Player of the week:

Kirk Hinrich

Who said anything about a bad back? Kansas' shooting guard shook off any ailments that may have been bothering him and hit four 3s for 27 points Saturday in a rout of UCLA. Hinrich's outburst may be a sign that once crestfallen Kansas is back for the Big 12 season.

WHO'S HOT

Alabama

The Tide (9-0) earned their first No. 1 ranking when Arizona lost to LSU. If the coach's poll can ever get on track with the AP poll, maybe Alabama could be ranked No. 1 in both.

SEC

Who's the best team in this league? No one knows, because they're all so good. Florida, Georgia and Kentucky rule the East, while Alabama, LSU and Mississippi State will battle for the West crown. It should be fun.

West Virginia

This team was practically left for dead after Gale Catlett quit during last season. Then Dan Dakich took the job and left a few days later. But look at what John Beilein is doing with this team: The Mountaineers are off to a 7-1 start.

WHO'S NOT

Massachusetts

No if, ands or buts. The Minutemen are playing bad basketball. It is disappointing to see a veteran team give this effort, especially after coach Steve Lappas hyped up his team in the preseason. But a 54-52 loss to Lafayette of the Patriot League is a joke.

Mike Davis

Let's hope the Indiana coach's ugly outburst against the referees in the final seconds of a loss to Kentucky is not a sign of moments to come. The Big Ten is trying to make sure it's not repeated, by asking for Davis to be suspended.

UCLA

It happened again. An overrated UCLA team comes out and loses to the likes of Northern Arizona and Long Beach State. Usually coach Steve Lavin corrects the problems by the time conference games start, but this team looks hopeless.

MUST-SEE TV

Kentucky at Louisville, noon today (ESPN): If you're a Commonwealth basketball fan, you don't have to be told about this one.

Texas Tech at Minnesota, 2 p.m. today (ESPN): Bob Knight got a standing ovation at UTEP. Can it happen in Minneapolis?

Illinois at Memphis, 6 p.m. today (ESPN): Unbeaten Illinois has to play a tough Tiger team on the road.

NC State at UMass, 7:30 p.m. Thursday (ESPN): The Wolfpack are pretty good. The Minutemen are pretty bad. So watch the first half.

Arizona State at Oregon State, 10:30 p.m. Thursday (FSN): Too much football? We didn't think so, but this one could be good.

TOP FIVE

This week's topic: The five most volatile coaches on the sidelines during games.

Mike Davis, Indiana: Davis makes the list after his ill-advised dash onto the court to confront officials during the Kentucky game last

Saturday.

Bobby Knight, Texas Tech: The former IU coach set a standard in Bloomington that even Davis will be hard-pressed to match.

Gary Williams, Maryland: His frenetic, sweat-soaked sideline persona is worth the price of admission.

Bob Huggins, UC: He has changed his lifestyle off the court but remains as fiery as ever during games.

Gene Keady, Purdue: He always appears one blown call away from coming apart at the seams.

SWEET 16

1. Alabama	XU gets shot at No. 1 on Jan. 4.
2. Pitt	Faces New Year's Eve test at Georgia.
3. Duke	Young Blue Devils host Dayton on Sunday.
4. Arizona	Looks to recover from loss to LSU.
5. UConn	Does anyone want to see Huskies play Cent. Connecticut State?
6. Illinois	Bill Self doing masterful job of retooling.
7. Oregon	Starts Pac-10 play Thursday against Arizona.
8. Oklahoma	Six straight wins since loss to Alabama.
9. Notre Dame	Irish best team in Indiana.
10. Indiana	Mike Davis needs to get a grip.
11. Kentucky	In-state rival Louisville lurks in the weeds.
12. Texas	Longhorns slipped past pesky Princeton.
13. Florida	Matt Bonner playing best ball of career.
14. Mississippi State	Mario Austin even better than expected.
15. Marquette	Dwyane Wade best player in Conference USA.
16. Missouri	Still formidable despite loss to Illinois.