player of the Week: Ricky Harris, UMass

By Andy Katz

Last week: 22 points vs. Dayton; 24 vs. Charlotte

AP Photo/Skip Peterson

Ricky Harris has been a consistent scorer for UMass.

Ricky Harris was sensational in averaging 23 points in a critical 2-0 week for UMass. The Minutemen had two of the biggest wins of the young A-10 season, winning at Dayton and then taking out Charlotte at home.

UMass knocked off the two teams that hadn't suffered a loss yet in the A-10.

Harris scored a combined 46 points, making 11 of 22 shots and 9 of 18 3s. He made a career-high five 3s in the win over the Flyers.

It's not like this was a fluke for Harris. He has put up 20 or more points in 10 of the Minutemen's 17 games and is a regular double-figure scorer.

While Harris didn't have that one game that blows you away, he was as consistent as any player in the country this week. And he helped the Minutemen win two games that could ultimately put them in position to contend with any of the other top teams -- Dayton, Xavier, Charlotte, Rhode Island or Saint Joe's -- for the conference title. The wins also keep the Minutemen on track for a possible NCAA at-large berth.

Team of the Week: Maryland Terrapins

Andy Katz

Last week: Beat Wake Forest 71-64; beat North Carolina 82-80

If you think this honor is going to the Terps just because they beat North Carolina then you're off. Maryland had to do more than that. The Terps had to win their earlier game in the week, too, to prove they could take care of the games they're supposed to win.

If you're truly an NCAA team, a team that can be in contention for a bid, then you have to win your home games against teams perceived to be lower than you in the standings. Maryland beat Wake Forest at home by seven on Tuesday and then followed that up with the stunning win over top-ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

The Terps are now 2-2 in the ACC, but 2-1 in January since they started to play better basketball. The first ACC loss was to Boston College in early December. The one loss this month was at Virginia Tech by one.

The Terps also beat Charlotte, a one-loss team in the A-10, on the road earlier this month.

One thing you can guarantee with a Gary Williams'-coached team is this: They won't quit. Maryland stayed true to Williams' philosophy, scored with the Tar Heels and kept them under 90 points.

Now the trick will be for the Terps to make these wins matter by taking out Duke at home Sunday with a winnable game at home against Virginia following that one next week.

3-Point Shot

Doug Gottlieb

1. How did UCLA and UNC lose at home to teams with 13 combined losses?
Let's start with UNC. Fran Fraschilla pointed this out to me after seeing UNC in person and after paying more and more attention, I agree that UNC is lacking at the defensive end. Not that UNC is inept on D, but in comparison to Kansas, Memphis and UCLA, the other clear front-runners for a No. 1 seed, UNC is just not as physical and dominant at the defensive end of the floor. UNC still seems to lack the ability to pressure with Ty Lawson due to the drop-off in back-ups with Bobby Frasor done for the year. Tyler Hansbrough is still an animal on the boards, but he can be taken advantage of by making him cover and run the floor.

As for UCLA, it seemed as though Tim Floyd's "Young" Trojans had every correct counter to the UCLA pressure defensively. First, USC did not have to guard Russell Westbrook, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute or Alfred Aboya out on the floor. The three combined to go 3-22. Westbrook, who had been a star the last couple of weeks in the Pac-10, suddenly looked a bit indecisive when the Trojans challenged him to take 3-point shots. Secondly, USC used a three-guard look with Angelo Johnson, O.J. Mayo and Daniel Hackett all on the floor at the same time and with Davon Jefferson at the power forward, UCLA could not contain or pressure USC, and when they did Jefferson got wide open shots and dunks due to Floyd's adjustment. Lastly, the Trojans mentally and verbally challenged the bravado of the Bruins. Ben Howland noted as such after the game and during the 2nd half, UCLA became a 3-point shooting team, Kevin Love included, instead of the inside out, take a quality shot every time down, offense it was just last Saturday in a win over Wazzu.

2. Has the time come for the Wildcats?
This might be the year that Kansas State finally beats Kansas in Manhattan. It has been since 1983 that the Wildcats have beat their in-state rival in their own building, but with Bill Walker finally coming around and Michael Beasley still a load inside -- this may be the year. Do not get me wrong, I have KU as my No. 1 team in the country right now, but after watching KSU destroy A&M Saturday night, I am convinced that KSU is KU's next threat to end their unbeaten season. For A&M fans, do not grow too weary of your road struggles. Look at the road records of Marquette, Louisville, Ole Miss and others who struggle on the road and are still top 20 type of teams despite sub-par road performances in conference play. In fact, BOTH of the last two Saturdays have produced 22-8 records for home BCS conference teams in conference games.

3. Mysterious foul call
Thank goodness that Kentucky vs. Florida went OT on Saturday night since referee Mike Kitts made one of the all-time phantom calls to put Jai Lucas at the line and potentially ice the game. Kitts, even though Florida appeared to be stuck between calling a timeout and getting a five-second call, ran in and called a non-existent foul on Jodie Meeks (he fouled out on the play) with 17 seconds left. Lucas missed the first of two free throws, made the second, Kentucky made a 3 to send it to OT and Florida won the game on its own merits.

Upset watch

By Reggie Rankin

Scouts Inc.'s Reggie Rankin takes a look at seven upsets that could happen this week:

• Monday: Oklahoma State over Texas, ESPN, 9 p.m. ET
It is well documented that the Horns can score at an alarming rate with the explosive backcourt of D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams. Damion James has had some monster games as well. Rick Barnes is still trying to get the talented Gary Johnson acclimated to add front court depth. The Horns must tighten up their defense after giving up 59 second half points on the road in the Big 12 opener at Missouri. James Anderson, Terrel Harris and Marcus Dove are all double figure scorers that have been well schooled by Sean Sutton on how to win with physical man defense. The Cowboys will feed off the energy from the crowd in Gallagher-Iba Arena and put themselves in position for a huge win.

• Tuesday: Kentucky over Tennessee, ESPN, 9 p.m. ET
JaJuan Smith and Tyler Smith lead the Vols all out, all the time identity. Pressure, pressure and more pressure is what you can expect from Tennessee. The Vols defense is their best offense and the Cats will also have to deal with 3-point specialist Chris Lofton, who will be playing back in his home state. With wins over Vandy and Ohio State in Knoxville, UT is now 16-1 and 3-0 in the SEC. The Wildcats return to Rupp after losing hard fought back to back road games at Mississippi State and Florida that has them at 1-2 in SEC play. The Big Blue will attempt to build on the home-court momentum gained in knocking off Vandy but will have to match the intensity and slow down the Volunteers. Patrick Patterson and Ramel Bradley have stepped their games up in conference play. UK will compete and seems to be settling in on what new boss Billy Gillispie expects. If Joe Crawford, along with Patterson and Bradley, can keep up with the extra deep and relentless Vols the Rupp crowd could be the difference.

AP Photo/Danny Johnston

Curtis Jerrells leads the surprising Baylor Bears.

• Wednesday: Baylor over Texas A&M 8 p.m. ET
The Aggies will be trying to rebound after losing two in a row on the road against Texas Tech and K-State. A&M has tremendous offensive weapons starting inside with Joe Jones and DeAndre Jordan. Donald Sloan excels in the open court and Josh Carter is a big-time shooter. The Bears are 15-2 and 3-0 in the Big 12; they have recruited well and have turned the corner under Scott Drew. They have five double-figure scorers with junior Curtis Jerrells leading the way. BU is a good shooting team that is solid defensively and has depth with eleven players averaging double figure minutes. If the Bears can hold their own on the glass, the short road trip to College Station could be another huge step forward.

• Thursday: Oregon over UCLA, 10:30 p.m. ET
The Bruins completed a three-game homestand by getting upset at the hands of crosstown rival USC. Now, UCLA will attempt to put the brakes on the Ducks high-scoring attack. With Oregon scoring over 80 points per game and UCLA holding opponents to under 60 points, something's got to give. Malik Hairston and Maarty Leunen are just two of five Ducks that average double figures that the defensive-minded Bruins must contain. The Ducks don't want to show Kevin and the Bruins any LOVE when they invade MacArthur Court. The Ducks potent offense will be loose and fancy free on their home court. If they can get some stops early and put together a first-half run and force the Bruins to play catch up it could be party time in Eugene.

• Saturday: Gonzaga over Memphis, ESPN, noon ET
The play you anytime, anywhere Zags are like the Tigers in that they must play a tough nonconference schedule because their league wins can't get them into the dance like the power conferences. The Tigers possess a powerful offense averaging over 80 points per game. Chris Douglas-Roberts, Derrick Rose and Robert Dozier are the top point producers for the deep Tigers. The Memphis pressure defense -- which holds opponents below sixty points -- is anchored by forward Joey Dorsey. Gonzaga is a tough-minded and battle-tested team that has some firepower of its own. Do it all guard Matt Bouldin is the leading scorer and center Josh Heytvelt is continuing to round into form. David Pendergraft and Austin Daye are skilled scorers and Jeremy Pargo has shown he can take over games. If the perimeter of the Zags can hold their own and Heytvelt can keep the Memphis big men busy, there is a chance for the Zags to steal a major win on the road.

• Saturday: West Virginia over Georgetown, ESPN, 7 p.m. ET
The Hoyas play lockdown defense but need to improve their rebounding, especially on the offensive end, and take advantage of their all around athletic ability. They do a great job of sharing and taking care of the ball but at times forget about big man Roy Hibbert while they are running the Princeton offense. West Virginia is thin in the post but forward Joe Alexander is the go to guy that has the bounce to compete with the athletes of G-town. Alex Ruoff can get on a roll from 3 and WVU has improved their defense and rebounding. If the Hoyas don't make the Mountaineers defend Hibbert in the low post they could get knocked off, especially in Morgantown.

• Saturday: Arizona State over Washington State, 7 p.m. ET
The new and improved Sun Devils are tough on defense and can shoot the ball well from every area on the floor. Guard James Harden is another one of those highly productive freshmen making a name for himself and forward Jeff Pendergraph has a nice mid-range game to go with being a handful around the basket where he can score and rebound with the best in the Pac-10. If Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver allow Harden to get some early confidence and Pendergraph is making shots and active on the glass, ASU could be a tough task on their home court.

This Week

Andy Katz

Here's what I'm looking forward to this week:

• Tennessee at Kentucky, Tuesday (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET): The Wildcats showed plenty of grit the past two games against Vanderbilt and Florida in overtime. But the Vols now have a solid inside game with Wayne Chism. This has a potential upset look.

• Drake at Creighton, Tuesday: The new power in the Valley will meet the old establishment.

• UMass at Saint Joseph's, Wednesday: The Minutemen took out Charlotte earlier this week and now look for revenge against the Hawks.

• North Carolina at Miami, Wednesday (ESPN Full Court, 9 p.m. ET): The Tar Heels don't lose two straight. But the Canes desperately need this game after losing two straight on the road, especially in the way they lost to NC State by giving up four points in less than two seconds.

• Washington State at Arizona, Thursday: If the Wildcats win this game they're right back in the race for the Pac-10.

• UCLA at Oregon, Thursday: Kevin Love knows he's going to be vilified by the McArthur Court crowd. The question is can he withstand the verbal assaults and bring the Bruins a much-needed win.

• Gonzaga at Memphis, Saturday (ESPN, noon ET): Well, everyone in the biz seems to think this is one of the only two chances the Tigers have to lose in the regular season.

• Ole Miss at Mississippi State, Saturday (ESPN Full Court, 5 p.m. ET): If you hadn't noticed heading into the week, the Bulldogs were atop the SEC West without a blemish.

• Georgetown at West Virginia, Saturday (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET): The Mountaineers look unbeatable at home and a win over the Hoyas will open up the Big East title race.

• Washington State at Arizona State, Saturday: If the Cougs get a split then their in the race for the title, a sweep might put them in control.

• Stanford at Cal, Saturday: The Cardinal got a much-needed sweep of the Arizona schools at home while Cal got swept. Who do you think needs this more?

• USC at Oregon, Saturday: The Trojans suddenly look like a legit player in the Pac-10 again. A sweep would catapult them back into contention while Oregon can establish itself with a home sweep of the L.A. schools.

• Clemson at Miami, Sunday (ESPN Full Court, 1 p.m. ET): This is the biggest week of the season for the Canes. A split is a must, a sweep puts them in NCAA play.

• Xavier at UMass, Sunday: UMass has a shot to be in the front of the A-10 standings if it can win this game and takes out Saint Joe's earlier in the week.

• Duke at Maryland, Sunday: Suddenly, the Terps are an NCAA-bid player if they follow a Carolina win with a home win over the Blue Devils.