The Power 10 Rankings (updated every Tuesdsay)

1. Memphis (last week: defeated Houston and UAB) 25-0
The Tigers have looked venerable lately. They trailed Houston at the half and never really had control over that game and barely kept their unbeaten streak alive over UAB. This team will go as far as Chris Douglass-Roberts takes them.

2. Tennessee (defeated Arkansas and Georgia) 23-2
Tennessee has struggled on the road lately. Since their loss at Kentucky, their largest road win has only been seven, and that isn’t much considering their offensive firepower. They’re going to have to play a lot better if they want to come out of Memphis with a win on Saturday.

3. North Carolina (defeated Virginia and Virginia Tech) 24-2
The loss of Ty Lawson is potentially a blessing for this Tar Heel team. Quintin Thomas played well in their win against Virginia Tech and guys like Will Graves and Mike Coppeland got some quality playing time.

4. Texas (defeated Kansas, Baylor, Texas A&M) 21-4
Their win against Kansas was huge as far as the conference championship is concerned, the defense they played against A&M was bigger. This will be a very hard team to beat if they can keep that intensity.

5. Duke (defeated Maryland, lost to Wake Forest) 22-2
If you live by the three, you’ll die by the three. The Blue Devils had shot at least 40 percent from behind the arc in four of the last five games before the loss to Wake Forest, where they shot 28 percent.

6. Kansas (loss to Texas, defeated Colorado) 24-2
The scoring numbers of the starting five look a lot like the numbers of Florida’s starting five on the last two championship teams. They have the talent, but they have lost the two biggest games of their season so far.

7. UCLA (defeated USC) 22-3
UCLA didn’t win their game at USC, they just didn’t lose it. There were multiple sequences where they went on scoring droughts. If USC didn’t turn the ball over 22 times (or if they had more than six guys step on the floor), the Bruins would not be in this weeks Power 10.

8. Louisville (defeated DePaul, Providence, Syracuse) 20-6
Louisville might not be ranked in the top 10, or even the top 15 in the AP and USA Today polls, but they’re playing as well as anyone in the country right now. David Padgett on the floor gives Louisville a consistent scorer and a great passer in the post. Watch how the ball moves when he’s on the floor compared to when he’s not on the floor.

9. Butler (defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Youngstown State, Cleveland State) 24-2
A.J. Graves may be the face of this team, but Matt Howard and Mike Green have been playing great since their loss to Cleveland State in mid January. Green is leading the Bulldogs in points and assists, but Graves or Howard can go off any night for 20-plus. No one will want to play this team come tourney time.

10. Connecticut (defeated Notre Dame, South Florida, DePaul) 20-5
I would have laughed if you would have told me Connecticut would be a top-10 caliber team  at any point this season, but after losing three of their first four conference games, they have won 10 in a row including wins over four of the top six teams in the conference.

Games to watch (all times Eastern):

Wednesday
North Carolina at North Carolina St. (ESPN at 7:00 pm)
The Tar Heels will not have Lawson and NCST is as hostile an environment as any for any intrastate visiting team.

Kansas St at Nebraska (ESPN2 at 9:00pm)
If for some odd reason you have not seen Michael Beasley play, you need to watch this game. When dictionaries are re-printed, you’ll be able to find his name under the word “beast.”

Thursday
Arizona St at Washington State (FSW at 7:00 pm)
Washington St. is third in the Pac-10 and Arizona St. is fourth. The Sun Devils are looking for legitimate win against a quality team to build their resume for the tournament, the Cougars are trying to keep the pace with UCLA and Stanford.

Oregon at USC (FSW at 11:00 pm)
This can be a make or break tournament game for both teams. No other reason to watch.

Friday
Davidson at Winthrop (ESPN2 at 7:00pm)
Dell Curry Jr. might be one of the best perameter scorers in the nation that no one is talking about. Curry is averaging 25.6 points per game (including a 41 point explosion at UNC Greensboro) and the Wildcats are on a 16 game winning streak.

Texas Pan-American at Cal State Bakersfield (Bakersfield Local Network at 10:00pm)
It’s the Roadrunners homecoming game!

Saturday
Drake at Butler (ESPN at 5:00pm)
Two top 25 mid-majors will get an opportunity to show why they belong in the discussion among the nation’s best.

Memphis at Tennessee (ESPN at 9:00pm )
The two top ranked teams, Tennessee rivalry, two of the most athletic teams in the nation. What more could you ask for? Definitely the game of the week.

Sunday
Louisville at Pittsburgh (ESPN Full Court at 12:00pm)
David Padgett and DeJuan Blair match up. Two of the premier big men in the Big East battle it out. Also watch the Edgar Sosa-Levance Fields match up.

Monday
Texas at Kansas State (ESPN at 9:00pm)
This game will be played for position in the Big 12. Texas has been playing as well or better than anyone in the country, Kansas State has Michael Beasley and they’re tough to beat at home.

Tuesday
Tennessee at Vanderbilt (ESPN at 9:00)
Vanderbilt has five straight SEC wins and Tennessee is ranked second in the nation. This will be a high intensity game.